In article et,
"Bill Orr" wrote:

"General Schvantzkoph" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 16:47:25 -0500, Ken Anderson wrote:

What variety is the well-know Idaho potato? The seed catalogs never
identify
any of their varieties as the "Idaho" potato. Yes, I know I probably
can't
grow a potato as tasty as an Idaho baker, but what variety is it?
Ken

Just curious, why would you want to grow a super market variety potato?
Potatos aren't any better when they are fresh, a potato that's been in
your refrigerator for two months tastes the same as one that you just
bought so there is no advantage to pulling one out of the ground and
throwing it in to a pot. Also supermarket varieties are bred for yield and
durability not for flavor. If you are going to grow a potato why don't
you grow an exotic variety. We have something on the order of four
varieties in our supermarkets, in Peru there are 8000 varieties of
potatos. Surely there must be some way to get a hold of a potato other
than an Idaho or a Maine.

You are right in that there are numerous varieties of potatoes, many of them
more tasty than others. When I was in Germany, I used to go to a restaurant
that served Vienasnitzel and Homefrys. The potatoes were darker than the
Idaho
and had a kind of sweet taste. I've never been able to find the same potato
here in the states.

Bill



Sorry this response is so late. I just spotted your post.

Look up the "Plant Materials Center" in Alaska on a websearch. (They are
attached to the Dept. of Natural Resources, Division of Ag.)

They have about 250 kinds of spuds. Email them and ask if anyone up
there would know what variety is popular in Germany for homefries.
I'll bet you someone will know and they'll probably be able to sell you
some seed spuds.

Jan, in Homer, Alaska