You’d think a potato is perfect, and it pretty much is. But it takes a special potato to make a potato chip -- the right size, the right shape, the right density and right moisture content. Plant breeders are constantly developing new varieties looking for that next-generation standout.
We talked with Chris Hopkins from Black Gold Farms near Elizabeth City, NC, where almost all of the potatoes for 4th of July potato chips are grown. He heads up research at this farm, where there are more than 600 new varieties undergoing trials! Many of them are for a very famous potato chip maker -- we won’t say which, because, you know, it’s hard to have just one... (hint hint)
“Where the Food Comes From” explores the legacy of the potato industry in North Carolina in Season 5, episodes 5 anf 6, “They Grow Potato Chips?,” Parts 1 and 2!
