To Relieve Boredom We Dug Up A Few Facts About Tubers

I am experiencing serious Sunday afternoon malaise. There is no football to watch. The Olympics are over (finally). Kathleen has gone to the local Catholic priory to play with the nuns (she plays the recorder, a flute-like instrument) and it’s raining outside.

Sam is bored, I’m bored, and life’s a bore. Heavy sigh. Are you feeling sorry for me yet? I’m so desperate for something stimulating to do I got down on the floor and wrestled with Sam for a few minutes, then struggled for several more minutes to get back up. I don’t have any beer in the refrigerator. I ‘m tired of eating Oreo cookies and about half sick from eating so many. I’ve just finished reading the Herman Wouk novel, The Hope, about the beginning of Israel and the Joseph Wambaugh novel , Hollywood Station, about the trials and tribulations of cops in the LAPD, and I’ve finished editing my own book, Death In the Gallatin Valley, for about the fiftieth time so now I’m even bored with it. I’ve got to get it to the printer as soon as I receive the cover from my cover designer. Hopefully I’ll receive my cover before I decide to change part of my book again. I can’t do that many more times without going totally nuts.

So, WOE IS ME!

I’m so desperately bored and flummoxed about what subject to blog on I’m contemplating hitting you all with some facts I learned about potatoes this week. I was digging up information about potatoes because the farmer in my book, Death In the Gallatin Valley (did I mention my new title yet?) grows potatoes - among other things. He grows wheat too, but I find potatoes to be more interesting.

Did you know there are about 5,000 varieties of potatoes grown worldwide? And while only 19% of Americans think potatoes may be gluten free, in fact, they are totally gluten free. Hah! On the other hand, potatoes are rich in potassium and low in sodium, and that’s good for anyone worried about their blood pressure.

Potatoes have some pretty colorful names too. Many of you readers probably know about the Yukon Gold. But do you know about the Sage Russet, the Red Pontiac (I used to want a red Chevy), the Purple Viking and the Cherry Red. "Blue" potatoes like the Purple Viking are used to make blue potato chips - which I have not yet eaten.

Anyway, the Gallatin Valley (Hey! There’s that name again) where Kathleen comes from grows a lot of certified seed potatoes. Those seed potatoes are sent o farms around the world to raise fields of potatoes to feed the hungry masses. Next time you order fries just think about those certified seed potato growers in the Gallatin Valley.
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"In Montana, certification of potatoes grown for seed is conducted by Montana State University. Certification is a voluntary program designed to encourage the production of top-quality seed potato tubers through adherence to rigorous testing and inspection requirements, and through research to improve seed potato quality and testing," according to an MSU internet listing.

Okay, I’m not bored anymore. Hope you aren’t either.