This photo is of the lumper potato! The Irish Potato Famine, which killed thousands of people and caused millions to emigrate in the 1840s, was caused by reliance on one kind of potato — the lumper!– that turned out to be vulnerable to a fungus that grew in a damp spell. The fungus killed all of Ireland’s potatoes. The story of the lumper is a great one to remind us to support a variety of food grown with real seeds that are rich in genetic diversity in order to avoid such disasters. Besides, the lumper isn’t even that tasty! – Eco-Fail! Buy heirlooms instead!

–Annie, with lumpers from her heirloom gardener friend Amy Goldman