The Potato's Long Journey: Three Sources

Source A: Potato (Encyclopedia Entry)

1The potato is one of the most important food crops in the world. The part that people eat is called a tuber. A tuber is a thick part of an underground stem that stores food for the plant. Small buds on the tuber, called eyes, can sprout and grow into new plants. Potatoes grow best where the weather is cool.

2Potatoes were first grown as a crop in the Andes Mountains of South America, in and near what is now Peru, thousands of years ago. Today, farmers grow them on every continent except Antarctica.

Source B: From the Mountains to the World (History Article)

1The farmers of the Andes grew many kinds of potatoes, in colors such as purple, yellow, and red. They also found a clever way to store them. They left potatoes outside on freezing mountain nights, let them thaw in the daytime sun, and then pressed out the water. These dried potatoes, called chuño, could be stored for a long time.

2In the 1500s, Spanish explorers brought potatoes back to Europe. At first, many Europeans did not trust the strange new food. Over time, farmers learned that potatoes grew well in cool, rainy places and that a small field could feed many people. Slowly, potatoes became an everyday food across much of Europe, and later they spread to other parts of the world.

Source C: Talking with a Potato Farmer (Interview)

1Question: How do you plant potatoes?

2Farmer Lena Morales: We don't plant tiny seeds the way we do for lettuce. We cut potatoes into chunks, and each chunk needs at least one eye. We plant the chunks in the spring, after the ground warms up a little.

3Question: How do you know when the potatoes are ready?

4Farmer Lena Morales: When the leafy plants turn yellow and die back, the potatoes underground are usually ready. We dig them up carefully so we don't cut them with the shovel.

5Question: Why do you like growing potatoes?

6Farmer Lena Morales: Our farm is in a cool valley, and potatoes do well here. One small field gives us enough to sell at harvest time and still keep plenty for our family's dinners all winter.