Tasty and nice potatoes can be troublesome for people with diabetes. That is why Montana State University researchers developed the Huckleberry Gold potato, which is now being harvested at Pike Lake Farms in Sheguiandah.
“This is our first year growing them. When we were looking for potatoes to grow in the spring we had never heard of these before. They’re a fairly new potato, there’s not a lot of acreage in cultivation across North America,” said Katie Cyr of Pike Lake Farms.
Mrs. Cyr shared stories of friends with diabetes who have come for dinner and were unable to eat the potatoes on offer. Potatoes tend to contain a high amount of starches and carbohydrates which cause rapid spikes in blood sugar, something that people with diabetes cannot easily manage.
The university researchers cross-bred two old varieties of potatoes to create Huckleberry Gold and, Cyr said, the seed trials have been ongoing for the past four years. These potatoes are considered a fall variety and the family has recently begun pulling them from the ground.
“Everyone who’s tried them seems to enjoy them, and they seem to be just like normal potatoes,” said Cyr. “They’re good fried and baked, boiled, you name it. They were really good when we baked them; we didn’t even need any butter. We’ve had them every way.”
