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The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a perennial plant of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, commonly grown for its starchy tuber. Potatoes are the world's most widely grown tuber crop, and the fourth largest crop in terms of fresh produce (after rice, wheat, and maize), but this ranking is inflated due to the high water content of fresh potatoes relative to that of other crops. The potato originated in the Andes, likely somewhere in present-day Peru or Bolivia. Potatoes form an important part of Andean culture, and the farmers grow many different varieties possessing a remarkable diversity of colors and shapes. Potatoes spread to the rest of the world after European contact with the Americas in the late 1400s and early 1500s.
Botanical description
Potato plants have a low-growing habit and bear white to purple flowers with yellow stamens.
Buds called "eyes" appear on the surface of potato tubers. Since common varieties of potatoes do not produce seeds (they bear sterile flowers), propagation occurs by planting pieces of existing tubers, cut to include at least one eye. Confusingly, these pieces can bear the name "seed potatoes". The haulm or shaw of the potato plant may wither if early harvesting does not occur.
After potato plants flower, some varieties will produce small green fruit that look similar to green cherry-tomatoes. These produce seeds like other fruits. Insects can cross-pollinate the flowers of different potato plants. Each of the fruits can contain up to 300 true seeds. One can separate the seeds from the fruits by putting them in a blender on a slow speed with some water, then leaving them in water for a day so that the seeds will sink and the rest of the fruit will float. Potato fruit contains poisonous substances: one should not eat them. However, some horticulturists sell chimeras made by grafting a tomato plant onto a potato plant, which can produce both edible tomatoes and potatoes. These chimera plants are more commonly known as "the Miraculous Tuber-Plant".
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Adora - Produces gourmet potatoes with unique features - a thin skin and shallow eyes. Winkler, Manitoba Canada.
Meta Description: [ Adora potatoes from Kroeker Farms in Winkler have a gourmet taste, texture, and appearance. They have a thin skin and shallow eyes which makes them easy to peel and were selected first in international taste testing panels. ]
Alexia Foods - Offers a variety of frozen, prepared potato entrees including potato wedges, mashed potatoes, and organic oven crinkles. Company profile, product details and contact links.
Arundel-Kerr Produce LTD - Supplier of potatoes and root crops to the European market. Company profile, services, and contact details.
Meta Description: [ AKP sits in a unique position in the potato and root crop supply chain , providing Europe's leading retail, pre-packing, vegetable processing and food manufacturing customers with year round continuity of the highest quality potatoes and produce from its growing base across Europe. ]
Bart's Fresh Produce - Belgium based potato producer. Company profile, product information, and contact form.
Meta Description: [ barts, potato, company, potato products, export, potato export, lamaire, pommatic, lamaire, pommatic, aardappelen, potatoes, potato, imports, exports, agriculture, farming, food, potato products ]
Bart's Potato Company - Marketer and exporter based in Belgium. Company profile and contact form.
Black Gold - Global agricultural production and marketing team specializing in potatoes. Offers company profile and history, and location map.
Cal-Ore Produce - Fresh potato grower, packer, and shipper. Company history, product listing, food safety information, and contact details.
Carroll's Heritage Potatoes - Specialist suppliers of fresh gourmet heritage potatoes from Tiptoe Farm, Northumberland, UK.
Meta Description: [ Carroll's Heritage Potatoes : At Tiptoe Farm in the beautiful River Till Valley in Northumberland, North East England, 8 miles west of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and 6 miles from the Scottish Border at Coldstream, we grow over 17 varieties of Heritage Potatoes. ]
Cascades Food Group - Processor of fresh and frozen potato products. Company profile, product information, and contact form.
Meta Description: [ A minority processor of fresh and frozen potato products, from raw potatoes and onions to french fries. ]
Cavendish Farms - A producer of frozen potato products for retail, restaurant and institutional use. Company profile, description of products, locations, enquiries and feedback.
CSS Farms - Specializes in growing potatoes to be used for snack chips. Includes company history and storage information.
Gerrit Visser and Sons - Seed and table potato exporters located in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Meta Description: [ Welcome to the home page of PEI SPUDS! G. Visser & Sons, a family owned and operated farm on Prince Edward Island, Canada, grows premium quality seed and table potatoes. Visit our site for a farm tour, variety information, Mom's potato recipes, spud facts, a guest book, and potato photos to use a... ]
Hendricken Family Farms - Grower of market and seed potatoes in Prince Edward Island Canada. Product information, field testing details, and contact form.
Meta Description: [ Welcome to Hendricken Family Farms. A family owned farm, we produce 450 acres of seed potatoes. Our farm is located in PEI Canada. ]
Hutterite Brethren Potato Grower Directory - Lists all Hutterite colonies and potato growers in western Canada and the US.
