In Beijing in the winter time, sweet potatoes are a popular street food. Store sweet potatoes in the freezer and roast them in a very hot oven. The liquid in the sweet potatoes crystallizes and melts creating the perfect roasted potato.
Hi Anne Marie. It's good to see you here on Substack, and with your steer, I've signed up for BlueSky. Just one small point about planting store bought potatoes...watch out for fungal and virus diseases such as potato blight, and pests such as the Potato Cyst Nematode. Their spores and eggs can hitch a ride on your store bought potatoes and provide a launch pad for problems. Specialist grown and tested seed potatoes would be a better way to go.
I have not read BEAVER LAND, but I have read EAGER: THE SURPRISING SECRET LIFE OF BEAVERS AND WHY THEY MATTER by Ben Goldfarb. Ben is an exceptional writer. I was fortunate to interview him on my podcast.
WINNER of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award
Author of the New York Times 2023 "Notable Book" Crossings
Washington Post “50 Notable Works of Nonfiction”
Science News “Favorite Science Books of 2018”
Booklist “Top Ten Science/Technology Book of 2018”
"A marvelously humor-laced page-turner about the science of semi-aquatic rodents…. A masterpiece of a treatise on the natural world.”―The Washington Post
Instagram still seems safe in offering varied opinions, but I would drop Facebook like a proverbial hot potato. (Couldn't resist.)
Sweet potatoes deserve a post of their own. (So good!)
I want to read more about these amazing creatures so thank you for the book recommendation. I'll look for your podcast too. He must have been a wonderful guest.
I don't have a Bluesky account and don't feel like expanding my social media repertoire. Sad about Instagram - I feel everyone is trying to monetise Substack (and even though it's only 5.7/10 dollars a month it would add up!) and Instagram was more egalitarian.
Can you clear something up for my rowing husband and I? Can we eat potatoes when they go slightly green? He thinks they should all be thrown away but I happily use them and always have.
I peel off the slightly green skin and eat them. (My husband is color blind and can't tell the difference.) Apparently you'd have to eat lots of green potatoes to get sick. Here's a good article about that green tinge: https://www.thespruceeats.com/is-it-safe-to-eat-green-potatoes-8417503
A little green won’t hurt but more than a little will make you vomit. I found this out the hard way a few years ago when I cooked the last of the garden potatoes. Some had green bits but I fed them to my unsuspecting son. Unlike the murderous mushroom chef in Australia (the one who killed her ex-in-laws with a special meal), I ate some green potatoes too. I felt queasy but my son threw up. I still feel guilty. Now I cut the green parts off.
At 80, you’d think I’d have tried most everything with potatoes, but I’ve never cleaned my cast iron frypan with a potato, nor hilled potatoes in a burlap sack.
I enjoy reading your posts via substack.com -- Easier to read than FB (aka Metaverse). Substack just mentioned new videotaping option. Do you plan to use it?
Yes!! 🙌 We store 100lbs of local potatoes for the winter, and I just started baking potato bread to help use them up. It is so delicious and heartier than our regular breads. We love it for French toast. 💜
Hi! I'll be opening a Bluesky account. It seems like most folks are migrating over there.
And love this post! It made me think of a man from New Hampshire whom I met in Nepal. We were cooking dal bhat at a hostel. A lot of the work involved peeling potatoes, and he was so angry at people attempting to throw out the potato peels! When we were done cooking, he'd fry up the potato skins for us to eat as a post-cooking snack.
Substack only. Blue Sky is already becoming a bit of a cesspool. I gave IG years ago and keep a FB acct only for the marketplace. I love Substack - so much worthy writing - I must monitor my time there! I write a newsletter there and will be sure to share your newsletter.
In Beijing in the winter time, sweet potatoes are a popular street food. Store sweet potatoes in the freezer and roast them in a very hot oven. The liquid in the sweet potatoes crystallizes and melts creating the perfect roasted potato.
Oh yum! Thank you for the suggestion. I'm going to try it.
To one of Latvian descent, a glut of potatoes is wealth beyond imagination!!
Hi Anne Marie. It's good to see you here on Substack, and with your steer, I've signed up for BlueSky. Just one small point about planting store bought potatoes...watch out for fungal and virus diseases such as potato blight, and pests such as the Potato Cyst Nematode. Their spores and eggs can hitch a ride on your store bought potatoes and provide a launch pad for problems. Specialist grown and tested seed potatoes would be a better way to go.
