Most potatoes have a light brown or red skin with white flesh. Some of the new varieties have purple/blue skin with yellow flesh. The peel is good to eat and has many nutrients. Potato Cut off any green spots or sprouts. Potatoes are vegetables which grow in the ground as tubers (fleshy, underground stems). s were first grown in the Andes Mou Potatoe ntain ought potatoes to Spain in the of So aniards br 1500’s, w uth A Sp nts intro hich th merica Irish immigra duced potato en gr over 7,000 years ago. es to N adually orth A spread t merica o the rest of Europe. in the 1 8th century. Potatoes are the second most popular vegetable in the world (after corn). They are inexpensive and Nutrition Facts available year-round. Idaho grows 30 • Fat free percent of the potatoes • Cholesterol free grown in the United States. • Sodium free • Good source of fber The potato has only a very distant • High in potassium relationship with the sweet potato, but because both vegetables grow in the • High in vitamin C ground, they are often confused.

uses VARIETIES Potatoes can be eaten raw, but are usually cooked There are thousands of varieties (boiled, baked, microwaved, of potatoes. Common North mashed, fried or grilled). Potatoes American potato varieties include: • Russet Burbank can be added to soups, stews or • Yellow Finn casseroles. Other popular ways to • Red Gold eat potatoes are: potato salad, • German Butterball hashbrowns, potato chips and • Yukon Gold Some potatoes are french fries. Potatoes prepared with grown in Iowa. little or no added fat are more nutritious.

Funded in part by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in cooperation with the Iowa departments of Public Health and Human Services, equal opportunity providers and employers. The Iowa Food Assistance Program can help you buy nutritious IDPH food for a healthy diet. To find out more, visit www.yesfood.iowa.gov. Iowa Department of Public Health This material was developed by the University of Nebraska - Lincoln Extension in Lancaster County.