Potatoes are a vegetable.

• botanical information
• origin
• nutritional information
• selection
• storage
• magick correspondences and uses
• Goddesses and deities
• Chinese herbology
• cautions and contraindications

botanical information:

    Botanical name: Solamum tuberosum

    Common name: potato

    Use the botanical name when ordering seeds (bulbs, etc.) or when looking up information in the library. Common names vary by nation, culture, and region, and sometimes the same common name is applied to different plants.

origin:

    Origin: South America. First cultivated by the Inca in the Andes Mountains.

nutritional information:

    Potatoes are a protein-rich food and an important source of amino acids.

    See also Chinese herbalism below for Chinese gender and Chinese flavor.

selection:

    Reason to choose organic:
    Potatoes have the number twelve (12) highest pesticide load of 45 common fruits and vegetables studied in 2006 by the Environmental Working Group and is therefore a prime candidate for switching to organic. The EWA explains, “While washing and rinsing fresh produce may reduce levels of some pesticides, it does not eliminate them. Peeling also reduces exposures, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the peel. The best option is to eat a varied diet, wash all produce, and choose organic when possible to reduce exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.”
    According to USDA and FDA tests on commercially grown foods collected between 2000 and 2005, potato has a 81.0% (percentage) of samples tested with detectable pesticides, a 18.0% (percentage) of samples with two or more pesticides, a 1.0 average number of pesticides found in a sample, an average of 1.655 parts per million of all pesticides found, and 18 different pesticides found in use growing potatoes. These toxic pesticides don’t apply to organic foods.

care and storage:

    Care: Store potatoes in a dark, well-ventilated area. Do not store inside plastic bags. The storage temperature should be between 45 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit (or 7 to 10 degrees Celsius).

    Storage: Potatoes can safely be stored for more than a week.

    Do not store potatoes in a refrigerator. The potato starch will convert to sugar, adversely changing the flavor and color of the potato.

magickal correspondences and uses:

    Western element: earth

    Elemental uses: Use potato in earth-centered magick.

    Grounding: Use potato in to ground excess energy.

    Magickal uses: health , money

    Money spell: A magick spell for prosperity is to carve a money sign into the skin of a potato before baking it. This money sign can be any monetary sign (ancient or modern). See the article on money spells for money signs from various cultures.

deities associated with potato:

• Potato Mother (Peruvian Goddess)

Chinese herbalism:

    Chinese gender: yin (cool)

cautions and contraindications:

    Cautions and contraindications: Potato sprouts (or any green growing from a potato) is deadly poison to humans.

    Animal cautions and contraindications: Potato peels should never be fed to cats or dogs.

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