National Potato Day/National Humanitarian Day

Sweet! It’s National Potato Day!

(Image found at: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Potato_heart_mutation.jpg/686px-Potato_heart_mutation.jpg)

Potatoes are a “starchy, tuberous crop.” They are a “New World” crop, which means prior to the wonderful Columbia Exchange (thank you Dr. Duke), half of the world knew not of their deliciousness! In all seriousness, potatoes originate from southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia sometime between 8000 and 5000 BCE. Today it is considered to be a staple food, meaning we cannot live with out them!

Fun Potato Fact: Some studies conclude that the introduction of the potato to the “Old World” resulted in ¼ of the growth in population between the 18^th and 20^th centuries!

Potatoes are “grown from seed potatoes” and are most successful in cooler temperatures. However, they are not a big fan of the ‘ol frost! They are highly susceptible to disease. But on a plus side, they are an excellent crop to store! There are thousands (over 4000, in fact) varieties of potatoes, although very few are actually grown commercially. These varieties come in various shapes and colours and even serve different purposes. My favourite, of course, is the blue potato. They are so creamy and wonderful, and they give an almost buttery flavour, which is perfect for a kid like me who can’t eat butter!

(Image found at: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Patates.jpg/800px-Patates.jpg)

Fun Potato Fact: A UN statistic estimates that 324 million tonnes of potatoes were grown worldwide in 2010 alone! That’s a lot of starchy goodness!

So now that you’re up to date with all of your potato know-how, vote on today’s poll!

Finally, today also marks National Humanitarian Day. While potatoes are pretty awesome, I didn’t feel I could give the justice deserved to National Humanitarian Day, which is why I chose to focus the post on potatoes instead. That being said, everyday amazing things are taking place by (extra)ordinary people, and they deserve recognition. My Mom, Judy Kennedy was an incredible humanitarian. Maybe not on a large scale, but she did what she could during her short time where she could. She did acts of kindness everyday, usually without complaint, and I know from experience, she’s not the only one. In an effort to keep her spirit and legacy alive, I ask that you take a moment to visit The Judy C Kennedy Project Facebook page. While it is only getting started, please feel free to post a moving story or act of compassion that you have experienced first hand. This collection will hopefully serve as not only the legacy of my Mom, but also as a source of positivity and inspiration for others when in need.