Extension > Family > Farm to School > Minnesota Toolkit for School Foodservice > Sourcing Food > Sourcing Potatoes
Sourcing Potatoes
Finding Local Food
- Local Foods Partnership online searchable database through the University of Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships. It includes a wide range of food products from farmers mostly in northwest, western, and central Minnesota.
- The Minnesota Grown wholesale database lists Minnesota farmers interested in selling their products to schools. You can search online by product type and by region.
- The Land Stewardship Project has a Farm Directory for schools looking to purchase sustainably raised foods.
- Food Alliance Midwest is a national organization that certifies farmers who follow sustainable farming practices. Contact Bob Olson, the director of Food Alliance Midwest, for assistance in finding farmers: 651-265-3682
- Pride of the Prairie farmers have experience in selling to retail food buyers. For assistance in finding farmers, contact Terry VanDerPol: 320-269-2105.
Potatoes in Minnesota are typically grown either by small farmers who have limited capacity to sell to a school; or by large farms that sell directly to distributors and do not have the on-farm cleaning and bagging facilities that are needed to produce an acceptable product for schools. Mid-sized potato farms with on-farm cleaning facilities are ery rare in the state. Therefore, you may need to source locally-grown potatoes through a broker or dealer.
Regulations on Buying Potatoes Directly from Farmers
Minnesota state laws permit retail establishments and foodservices to purchase raw, unprocessed fruits and egetables from any farmer who is selling the produce of his or her own farm.
Food Buying Guide Specifications
Reference: Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service
Food As Purchased (How the Product Can Be Purchased) | Purchase Unit (How You Should Order the Product) | Servings per Purchase Unit (How Many Servings You Will Get Per Purchase Unit) | Serving Size per Meal Contribution (For Each Meal Component Category) | Amount Needed to Buy of the Purchase Units for 100 Servings | Additional Information (AP = As Purchased) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Potatoes, Fresh Red |
Pound |
9.88 Servings |
¼ cup diced, cooked egetable with skin |
10.2 Pounds |
1 pound AP = about 2 3/8 cups cooked potatoes |
Potatoes, Fresh Russet or White, All Sizes |
Pound Pound |
8.90 Servings 9.70 Servings |
¼ cup pared, cooked, diced egetable ¼ cup diced, cooked egetable with skin |
11.3 Pounds 10.3 pounds |
1 pound AP = .74 pounds baked potato without skin 1 pound AP = about 2 3/8 cups cooked, unpeeled, diced potatoes |
Potatoes, Fresh, Russet or White, 120 count |
Pound |
2.66 Servings |
1 whole, baked potato (about ½ cup cooked egetable) |
37.6 Pounds |
1 pound AP = 1 2/3 cups baked potato with skin |
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