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Chapter XX − POTATOES
COMPOSITION
Water, 78.9%
Proteid, 2.1%
Starch, 18%
Mineral matter, .9%
Fat 1.%
POTATOES stand pre−eminent among the vegetables used for food. They are tubers
belonging
to the Nightshade family; their hardy growth renders them easy of cultivation in almost any
climate, and, resisting early frosts, they may be raised in a higher latitude than the cereals.
soil or
1
They give needed bulk to food rather than nutriment, and, lacking in proteid, should be
combination with meat, fish, or eggs.
used in
2
Potatoes contain an acrid juice, the greater part of which lies near the skin; it passes into
water during boiling of potatoes, and escapes with the steam from a baked potato.
the
3
Potatoes are best in the fall, and keep well through the winter. By spring the starch is
partially
changed to dextrin, giving the potatoes a sweetness, and when cooked a waxiness. The same
change takes place when potatoes are frozen. To prevent freezing, keep a pail of cold water
standing near them.
4
Potatoes keep best in a cool dry cellar, in barrels or piled in a bin. When sprouts appear
should be removed; receiving their nourishment from the starch, they deteriorate the potato.
they
5
New potatoes may be compared to unripe fruit, the starch grains not having reached
maturity;
therefore they should not be given to children or invalids.
6
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes, although analogous to white potatoes, are fleshy roots of the plant, belong to
a
different family (Convolvulus), and contain a much larger percentage of sugar. Our own
country
produces large quantities of sweet potatoes, which may be grown as far north as New Jersey
Chapter XX − POTATOES
357
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