June 11: 5:30 p.m.
Did you know that a potato developed in Utica in the 1840s helped save the world from malnutrition and starvation? This remarkable achievement not only transformed agriculture but also nourished countless lives. Join us for “Potato Mania: Utica’s Potato Connection” with Patrick Reynolds, Director of Public Programs at the Oneida County History Center. This program will take place on Wednesday, June 11, at 5:30 p.m. Potato snacks will be served.
Often overlooked in history, Reverend Chauncey Goodrich is known as “the patron saint of potatoes.” Goodrich was chaplain at the Utica Lunatic Asylum and an amateur botanist. When the Great Potato Famine began, he developed a blight-resistant potato, called the Garnet Chili. This spud went on to become the most important potato ever created and is the genetic parent of most commercially grown potatoes today.
Goodrich believed that potatoes had lost their vigor and were weakened by years of inbreeding. To address these issues, he obtained seed potatoes from South America and began crossbreeding them with local varieties. After years of research and thousands of plant trials he developed several strains that were resistant to the devastating blight.
Goodrich gave his new varieties to farmers virtually for free. One farmer who received the Garnet Chili variety was Albert Breese of Vermont, who soon after developed a new variety, the Early Rose, in 1861. Luther Burbank crossbred the potatoes yet again, developing the Burbank Russet potato in 1872. This variety is now the most popular worldwide and is used to make french fries.
