There is plenty to love about the humble potato: It’s inexpensive, comforting and oh so versatile. A member of the nightshade family, the potato is one of the world’s most popular staple starchy food crops and in Canada, potatoes comprise 52% of all the fresh vegetables we consume year-round. This shouldn’t be too surprising because we’ve been growing these mighty tubers for a long time — the first potato crop was planted in the late 1700s.
More than 200 years later, potato production in Canada has become a $1 billion industry, with over 4.3 million metric tons of potatoes produced in 2019 alone. Canada is the world’s fifth-largest producer of potatoes, and the majority of Canada’s annual potato production is concentrated in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Manitoba and Alberta.
Adaptable, affordable and naturally gluten free, potatoes are