The potato is not a root but a storage area, whicH is part of the plant’s underground stem. The roots collect more water and food than the growing plant can use at one time. The plant stores the excess food in oval packages, called tubers (the potato). When the greenery starts to wither and turn brown, the potatoes are ready to harvest. 

Potatoes produce more pounds of protein per acre than corn, rice, wheat or oats. They are packed with nutrients, low in fat, generous in bulk and efficiently packaged in their own skins. They can be prepared in many different ways and are delicious. 

PotatoeS were first grown by ancient tribes living in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia and Peru as early as 200 A.D. Archaeologists have found pictures of potato plants in designs on ancient pottery. The ancient people preserved the potatoes by trampling them and then drying them. 

Even though potatoes were first grown in South America, people in North America did not start eating them until after They became a popular food in Europe. European explorers carried potatoes from South America back to Europe in 1570. About 150 years later the rulers of several European countries ordered their people to start growing potatoes. In Ireland, potatoes became the main food for the people. In the 1840s disease wiped out the potato crop in Ireland for two years in a row. Many Irish people moved to America then, because they had no food to eat. Most of the world’s potatoes today are grown in Europe. 

Potatoes are a truck crop and are grown in all 50 of the United States. A truck crop is a crop that is grown on a farm and taken to the market by truck. The biggest potato-producing state is Idaho. 

Before they go to market, potatoes are graded according to size and quality. The price of the potato depends on how it looks and how much it weighs. In Oklahoma, many people grow potatoes in their home gardens and harvest them while the tubers are still small. These are called “new potatoes.” The average American eats about 65 pounds of potatoes a year.