Spuds

While home for Christmas, I had the blessed opportunity to go tour my Uncle Judd's potato warehouse. I have never seen it in all my years of him being a potato farmer (which is my whole life). It was seriously so interesting to me. I don't know what I thought happened to package and ship potatoes, but I imagined it more like someone standing on the side of the field tossing a few potatoes in a box and then stacking them in a semi. Yeah, right. That would take years. So, enjoy the tour of the potato warehouse with me as captured with pictures.

Here are Che' and Landon entering the warehouse. lovely!


First, the potatoes are washed.

This is my favorite part. After the potatoes go through a big machine that take a picture of each and every single potato, these tracks then sort them as they go by according to size. They have these little kicker things that kick off the potatoes to different levels depending on what size they are. They go so fast and it is seriously so fascinating.

Here are the potatoes being bagged. It is all automatic, they are all dumped in to a precise weight and then the bag is sealed and labeled with the date. There are different bagging areas according to where the potatoes are going, such as Albertsons, Smith's etc.

Our trusty tour guide, Judd. When the potatoes are boxed, they are all done according to weight as well. Then they are weighed again by a human (every box!) who either adds a potato or takes one away so that they are all about 51-52 pounds (they lose water weight as they travel).

Here are Che' and I with our souvenier bags of potatoes that Judd pulled right off the conveyer belt for us. Can't you tell we were so excited?


Oh and don't worry, Judd's warehouse is the supplier for Five Guys french fries. They are supposedly this great burger joint started out east, but they are making their way here now. I think there is one in SLC? Che' and I decided that we will make a trek to Salt Lake to eat there and tell them their fries are especially delicious. You know I am an Idaho girl through and through and that means that we can settle for no less than the best when it comes to potatoes. None of those scrawny potatoes or yucky flakes! These are the real deal! Love it.