Free potatoes

motorbiking said:
Giving away excess product is not a great solution to falling prices. Obviously a good idea for people who need help.
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Didn't the EU do the same with the 'Wine lake' back in the 80s or 90s.
Converted it into industrial alcohol to keep wine prices up.
 
JohnD said:
I wonder if Berlin has a "Smash" factory that can make instant mash? It has quite a long shelf life. I used to keep a bit in my store cupboard but don't see it now.
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Haven't tried it since the days of the alien cat, but a year or two ago I got some freebie samples of the Idahoan brand, thought "might as well try it", and it wasn't bad. Obv not as good as fresh, but absolutely nothing like the alien cat's wallpaper paste used to be.
 
JohnD said:
In Berlin, 1-tonne bags are being taken to designated collection points where people can help themselves for nothing. The alternative would be to send them to landfill, animal feed, and incineration.

An interesting experiment.

I believe that in USA, excess production of cheese would be bought up to subsidise the dairy industry, and handed out in approved poverty schemes.

The potatoes are free to anyone who can be arsed to go and get them.
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Bit of a schlep though from Berlin to the USA to get the cheese to go on your jacket spud.
 
Dunno if/how true it is, but I read once that you can live pretty healthily for quite some time on a diet of just potatoes plus some dairy (whole milk, butter, cheese).
 
JohnD said:
I wonder if Berlin has a "Smash" factory that can make instant mash? It has quite a long shelf life. I used to keep a bit in my store cupboard but don't see it now.
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its not quite that simple
yes they will have a factory they will have gteed farms supplying them say 10000 tonns so they will grow perhaps 14000 to make sure they can meet the contract and sell the excess elswhere so the factory will already be at say 80%- 90% capacity so excess production capacity will be limited
then on top off that there is pretty much" just in time "system so no more than a few weeks "buffer at the most
so the cost off converting to smash then storing in in any spare space and finding other empty or spare warehouses take a product with virtually no value a madness in wasted time and effort and wasted transport iff you take the processing and storage option
so disposal cheaply as possible via the human and animal food chain still at a high cost compared to ploughing back in but more morally acceptable when people are short off food
 
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In Spain they deal with excess tomatoes at La Tomatina, pelting each other with them.

I imagine the Irish or Glaswegians would enjoy a Spuderama.
 
big-all said:
compared to ploughing back in
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Can you just plough potatoes back into the ground? I rotate my crops on allotment but no matter how well I clear my old potato beds, you only have to miss the smallest piece of potato and it will grow again, year after year! I’d have thought commercial growers wouldn’t want that.
 
JohnD said:
Following a bumper harvest, there is a glut and prices have plummeted.

In Berlin, 1-tonne bags are being taken to designated collection points where people can help themselves for nothing. The alternative would be to send them to landfill, animal feed, and incineration.

An interesting experiment.

I believe that in USA, excess production of cheese would be bought up to subsidise the dairy industry, and handed out in approved poverty schemes.

The potatoes are free to anyone who can be arsed to go and get them.
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What sort of spud would go to Berlin for a free or two..?
 
Mottie said:
Can you just plough potatoes back into the ground? I rotate my crops on allotment but no matter how well I clear my old potato beds, you only have to miss the smallest piece of potato and it will grow again, year after year! I’d have thought commercial growers wouldn’t want that.
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It's not considered good policy to plough back your spuds in the earth since it can lead to disease in future crops.
 
Mottie said:
Can you just plough potatoes back into the ground? I rotate my crops on allotment but no matter how well I clear my old potato beds, you only have to miss the smallest piece of potato and it will grow again, year after year! I’d have thought commercial growers wouldn’t want that.
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As far as I'm aware potato farmers have to rotate the crops quite strictly, if they plant a field for say 3 years they need to avoid planting spuds there for the next 2 years. Not sure why.
 
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