Spud Love

According to an April 2008 article in The American Journal of Potato Research, German per capita potato consumption is seven on one-third bushels. There are between 54 and 60 pounds of potatoes in a bushel. That means the average German eats between 396 and 440 pounds of potatoes annually, or 1.14 pounds of potatoes a day.
That's an awful lot of spuds. But, in my experience it doesn't sound too far off. When I've talked to Germans about their shopping habits, I'm told that they buy potatoes at a rate of 5 to 10 kilos (or 10 to 20 pounds) at a time. Every time I've been invited to eat in the home of a German, potatoes were served. I even know of an all potato restaurant in Königswinter. (They serve the absolute best fries!)

You'd think it would be boring to eat so many potatoes, but there are countless ways to cook them around here. You can get them mashed, roasted, boiled, or fried; in salads, with or without mayo; transformed into dumplings, pancakes, or noodles; and baked and stuffed, or au gratin.

Last week, a colleague of mine told me that he's been getting his potatoes direct from the source. A farmer he knows delivers potatoes – along with a few other farm fresh staples – once a week. Excited by the thought of fresh organic potatoes combine with being able to directly support a local farmer meant that I didn't hesitate to get in on the action. Last Friday I picked up my two-kilo order. (I know, I know, I'm still not a German. Four pounds is nothing!)

These potatoes were delicious – earthy and fresh. But, what excited me the most about the potatoes I purchased was that I got not one, but two heart shaped spuds. If that doesn't show that they were grown with love, I don't know what would!