This Week's Food Focus is Potatoes

Potatoes are part of the Solanum genus of which bell peppers, tomatoes and aubergine also belong. Potatoes are a staple food in many countries and therefore an important crop, especially in Eastern and Central Europe. They are easy to grow and produce a high yield with minimal effort. I tried my hand at growing them last year and was very happy with the results. I only dug small holes (spuds), dropped the potatoes in, covered them with soil and straw and once the leaves started to shoot up I added more straw to prevent production of solanine, the toxic green pigment which protects the potato from predators.

Traditional methods of growing potatoes are back breaking and time consuming, as trenches are dug, double digging is carried out and then hilling of the potatoes as they grow. However, if you feel so inclined they are tried and tested!

Nutritionally potatoes are a good source of starchy carbohydrates and provide just under 25% of an adult's recommended intake of vitamin C and Vitamin B6. Baking potatoes reduces the level of vitamin C Potatoes are considered to be high on the Glycemic Index. This level changes between varieties, origin and methods of cooking. Note also that the levels of vitamin C and B6 decline when baking potatoes, while mineral quantities remain unaffected. Potatoes are one of my favourite staple foods. You can mash, roast, bake, fry, boil them. This week we'll be sharing a range of potato based recipes with you.

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