• "French Fries" were introduced to America when Thomas Jefferson served them at a Whitehouse dinner.
• United States potato lovers consumed more than 4 million tons of French Fries in various shapes and sizes.
• Potatoes are a powerful aphrodisiac, says a physician in Ireland.
• During the Alaskan Klondike gold rush, (1897-1898) potatoes were practically worth their weight in gold. Potatoes were so valued for their vitamin C content that miners traded gold for potatoes.
• The potato is the second most consumed food in the U.S., trailing only milk products.
• The average American eats 120 pounds of potatoes a year. That is almost a spud a day.
• A medium-size potato (one third pound or 150 grams) has only about 110 calories, four to five percent of the average adult's total daily intake of calories.
• The potato gives us a wide spectrum of valuable nutrients, including complex carbohydrates, often lacking in the American diet.
• The potato is a good source of vitamin C and hard to get B6 and has long been known to be a storehouse of minerals.
COOKING & HANDLING TIPS
• Do not bake potatoes in foil, foil holds in the moisture causing the potato to become soggy.
• To keep the potatoes from turning brown while peeling, sprinkle with lemon juice