Thank you very much for the info about those potential potato problems, Graham. I hope you enjoy BlueSky.
What about sweet potatoes?
I have not read BEAVER LAND, but I have read EAGER: THE SURPRISING SECRET LIFE OF BEAVERS AND WHY THEY MATTER by Ben Goldfarb. Ben is an exceptional writer. I was fortunate to interview him on my podcast.
WINNER of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award
Author of the New York Times 2023 "Notable Book" Crossings
Washington Post “50 Notable Works of Nonfiction”
Science News “Favorite Science Books of 2018”
Booklist “Top Ten Science/Technology Book of 2018”
"A marvelously humor-laced page-turner about the science of semi-aquatic rodents…. A masterpiece of a treatise on the natural world.”―The Washington Post
Instagram still seems safe in offering varied opinions, but I would drop Facebook like a proverbial hot potato. (Couldn't resist.)
Sweet potatoes deserve a post of their own. (So good!)
I want to read more about these amazing creatures so thank you for the book recommendation. I'll look for your podcast too. He must have been a wonderful guest.
Just Substack for me. No other social media.
Good for you!
I don't have a Bluesky account and don't feel like expanding my social media repertoire. Sad about Instagram - I feel everyone is trying to monetise Substack (and even though it's only 5.7/10 dollars a month it would add up!) and Instagram was more egalitarian.
All the subscriptions would really add up. We need a media outlet that isn't beholden to the broligarchs, with many contributors and one monthly fee.
Can you clear something up for my rowing husband and I? Can we eat potatoes when they go slightly green? He thinks they should all be thrown away but I happily use them and always have.
I peel off the slightly green skin and eat them. (My husband is color blind and can't tell the difference.) Apparently you'd have to eat lots of green potatoes to get sick. Here's a good article about that green tinge: https://www.thespruceeats.com/is-it-safe-to-eat-green-potatoes-8417503
A little green won’t hurt but more than a little will make you vomit. I found this out the hard way a few years ago when I cooked the last of the garden potatoes. Some had green bits but I fed them to my unsuspecting son. Unlike the murderous mushroom chef in Australia (the one who killed her ex-in-laws with a special meal), I ate some green potatoes too. I felt queasy but my son threw up. I still feel guilty. Now I cut the green parts off.
We ate them last night before I had a chance to look at this. I'll report back...
Another useful newsletter!
At 80, you’d think I’d have tried most everything with potatoes, but I’ve never cleaned my cast iron frypan with a potato, nor hilled potatoes in a burlap sack.
Thanks
I'm so glad you found my newsletter useful. Thank you for reading!
Substack works for me 😊
It's a good platform.
I've been enjoying Substack and BlueSky, too. Glad you're here!
Thank you! I enjoy them both as well.
I enjoy reading your posts via substack.com -- Easier to read than FB (aka Metaverse). Substack just mentioned new videotaping option. Do you plan to use it?
Thank you for reading! I might try the video option. I saw the announcement but only skimmed it. I'll have to look into it.
Hurray for BlueSky! Also just read that they plan to launch a photo-sharing app called Flashes. https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/15/bluesky-is-getting-its-own-photo-sharing-app-flashes/
Thank you very much for the info!
Yummm. Totally agree with potatoes, fat and salt. I found you on Bluesky! Woohoo!
Yes!! 🙌 We store 100lbs of local potatoes for the winter, and I just started baking potato bread to help use them up. It is so delicious and heartier than our regular breads. We love it for French toast. 💜
Hi! I'll be opening a Bluesky account. It seems like most folks are migrating over there.
And love this post! It made me think of a man from New Hampshire whom I met in Nepal. We were cooking dal bhat at a hostel. A lot of the work involved peeling potatoes, and he was so angry at people attempting to throw out the potato peels! When we were done cooking, he'd fry up the potato skins for us to eat as a post-cooking snack.
Substack only. Blue Sky is already becoming a bit of a cesspool. I gave IG years ago and keep a FB acct only for the marketplace. I love Substack - so much worthy writing - I must monitor my time there! I write a newsletter there and will be sure to share your newsletter.