Purple Potatoes

Ok, here’s a new one. Purple potatoes. Of course when I seen these in the produce department at my local grocery store, I had to get a couple to try. I love trying new foods. Especially if they are healthy. 

Purple potatoes not only add color to your plate but they have lots nutritional value.

They offer vitamins B6 and C.

They are less than 100 calories each and less than 1 gram of fat. That would register as zero fat on the label. 

These potatoes have more potassium than a banana and better for blood sugar than a white potato. 

Purple potatoes are packed with antioxidants and also helps with inflammation.

I loved the color. The skin is purple or blackish and vibrant purple on the inside even after cooking it. 

I can imagine purple mashed potatoes, purple fries or better yet, purple potato salad. I think kids would love it.

What do purple potatoes taste like?

They are sweeter than the white or yellow potato but not quite as sweet at the orange sweet potato. They have a nuttier, earthier flavor than other potatoes. I thought they were good. 

We cooked them in the microwave until soft then put them on the grill to make the skin tasty. I added lots of butter just like any other potato. We also had steak and veggies. 

It was fun to eat and nice knowing I was putting something healthy in my body. 

Have you ever heard of a Purple Potato? 

Trash to Treasure

They always say “One mans junk is another mans treasure”. I can prove it and it’s not the first time. 

We set out to take our normal afternoon walk. The next street over was a house that had just sold and they were gradually throwing trash to the side of the road on Sunday evenings. The trash truck would pick up on Mondays. This day as we walked past, I saw an old vintage step stool waiting for the big truck to come along and scoop it up. I pointed it out to Nick and said “I like that old stool. I could fix that up”. He just sort of shrugged his shoulders and had a look on his face that suggested I didn’t need any junk at that house. We kept walking and I didn't think much more about it. 

Before we turned down our road to finish our 2 mile walk, he said “Do you really want that stool? If you do, we can walk back over there and get it.”

Of course I said yes and we headed that way. I was hoping it was still there and it was. 

 

As I was carrying it back home, I was telling Nick all the ideas I had for it. I figured if I look at it a while and decide I didn’t want it, I would just throw it back to the curb or see if my neighbor wanted it for her little antique booth. 

I decided to keep it and use it as a plant stand on my patio. It looked in pretty bad shape and I was losing any hope that it would look good enough to ever bring into the house. I took my chances anyway and we headed to the hardware store. I needed some sand paper, paint and new leg tips. I also went to the dollar store and picked up a cheap thin rug to use for a step cover. 

2 hours and 10 dollars later, It did not look like the same stool. My idea worked. 

 

The rust was only surface rust and I was amazed at how well it painted. It took less than a can of spray paint and only one coat. 

I still plan to use it as a plant stand on my patio but I have it inside for now while I admire how cool it is.