Lamaire - Offers services and support to the industry, including seed supplies, marketing advice, and news. Products and services, listing of companies, and contact form.
Meta Description: [ barts, potato, company, potato products, export, potato export, lamaire, pommatic, lamaire, pommatic, aardappelen, potatoes, potato, imports, exports, agriculture, farming, food, potato products ]
Logan International - Vertically integrated processors of french fries and potato wedges. Company profile, product details, and contact information.
Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission - Includes recipes, nutritional information, shippers and canners in Louisiana.
Martens Farms - Finger Lakes of New York potato grower, packer and processor for over 70 years. Product and contact information.
Meta Description: [ Martens Farms: commercial potato grower, packager and processor provides processed potatoes for ingredients and private label packaging ]
Masser Potato Farms - Supplier for retail outlets and restaurants. Provides product information and recipes.
Meta Description: [ An eighth-generation family-owned company, Masser Potato Farms provides retail outlets and restaurants with America's finest potatoes. ]
McCain Foods Limited - Food processor of french fries and potato products.
MountainKing - Producers and distributors of branded fresh specialty potatoes.
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MountainKing Potatoes - Growers and distributors of a range of potato varieties. Company profile, products, and recipes.
Nonpareil - Grows and ships fresh potatoes and creates processed potato products, ready-to-prepare dishes, and innovative ingredients for the food industry.
NorSun Food Group, LLC - Offers roasted, baked and water-blanched potato products.
Ochoa Ag Unlimited Foods, Inc. - Family owned company offering a variety of frozen potato products. Company profile; and product details emphasising french fries and wedges. Contact information.
Ore-Ida Foods - Manufacturer of frozen potato products; subsidary of H.J. Heinz Co. and headquartered in Boise, Idaho.
Meta Description: [ Side dish, main dish or after-school snack; Lunchtime, dinnertime -- even breakfast! With so many varieties to choose from, anytime is the right time to serve Ore-Ida®! ]
Potandon Produce L.L.C. - Offers red skinned gold flesh potatoes. Company profile and product details. Recipes.
Meta Description: [ Potato - Potatoes - Red Potatoes. Klondike Rose. Red Skin Golden Potatoes! ]
Robert Mitchell Potatoes Ltd - Suppliers of potatoes to wholesale, retail and catering trade. Recipes, storage instructions, paper sack manufacturing.
Ryan Potato Company - Grower, packer, and shipper. History [PDF format], shipping information, staff listing, facts, related links, and feedback form.
Meta Description: [ Ryan Potato Company is a buyer of good washing quality Reds, Whites, Russets, and Yellow Flesh varieties of potatoes; including certified seed potatoes, at harvest or from storage. Transportation is also available. ]
Skagit Valley's Best Produce - Potato grower, packer and shipper from Washington state, US. Offers red, white, yellow, and purple potato varieties. Potato recipes.
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Solan S.A. - Manufacturer of potato granules, potato flakes, and potato puree. Includes company profile, products, recipes, and contact information. Poland.
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Solanum - UK based supplier of potatoes. Company profile, services, contract information, and contact details.
Meta Description: [ Premier UK suppliers of top quality potatoes to leading retailers, potato category suppliers to waitrose, instrumental in resurrecting traditional potato varieties, unique grower group ]
SunFresh of Florida Marketing Cooperative, Inc. - Growers and distributers of branded potatoes with lower carbs and calories than Russet and other common varieties. Company profile and product details.
Meta Description: [ SunLite™ All Natural Low Carb Potatoes are better tasting and better for you. ]
Tallman Family Farms - Northeastern potato farm and packing company specializing in tablestock and frying potatoes. Also a supplier of potato bags, packaging supplies, and maintains a produce hauling business. Product and contact details.
Meta Description: [ Tallman Family Farms is a Northeastern grower and supplier of French Fry Potatoes and TableStock Potatoes. We also sell and distribute bagging and shipping supplies, agricultural goods, and maintain a produce hauling service. ]
Visser Potato LTD - Grower and exporter. Company profile and history, products, processing and shipping information, and industry news.
Meta Description: [ Welcome to the web site of VISSER POTATO LTD, PEI, Canada, grower and exporter of high quality seed potatoes, table stock and processing potatoes. Browse our site in English & Spanish (Espanol) for company information, potato varieties, packaging and availability, and shipping information. ]
W.P. Griffin Inc. - Grower, packer, and shipper of a variety of potatoes. Includes product information and recipes. Canada.
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| flowers and berries rotting at the border. Since June, exactly seven truckloads of potatoes have left Gaza . "It's very ... | |
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