Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1065368
WWW.POTATOGROWER.COM 37 Examples of S. jamesii tubers propagated from Escalante (left) and Bears Ears sources after four months in the greenhouse. Each mother tuber can produce up to 1.5 pounds of new tubers in that amount of time. Scale is in millimeters. sacred food, lifeway medicine and gift of the holy people. Consequently, the Four Corners potato reconnects tribes to intact landscapes and traditional agricultural practices, helping revitalize indigenous food heritage. Understanding the ancient potato heritage from the native perspective includes the spiritual and traditional aspects of bringing old teachings back to life with the intention of healing and nurturing, protecting whole and natural systems of the land, and strengthening tribal cultures and knowledge systems for future generations. We also see great potential for practical benefit of the Four Corners Potato to tribes who can grow and market it, landowners who conserve it on their properties, and restaurants that offer it as part of a burgeoning food movement. Plants in cultivation grow rapidly during summer months, and one individual is able to produce hundreds of new—albeit small— tubers by late fall. They store well when refrigerated, maintain integrity when cooked for prolonged periods, and have twice the protein, zinc and manganese and three times the calcium and iron content of most white potato cultivars. They are also delicious, but some populations contain more of the bitter glycoalkaloids known from all Solanum species. These can be removed using traditional cooking techniques, but we are also searching for the best-tasting strains to use as source material for commercialization. Those strains often occur on private land, so landowners will be contacted and included in development of this product, especially if they implement simple measures that protect populations as well as the archaeology. Finally, we have the enthusiastic support of restaurants in the region who recognize the ancient culinary history and are excited to add this 10,900-year-old food to their menus. Growth is prolific under greenhouse conditions; these two photos were taken just 28 days apart.