From back when I was a seedling, the elders had told us each one of us had different purpose in life well except for the ones that had to be shipped to manufacturing companies; they all had the same purpose. And we all feared becoming a rotten potato. As I lay down here in the grocery store, I anxiously wait for my purpose then I hear it “aunty, alu 1 Kg”. I dust myself off while I wait for me to get picked, after all our batch was named the finest of the season, I had no fear . Then my heart drops “1kg ho gaya,’’ said the aunty. I roll down and start sobbing “you are one of us now,” said the rotten potatoes. I had always worked hard and consumed a lot of nutrition; I had never felt such disappointment.
The basket at the grocery store intrigues me. It’s full of brown beauty and I had planned to cook carrots for dinner tonight but the sight of the wholesome potatoes somehow convinced me to change my dinner plans tonight. Then as I buy my share of potatoes I hear a faint sob and I rummage through the basket only to find a potato crying, I have to help this poor youth I thought “auntyji, how much for this whole basket?” I asked. I struggle to carry the box as I wait for my rapido to come. When I arrive home, I dump the potatoes into my living room. The bottom of the cardboard box is damp, smelly, and dilapidated. Salty tears roll down my cheeks. These poor youth have been living in such a horrible condition.
The next day I go to the nearest grocery store and end up spending my months allowance to buy sacks of potatoes. Within a week, my whole house is filled with potatoes, I slept on potato sacks but I had always had special consideration for that one sobbing potato and named him the king of the Kingdom of Potatas. Within two weeks, the owner comes knocking at my door claiming to throw me out if I didn’t get rid of the potatoes, the neighbors start protesting outside my house. I quiver and shiver in fear as I hug my potatoes to sleep.
My reign as the King had been just begun, but nevertheless I start facing problems as soon as my kingdom had just been established. The land was crowded and the potatoes had started loosing their purpose and started gaining buds. I decided to take a risk and call on the mages of the kingdom to channel me into the young lady’s dreams. I haven’t had much time so to her I imparted our purpose and what we want along with “101 things you can do with a potato”.
I wake up enlightened, I look at the sacks of potatoes, than I quickly bring a shovel and grab the ones with the sprouting buds and bury them in my backyard. They had grown old but very capable of spreading their roots and pave way for more potato seedlings.
That is the 1 of the 101 things you could do with a potato,
PLANT YOUR OWN POTATOES!
Well, how did I plant them? Here are the simple steps to plant your own potatoes at home!
- Select the matured potatoes, the ones with the buds sprouting out of them.
- Cut the seed potatoes into 2-inch chunks that have several eyes on them. Small potatoes can be planted as they are.
- Plant the chunks 5 to 7 inches apart and cover them with 3 inches of moist soil. Cover container potatoes with more soil after they grow 7 inches and continue to cover the small plants until you reach the top of whatever you are planting it in (preferably a pot).
- Container potatoes should be kept well watered but not soggy and kept in a place with sunlight.
Harvest it after the flowers of the plant turns yellow, and don’t forget to water it.
FOOD TALES 