Fat-free, Very low sodium, Source of fiber, Rich in vitamin A, High in vitamin C, Cholesterol-free.
Do not refrigerate or freeze uncooked potatoes as this will change potato starches into sugar. This alters the taste of potatoes and causes the flesh to darken when cooked.
Prolonged exposure to light causes greening and makes the potato taste bitter. Peel or pare green area from the potato before using.
Sweet potatoes and yams come from different species of plant in the family of morning glories, originating in separate corners of the world. What we commonly eat are sweet potatoes, which are native to the American tropics. True yams, which are native to Africa, weigh between two and eight pounds and have white to yellow flesh. Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, are generally yellow to deep orange.
The potato was promoted in Prussia by Fredrick the Great, frowned upon in Scotland (Presbyterians were concerned because the Bible failed to mention potatoes as a crop), and quickly adopted by the Irish as their primary food crop.
How potatoes came to North America is the subject of several conflicting legends. One creditable source reports that some of the first plantings were those started in New Hampshire, from stock brought from Ireland. The present name came about as an accident, having derived from the Spanish "patata," meaning sweet potato.