ROOTS AND TUBERS WE EAT 185 



seasoning we add, for we eat the starchy part of 

 the tuber. 



The manufacture of starch and alcohol from 

 potatoes is a great industry. Feeding potatoes to 

 stock is a good practice. It puts a fresh vegetable 

 element into the dry rations in winter that is both 

 palatable and wholesome. Tons of potatoes put 

 away in pits are opened and used in this way. 

 Other economical methods include turning pigs 

 into a patch of potatoes to root out the crop and 

 fatten on it. 



Like the other nightshades, potatoes have a 

 bitter, poisonous sap in their stems and leaves. 

 If a tuber is exposed to the sun it turns green, and 

 its bitter taste warns us of the danger of eating it. 

 Only potato beetles can eat the green parts of the 

 plant with impunity. 



When Sir Walter brought the potato over and 

 presented the new vegetable to his Queen, he little 

 thought the act might endanger his life. The 

 plant was grown in the royal kitchen gardens, and 

 the green leaves gathered and set before Her 

 Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, in the form of a salad! 

 Imagine how it tasted! Sir Walter was sent for, 

 and faced the charge of trying to poison the Queen! 

 He saved himself by explaining that only the 

 tubers were fit to eat. 



