Lenten Experiment - Day 21 (Potatoes Forever and Amen)

Potatoes served at breakfast, at dinner served again; potatoes served at supper. Forever and Amen. --Pennsylvania prayer

Growing up, St. Patrick's week was always very special in our house. And, not just because my Mom was a red-haired, second generation Irish lass. No, my German/Scots/British Dad believed there was no better day to plant his potatoes than St. Patrick's Day. He saw it as a serious tradition and nothing could deter his commitment to do at least some planting that day whether he started earlier or finished days later. He loved growing potatoes. Many times over the years, I've wished I'd thought to ask him why he loved potatoes so much. I mean the man fried them up for breakfast nearly every day and he'd even cut into a raw one, sprinkle some salt on it and call it "lunch." But when you look at the goofy grin on his face, it really doesn't matter much. It made him happy.

I still wonder though,"Was it the wide range of varieties available? The Memorial Day thrill of digging for the first elusive spuds deep in their musty mountains? Or, the continuous challenge & hard work so indigenous to potato growing? I guess I will never know for sure. However, year after year he tackled it despite all the odds. You see, potatoes don't savor heat--they relish the cool breezes of Idaho and Maine over sweltering summers in Missouri.

I'm so glad my Dad thought to chronicle his potato farm--cutting seed potatoes, planting, digging, harvesting and bagging. I have a treasure trove of photos mostly from the 1940s and 1950s to relive the joy of his farming life--long before I was ever on the scene.

In our modern world, potatoes are forever associated with the Irish and I'm guessing it relates to the Potato Famine of 1845 when more than 1 million people died of starvation in Ireland. Another million and a half emigrated from Ireland within the span of five years, decreasing the country's population by half. Who knows? Maybe that's why Dad HAD to plant on St. Patrick's Day--it was to honor his Irish brothers of old.

If beef's the king of meats, the potato's the queen of the garden world. --Irish saying Addendum: Found this great article from the Kansas City Star with my Dad when he was 65 (1975), talking about the St. Patrick's Day tradition. Fun stuff - so I've added it here.