Animal, Vegetable, Miracle Part 4.5: "Splendid Spuds"

In honor of that great Irish saint whose feast we celebrate today, and in continuation of Jamison's previous post, I would like to pay tribute to the potato with an orignal poem (bear with me; this is spontaneos):

Ode to the Potato



O glorious spud,

that sprouts from the mud,

Have pardon on those

that think you're a dud.

Plentiful in the fall,

bringing nutrients to all,

You've so much to offer,

The other starches are in awe.

O, popular subject of many a fable,

 please be organic as long as you're able,

A spud with great versatility,

Come, be a guest of honor at our table.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/stone-soup/4620821029/sizes/z/in/photostream/



This little piece as been inspired by Camille Kingsolver's summary of the chapter documenting their food journey in October-- "Smashing Pumpkins". Camille' spread spans pages 272- 276 and is called "Splendid Spuds". Its content illuminates some of the potato's little-known nutritional benefits ( powerful antioxidants, vitamins C and B6, potassium) and some of its risks (If not eaten with certain other nutrients, potatoes can cause "a sharp rise in blood glucose that stimulates high levels of blood insulin" (272)). Most importantly, Camille cautions the reader of the doom that can ensue when one eats an inorganic potato: because of their skins, potatoes have an extremely high rate of pesticide contamination. So be wary of the potato skins, and if you are not fortunate enough to have organic spuds, be sure to peel and boil them completely before eating (273).

One of the most captivating aspects of Kingsolver's tidbit is her recipe collection; she always manages to give the reader a way to incorporate the Kingsolver family's journey into his daily life. This section includes recipes for the "Four Seasons of Potato Salad"... Want to see these intriguing recipes for yourselves? Check out Animal, Vegetable, Miracle from your library today!

In the meantime, enjoy this link to a so-called potato game: it gauges how fast you can peel a potato. Tempting, I know. My time was 3minutes, 35 seconds!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

-Taylor Halbig-