The Power of the Purple Potato

9/6/2017

U-Pick Farm in Palmer, Alaska: Photo Credit, Kylie Burns

It's incredible to think about how our way of life has completely evolved throughout the centuries. Even just half a century ago, a 28 year old unmarried woman (yes, me) without kids would have been considered an outlier in society.

However, now it is common as many women are choosing to pursue a career-driven path where they can stand on their own two feet before joining forces with another human in holy matrimony.

Yet, centuries ago this was an impossibility, as it was a full time job just to get food on the table!

We now see a complete flip in who we would consider as a societal outlier, and those are the people who can provide for themselves through a "subsistence lifestyle".

This way of life is far more common in Alaska than other parts of the country, as we have incredible geographical boundaries that prevent rural villagers from having access to a grocery store.

My mom's side of the family, for example, lives in the remote village of Chignik Lagoon on the Aleutian chain. They order groceries once, sometimes twice a year in a massive, well planned out freight order.

All of this for $20 at the U-Pick farm! An incredible deal (especially for Alaska where produce costs are sky high). Photo credit, Kylie Burns

Luckily for the vast majority of the first world population, we have access to supermarkets and other resources to obtain our food. One option that not many people take advantage of, are U-Pick farms or farmer's markets.

There are massive benefits to hitting up one of these including a higher nutrient content in the food, it simply tastes better, it supports local economies and is way better for the environment.

It is also safer for you, as you can directly ask the farmer what type of pesticides or other crop preservatives they use.

Kylie Burns, Registered Dietitian

"Allowing kiddos to pick their own fruit and veggies at a U-Pick Farm involves them in the food prep process. Kiddos may also be more willing to try those veggies since they picked them out of the field and helped wash the produce at home. Assign kiddos to age appropriate tasks in the kitchen, it may help take the stress off you and your spouse at the dinner table as you see your child scoop a serving of veggies onto their plate. Redefine eat the rainbow!"

Purple Power

Potatoes get a bad rep due to their high starch content and thus dreaded potential for weight gain. Much like the purple potatoe's step sister, the beet, these little guys are packed with healthy awesomeness for your body.

A general rule of thumb with vegetables is that the deeper and richer the color, the better it is for you!

The crazy Barney-like color of the potato is indicative of its high antioxidant content, which is also found in other powerhouse foods like pomegranates and blueberries.

When you read or hear antioxidant, think immunity boosting and cancer fighting properties. The nutrient power in the purple potato also helps to protect the health and integrity of the capillaries – thereby helping to lower blood pressure – and has significant anti-inflammatory properties.

For all you steak and potato guys and gals, this is good news for you as the high saturated fat content in red meat has the opposite affect on your arteries and causes systemic inflammation.

Next time you are hankering for a steak, try pairing it with purple or sweet potatoes instead of your typical Yukon Gold.

Side note for Paleo folks, the purple potatoes are a maybe on whether they are acceptable or not, if you're worried about it then just go with a sweet potato.

Fish & Autumn Veggie Recipe: Keeping it simple

You can pick out any vegetables you'd like. Common seasonal veggies at the moment are squashes, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, kale, beets, and radishes.

We simply sliced up some zucchini, purple potatoes, and carrots and mixed them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a herb vegetable spice blend.

I am extremely fortunate to have a commercial fishing family and thus a freezer full of salmon and halibut, but essentially any protein is a great duo with roasted vegetables!

We picked some rosemary, thyme, and dill from Kylie's mother-in-law's green house and sprinkled the fish with salt, pepper, olive oil, and butter on the salmon then grilled them for about 10 minutes.

Cooking hack: to evenly coat veggies with seasoning and oil, put them into a freezer ziplock bag and shake before pouring them into the baking dish.

Grilling fish is a great way to infuse a lot of flavor in a short amount of time!

The final product is a great reason to come to Alaska and go fishing!

References

Surprising Health Benefits of Purple Potatoes. (2017, August 17). Retrieved September 06, 2017, from https://dailyhealthpost.com/suprising-health-benefits-of-purple-potatoes/

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