Idaho grows 13 billion pounds of potatoes every year. That’s one-third of all the potatoes grown in the United States. Each potato delivers about 278 calories, including seven grams of protein and seven grams of fiber. (Fiber is good for you!) A potato also delivers about half of your daily recommended vitamin C, seven percent of your daily dose of vitamin K, a hefty amount of vitamin B6, and some valuable minerals like iron, magnesium, and potassium.

        Eating potatoes is definitely one fun thing you can do with them… and it’s good for you, too.

        But did you know there’s so much more you can do with a potato other than eat it? It can be an art tool, a science lesson, or a beautiful houseplant. And of course, it’s the source of one of America’s favorite snack foods.

        Read on to see just how versatile a humble potato can be!

Potato Stamping Project

        Potatoes make an excellent tool for stamp art. You can make all sorts of stamps, hand carving them or carving them using cookie cutters. And then you can use your stamps to decorate all sorts of things from placemats to greeting cards to framed art for your wall. 

1. Select several large potatoes and a variety of miniature cookie cutters that you like.

2. Cut the potatoes in half widthwise.

3. Lay a cookie cutter on a flat surface with the sharper side pointing up. Press the cut side of a potato down onto the cookie cutter at least half an inch deep.

4. Cut away the potato around the cookie cutter using a sharp kitchen knife. (Kids—get a grownup to help with this!) Then remove the cookie cutter.

5. Dry off the shape on the end of your potato, dip it in paint, and then print the shape onto a shirt, a plant pot, a placemat, or a homemade greeting card.

Tips: When you work with paper, you’ll get a crisper stamp if you put a piece of felt under your paper to act as a cushion. Also, make sure you use the right kind of paint for your projects. Pick fabric paints for t-shirts, for example.

For information about making potato stamping easy go to: www.marthastewart.com/article/potato-stamping

Learn About Osmosis

        Osmosis is the process of molecules passing through a semi-permeable membrane. Based on the differences between the pressure or the composition of the air or liquids on each side of the membrane, the molecules will travel in one direction or the other. It’s a tough concept to explain to a kid, but potatoes make it easy to demonstrate.

1. Cut a potato in half lengthwise. Peel a small rim of skin away around the cut edge of each half.

2. On the “back” of each potato, cut out a small square about a quarter-inch to a half- inch deep and at least a half-inch per side.

3. Put plain water into one shallow bowl so that it is a quarter-inch deep. Put the same amount of water into a second bowl, but mix in two teaspoons of salt.

4. Place a potato, cut-side down, into each bowl. Come back four hours later to examine the potatoes.

What happens: First look at the cuts on the backs of the potatoes. You’ll find the one in the plain water is moist and may even have a little pool of water in it. That’s because the potato contained more salt than the water it was sitting in, so the water moved into the potato. The potato in the salt water will be dry. That’s because there was more salt in the water than in the potato, so the potato’s natural water content moved out of the potato and into the bowl. Check the bottom of each potato, too. Do you see a difference? Can you explain why, based on what’s discussed here?

Make Homemade Potato Chips

        How many potato chips do you think you can make from a single potato? There’s only one way to find out. These potato chips are yummy and are healthier than some of the chips you’ll buy in a store. You’ll also be amazed at how much you get from a single potato… you’ll never look at store-bought chips the same way again. Making potato chips involves sharp objects and hot oil, so be sure there’s an adult helping!

1. Thoroughly wash two or three good-sized potatoes.

2. Use a mandolin, the slicing blade on a cheese grater, or a food processor to cut each potato into thin slices. Thinner is better. You can peel the potato first if you like, but the skin contains lots of good vitamins and minerals and leaving it on still makes a tasty potato chip.

3. Heat an inch or two of peanut oil in a deep pan. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the oil temperature. You want it to be 375˚ degrees before adding any potatoes.

4. Cook the chips in small batches—don’t crowd them or they’ll stick together. It also helps to add the chips to the oil one at time. After three or four minutes or when they reach the desired brownness, remove them from the oil and allow them to drain on paper towels. Salt them immediately after pulling them from the oil.

Tips: Allow the oil to come back up to temperature before cooking your next batch. Making sure your oil is hot enough will help keep the chips from getting greasy. For tips on making potato chips go to:

www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/1981-01-01/Homemade-Potato-Chips.aspx

Grow Them

        Potatoes aren’t just tasty… they’re pretty, too. The potato plant, I mean. And they’re easy to sprout, which gives you an excellent opportunity to teach your child about growing things.

1. Select a medium-sized, firm potato and push four toothpicks into the middle of it, one at each compass point, so that narrow ends of the potato point out from the circle of toothpicks.

2. Fill a glass jar two-thirds to three-quarters full of water and balance the potato on its toothpicks on the rim of the jar. One end of the potato should extend into the water.

3. Top off and change the water regularly, so that the potato is always partly submerged and the water never gets cloudy.

4. Watch the potato as small roots push down into the water. In two to three weeks, leaves and vines will begin to grow from the top. You can transplant your potato into a pot and provide a stake for support and it will continue to grow.

        Potatoes can be a lot of fun, providing plenty of educational and creative activities for your kids. I encourage you to buy a bag today and explore the possibilities.

Heather Robson is a local freelance writer with a passion for healthy families. You can send her questions and comments at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .'; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text78198 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //--> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it