09/02/05 Costco to maket blue fleshed PNW spud

Farm and Ranch September 2, 2005 They are purple skinned and blue all the way through and beginning today select Costco stores on the west and east coasts begin selling these Washington grown potatoes that are higher in anti-oxidants than even traditional potato varieties. Andy Jensen of the staff of the Washington State Potato Commission says this started with commission funding of a researcher doing work on different flesh colored potatoes. Jensen: "Heritage University in Yakima got interested helping to market these things. So over the course of the past couple of years they have been some studies on how market potatoes that are different speciality potatoes like these. Now there is grower who is producing these, has a label for them and they are going to be marketed as gourmet potatoes with a label of high content of cancer preventing anti-oxidants. And they are an all blue potato." Jensen says the speciality spud grown by T & K Farms of Toppenish will sell at a premium. Jensen: "They will sell at a premium price in small packages, probably five pounds and less. Some of them will be even in one or two pound packages and clam shells or small bags." Jensen says this is just the beginning and we'll see where it goes from here. That's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today. Good health tomorrow. I'm Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.