One Potato, Two Potatoes, Red Potatoes, Blue Potatoes!

	Potatoes
	So many potatoes, so little time. From the creamy buttery look of the Yukon Gold to the eye popping Purple Peruvian, the cute Fingerling, the hearty Russet, and the delicious Sweet Potato, this vegetable offers shapes, sizes, colors and textures to please everyone's palate. Boiled, steamed, fried, baked, sautéed, roasted, and grilled, they can be prepared so many ways from mashing, frying, adding them to soups to eating them all by themselves.
	Yukon Golds make great mashed potatoes and look buttery and creamy because of their golden color inside. If you are trying to cut back on butter, these will certainly fool your eye. They are delicious and are best baked, roasted or mashed.
	Fingerlings get their name from their looks - they look like stubby fingers. They have a BIG flavor and wonderful varieties and colors. Great roasted, most hold their shape well and can be used in salads. They are also great sautéed, boiled, steamed, grilled, or fried. Fingerlings are a specialty heirloom variety. As with most heirloom varieties, fingerlings tend to be less starchy and are therefore lower on the Glycemic Index scale.
	Ruby Crescent Banana Fingerling Potatoes have ruby red skins and are yellow inside with a distinctive ruby crescent stripe in the center. They make a striking presentation on the plate and are as tasty as they are unusual. Served at fine restaurants because of their looks and wonderful, deep, earthy flavor. It holds it shape well once cooked so are great for salads too.
	French Fingerlings are as tasty as they are attractive with their red inviting skin.
	Buttercreams are as delicious as their name implies. Buttercreams are a flat fingerling potato but are fluffier than the average fingerling. They have a golden skin with a yellow buttery flavor like the Yukon Gold. Prepare these whole - boil, steam or bake them. Again, low on the glycemic index. These are so good that people have stopped me to thank me for putting them in their box or have stopped me to ask when we'll be getting more. The best potato you've ever had! Roast them or try one of these recipes for these heirloom beauties.
	Russets are ideal baking potatoes and are good fried and mashed. These are a high starch potato and are therefore light and fluffy when mashed. And a recent study showed that Russets are actually high in antioxidants!
	Red Potatoes have less starch and more sugar and are therefore stickier so are best for boiling, potato salad and maybe au gratin.
	All Red Potatoes have beautiful red skins and are pink inside (ranging from light pink to deep pink) with the same antioxidants that make blueberries blue but not as strong (remember, the stronger the color, the higher the antioxidant value) but with far more antioxidant value than the usual white potato! Looks particularly festive in potato salads or try mashed pink potatoes! Your kids won't believe it when you cut into it - treat yourself to this unusual potato!
	All Blue Potatoes are very much like Purple Potatoes with a striking color and wonderful flavor and moist texture. Like the Purple Potato, they hold their shape after cooking so are perfect for a purple or blue potato salad and also make a fun blue mashed potato. Steam or bake to preserve the color.
	Purple Potatoes also called Blue Potatoes or Delta Blues truly are naturally purple! This is from the same powerful antioxidant that give blueberries their brilliant color. Purple Peruvian Potatoes were some of the first potatoes harvested. They were saved for Inca kings. Used in Mexican cooking, purple potatoes are gaining popularity in the U.S. They have a naturally creamy flavor and texture and hold their shape well for salads. Perfect for a purple potato salad! Or fried or baked purple chips, or roasted, or Royal P urple Mashed Potatoes - they stay purple once cooked, but not as vibrant as when raw. Make a Purple Potato, Mushroom and Fontina Gratin or Purple Peruvian Potato and Bell Pepper Low-Fat Salad in a Cilantro and Olive Vinaigrette, or a Hearty Vegetable Salad, or Purple Potato Hash Browns.

