Potato Coloring Pages

Apples of the Earth! A Handy Veggie Loved All Over the World

Potato is part of the nightshade family. It grows under the ground! We eat the underground stem that saves up starch and swells up into a round shape. Among all root veggies, Potato is grown all across the world. In some countries, people eat it as their main food. In France, people even call it "apples from the field" because it has so many vitamins!

Where Its Name Comes From

Potato first grew in the Andes Mountains in South America. People say it came to Japan in the early 17th century from Jakarta, Indonesia.

• Potato: People say its name comes from "Jagatara-imo," which means "sweet potato from Jakarta." The name slowly became shorter to make the word "Potato."
• Bareisho: This is another name for Potato written in kanji characters. One story says this name was given because its shape looks like a bell put on a horse.

In Season and Types

Potato stays fresh for a long time, so you can find it in stores all year round. But it still has a special time when it tastes best!

• Best Season: Its main season is from June to September.
• Shin-jagaimo (New Potato): This is young Potato harvested from March to July while the stems and leaves are still green. It has thin skin and is very juicy. You can eat it with the skin on! It is harvested in warm places like Kagoshima Prefecture and Nagasaki Prefecture, as well as in Hokkaido.
• Where It Grows: Potato likes a cool climate. Because of this, Hokkaido grows about 80% of all Potato in Japan!

Famous Types

• Danshaku: It feels fluffy and soft when you eat it. It is great for dishes where you mash it, like potato salad, croquettes, and mashed potatoes.
• May Queen: It does not fall apart easily when you cook it. It is great for stews and boiled dishes, like curry and nikujaga.

Lots of Good Stuff and Important Rules

Potato is full of starch (carbohydrates). It also has many other good nutrients!

• Vitamin C: Potato has lots of Vitamin C. It is wrapped in starch, so it does not break down from heat even when you boil it. It helps keep your skin healthy and protects you from getting sick.
• Potassium: It helps push out extra salt from your body. It helps keep your blood pressure healthy.
• Dietary Fiber: It has two kinds of fiber—soluble, which dissolves in water, and insoluble, which does not. They both help your tummy feel good!

Parts to Watch Out For

The sprouts of Potato and the green skin that turned green in the light have a harmful poison called solanine. When you cook, make sure to cut off all the sprouts and green skin!

How to choose colors: Use different colors for different varieties and cooking methods!

The trick to coloring Potato coloring pages is using different colors depending on the variety, or whether it is steamed or boiled!

• Skin color: Color a regular Potato with light brown or earthy yellowish-brown. Since Danshaku is round, make the shadows round. Since May Queen is long and thin, add shadows vertically.
• New Potato skin: Since the skin is thin, color it with light brown or a color close to skin tone to make it look fresh.
• Inside color: Blend cream, light yellow, and white to make the inside look nice and fluffy. For varieties with yellow insides like Kitakari, use bright yellow!
• Simmered dishes: For Potato cooked in dishes like curry or Nikujaga, add a little dark brown (broth color) to the top layer. That way, it looks like it soaked up all the yummy flavor!

How to color: Let's make Potato look warm, fluffy, and shiny!

The key is to color the fluffy, powdery texture of Potato and its shiny look when cooked in a stew differently!

• Fluffy and warm look: For a fluffy Potato like the May Queen, you can make a powdery texture! Try coloring with a slightly rough touch, or layer light colors a few times.
• Shiny look: For a Potato that stays smooth when cooked (like the Irish Cobbler), you can make a shiny texture! Color it with a dark color, but leave a small white area or add thin lines to show the light.
• Skin texture: You can show the Potato's bumpy skin! Just add very faint lines or tiny dots on the surface of the skin.

Tips to enjoy your coloring page!

• Express yourself freely!
  • Potato salad or French fries—think about your favorite Potato dishes! It is also fun to add a background or other ingredients. Express yourself freely!
• Try lots of different colors!
  • It is also fun to look up different varieties of potatoes, like Shadow Queen (a purple potato) or Inca no Mezame (a deep yellow potato), and color Potato in colorful colors!