What is a potato blossom anyway?

By Melanie Brooks

The Potato Blossom Festival kicks off in Fort Fairfield this weekend and I bet many of you have never even seen a potato blossom. I'm here to change that. Last year I went up to the Potato Blossom Festival to check them out for myself. It was my first real trip up to "the county" for work. The weather wasn't spectacular, but the views were amazing.




Both sides of practically every route and road in Aroostook County this time of year are flushed with potato blossoms, which come in shades ranging from white to pink to purple. Some stretched as far as the eye could see. That's a lot of potatoes, folks.




There's a lot to do during the week long event including the crowning of the Potato Blossom Queen and Little Miss Potato Blossom, a community market, cowboy wild west round up, spaghetti dinner, live music, and plenty of activities for the kids.

If you want to learn more about Maine potatoes, pick up a copy of our August issue. We're publishing a feature on the potato industry and how it's changed over the past 50 years. Interesting stuff!