	Sweet Potatoes, popular during Thanksgiving, should be eaten promptly if kept at room temperature, and that's really the way to store them. The Garnett, Beauregard and Jewell are high in beta-carotene and other nutrients, so don't just wait for November!
	The Japanese or Oriental Sweet Potato has a beautiful pink to purple skin and is white inside. It has a delicious sweet flavor that reminds me of a chestnut. They are used to make liquor in Japan. They are attractive, colorful, and make a wonderful presentation. They can be grilled, steamed or baked. Jersey Potatoes are similar in color, flavor and texture. Grilled satsuma is called yakimo; steamed is called satsumaimo. They are used to make desserts and snacks in Japan too. Make Japanese Sweet Potato Cakes, Sugared Sweet Potatoes, or Sweet Potato Tempura.
	Okinowa or Okinawa Sweet Potatoes served whole will surprise guests. The skin is unassuming and light in color but cut it open to reveal a lovely pink to lavender to purple meat. They stay that color when cooked and taste sweet and delicious! Usually large, the colors come from antioxidants. Native to the Japanese island of Okinawa. These are hearty, starchy, beautiful potatoes that can be roasted, boiled, or mashed or try Haupia Pie! 1st picture courtesy aoneaproduce.com; 2nd picture courtesy starbulletin.com
	The Garnett Sweet Potato, also known as the Purple Yam, is large with purple-garnet skin color and a deep orange inside. It is wonderfully moist and delicious.
	The Beauregard Sweet Potato or Louisiana Sweet Potato is the one we commonly see in the grocery stores. Orange inside.
	The Jewell Sweet Potato is a blue ribbon winner for color and taste. Deep orange inside. Soft texture, rich flavor, and they store well.

	Potato Facts:
	Nutritionally: A low fat source of vitamin C, carbohydrates, protein, potassium, iron, niacin and magnesium, (additionally, the skin provides calcium, zinc, and phosphorus), it's been said that a person can live on potatoes and milk. Sweet Potatoes are a powerful source of nutrients including copper, and fiber, and antioxidants like carotenoids. Sweet Potatoes rank lower on the glycemic index than regular white potatoes.

	How to choose: Dirty, firm, non-sprouting potatoes are the best choice.
	How to store: Because their starch turns to sugar in the refrigerator, they should be kept in a dark, dry, cool area like a cellar or a brown bag. However, out of sight, out of mind, and our south Florida temperatures cause them to sprout too quickly and we don't have cellars so what to do? Store them in the refrigerator but let them come to room temperature for a day (take them out in the morning) so that their sugar can return to starch.
	Fun Facts: Yes, you can eat potatoes that have sprouted and have some green on their skin, but cut it all away because the green skin is actually poisonous (though you have to eat A LOT of it to feel the ill effects). Potatoes are part of the nightshade family while Sweet Potatoes are cousins of the morning-glory. We call moist orange Sweet Potatoes Yams and drier yellow ones Sweet Potatoes but really they are both Sweet Potatoes; Yams are huge and are not easy to find. Louisiana Yams are really just Sweet Potatoes that they renamed to show that they are from Louisiana and create a niche for themselves. In Colonial Times, Sweet Potatoes were recommended to prevent childhood diseases.
	Cooking Tips: Use potatoes to thicken soups. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent. Add Potatoes (no skin) and Broccoli stalks, stir and cook a little. Add Broccoli tops on top and 4 cups of chicken stock. Cover and simmer. After about 20 minutes, take out the Broccoli stalks and then blend the rest together with a hand-held blender. Add cheese and milk. When baking in the oven (or microwave), pierce the skin before baking to allow steam to escape. Bake at 350 for about an hour, depending on the size. If you bake them on a rack, you'll get nice crispy skin. You may want to coat them with some kosher salt after you wash them for added flavor. Baking a potato in foil actually causes the potato to steam; if you want softer skin, rub it with a little olive oil before baking instead of in foil. Most people start boiled potatoes in cold water for even cooking, but to reduce the loss of nutrients, drop them in already boiling water or better yet, steam them instead of boiling them, even for mashed potatoes! That retains more of the nutrients from the skin and you won't believe how much better it tastes! Don't over-beat your mashed potatoes or they will be gooey and gummy. Try roasting by cutting Potatoes in chunks, tossing in olive oil, add salt and pepper, and roast at 450 for about 30 minutes until done. They will caramelize. This is a fun way to make French Fries without frying! Or cut them into chip shapes and do the same thing! Purple Potatoes are fun too! Check them every 10 to 15 to see if they need flipping. Sweet Potato Pie More Sweet Potato Recipes! Sweet Potato-Pineapple Treat Stuffed Sweet Potato with Pecan and Marshmallow Streusel Rum Glazed Sweet Potato Chestnut Gratin, Mashed Sweet Potato Sweet Potato Puree with Bananas and Buttered Pecans Sweet Potato and Banana Soufflé Sweet Potato Praline Soufflé Sweet Potato Casserole Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes Sweet Potato Flan Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups Roasted Sweet Potatoes with warm Chutney Dressing Latkes