potato

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Couple's Eye-Popping Potato Isn't a Potato After All

New Zealand couple's dreams 'turn to mash'

(Newser) - When is a potato not a potato? When it's a tuber of a gourd, according to Guinness World Records. A New Zealand couple who believed they had dug up the world's largest potato in the garden of their small farm near Hamilton have had their dreams turned to...

That's Not a Puppy. That's a Potato
It's a Potato So Big
It Has a Name
Nov 5, 2021 7:12 AM CDT

It's a Potato So Big It Has a Name

Doug, the New Zealand spud, could be a new world record holder

(Newser) - Colin and Donna Craig-Brown were weeding their garden in New Zealand on Aug. 30 when Colin's hoe struck something big just beneath the soil's surface. After Colin pried it out, he scratched away a bit of the skin and tasted it. A potato. "We couldn't believe...

Cops Use Potato to Crack Arson Case

Suspect allegedly stuffed it into a vehicle's tailpipe

(Newser) - Connecticut police knew they were dealing with arson. What they didn't know was who was responsible—until a DNA test on a potato provided a break in the case. Willow Martin, 19, was charged Tuesday with several crimes including arson and burglary after a September 2015 fire at a...

Potato-Only Dieter Drops 70 Pounds

'I feel amazing,' says Andrew Taylor

(Newser) - Andrew Taylor has spent the last 100 days consuming nothing but potatoes —plus a beer now and then—and he's really happy about it. Quite a bit lighter, too. A quarter of the way into his challenge to eat a potato-only diet for one year, the 36-year-old Melbourne...

Man Vows to Keep Potato-Only Diet for a Year

Andrew Taylor says he's already lost 30 pounds in 2016

(Newser) - A little over 40 days into 2016, Andrew Taylor has lost more than 30 pounds eating as much as he likes. The catch: He's only eating potatoes. The Australian man—who weighed 333 pounds at the start of the year—says he decided to go on a spud diet...

Someone Paid $1M for Photo of a Potato

A great example of why rich people shouldn't get drunk

(Newser) - Some of us send unfortunate texts after a few glasses of wine. Some European businessmen instead spend $1.08 million on a photo of a potato. "Potato #345" from celebrity photographer Kevin Abosch is just that: a portrait of an organic Irish potato against a black background. But a...

Cops: Would-Be Burglar Baked Potato, Raked Leaves

Criminal mastermind was hungry, unexpectedly helpful

(Newser) - A New Mexico man is facing charges after police say he walked into an unlocked home, stole car keys, and stunned a resident who found him baking a potato and raking leaves. Patrick Lynn Waits, 45, was arrested early Tuesday following a bizarre chain of events that confused residents of...

This Exists: Plant That Grows 'Ketchup' and 'Fries'
 This Exists: 
 Plant That Grows 
 'Ketchup' and 'Fries' 
in case you missed it
Jan 10, 2015 10:30 AM CST

This Exists: Plant That Grows 'Ketchup' and 'Fries'

'TomTato' now available in US

(Newser) - Tomatoes and potatoes go together like, well, ketchup and fries—so why not grow them together? A hybrid plant known as the "TomTato" or, yes, "Ketchup 'n' Fries," allows you to do just that, and it's now available in the US after first being released...

Woman Grows Potato in Vagina as Contraception

Colombian woman says mom told her to do it

(Newser) - A 22-year-old Colombia woman who went to the doctor with abdominal pains turned out to have a potato growing in her vagina—because she'd put it there as contraception, says Colombia Reports via Metro . "My mom told me that if I didn’t want to get pregnant, I...

Zambian Calls President a Potato, Goes to Jail

He was speaking figuratively, say critic's supporters

(Newser) - A political foe of Zambia's president has been arrested and faces up to five years in prison for the crime of likening the president to a potato, reports the BBC . More precisely, a sweet potato. And even more precisely, in the native tongue, a "chumbu mushololwa." President...

Senate Digs In Over Potatoes in School Lunches

Thwarts Obama's attempts to limit them for childrens' health

(Newser) - The Senate yesterday subtly thwarted an Obama administration proposal to limit the amount of potatoes and other starchy vegetables school children scarf down, inserting an amendment into an Agriculture Department spending bill prohibiting the Department from setting “any maximum limits on the serving of vegetables in school meal programs....

Wanna Eat Like St. Patrick? Have Some Gruel, Seaweed

Culinary historians break down the ancient Irish diet

(Newser) - Forget the corned beef and green beer; if you really want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, why not make yourself a nice bowl of gruel? Because that was probably a major part of St. Patrick’s diet, according to culinary historians at the University College of Cork. Other things...

Cornell Breeds New Potato That's Perfect for Chips

New varieties Waneta and Lamoka promise to be tastier, last longer

(Newser) - Believe it or not, potato chips are, at one point in time, potatoes. So scientists at Cornell have put their minds to developing the absolute perfect potato for chipping, and they think they've done it. Last week, the university's potato-breeding program unveiled two new potatoes, the end results of 13...

Save a Food From Extinction: Eat It for Dinner

'Food coalitions' aim to keep ingredients, recipes key to US heritage in circulation

(Newser) - Vanishing culinary breeds are getting a new lease on life, thanks to the efforts of an ethnobotanist with an interest in America's foodie past, the New York Times reports. While Makah ozette potato sounds like a "Final Jeopardy" answer, the once-endangered vegetable is one of the many culinary artifacts...

Humble Spud Could Solve Food Crisis
Humble Spud Could Solve Food Crisis
Apr 15, 2008 2:39 AM CDT

Humble Spud Could Solve Food Crisis

International 'Year of the Potato' to highlight tuber's virtues

(Newser) - Sharp hikes in the prices of staples like wheat and rice are sending shockwaves around the world and convincing governments to rediscover the virtues of the potato, Reuters reports. Spuds are nutritious, will grow just about anywhere, and they yield up to four times more food per acre than other...

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