Summer is over, and the farmers of Lithuania as well as all over the world have very important mission: to gather the harvest. Potatoes are the most common vegetable grown by Lithuanian farmers.

Summer is over, and the farmers of Lithuania as well as all over the world have very important mission: to gather the harvest. Potatoes are to be gathered till winter or cold weather comes, but only in the Northern countries. Now Lithuania is also in hurry. Columbus brought potato from America but in the beginning nobody knew what kind of plant it is. Spanish king had several pots of potatoes only for small blossom, because then potato was considered to be a flower. Later somebody said it was possible to use potatoes for food. Spanish cooks did not know how to use it, so they used small green “tomatoes” that they gathered after falling of blossom; but they were disgusting. Only accidentally, when king ordered to uproot these flowers and throw them away, the potatoes were discovered. From that time it has become almost everyday used vegetable. Lithuanian farmers were and still are very diligent in growing everything, including potatoes. They take only one harvest a year. Potatoes are planted in April or May and harvested in September or October. Even though there are machines to do all planting and harvesting work, Lithuanians still prefer manual work. Of course, the large farms have combines and other technique, but in small villages, where people own 3-5 hectares of land, all the works are done manually with the help of horses. The plough and the horse are two basic helpers of the farmers. Going through fields one can observe how several farmers standing on their knees gather potatoes into baskets: big potatoes have to be separated from small ones. There are some sacks with potatoes, which are to be brought to the cool basements for winter. Sometimes tractors are also used for bigger fields of 15-50 are but just for digging potatoes out. The rest of the work has to be done manually. Farmers who have enough money to buy and maintain the machinery use the combines for bigger fields. The potato harvest is very significant time for the students. They return to their parents’ or relatives’ homes who live in villages and help them to gather the potatoes. Instead of payment they receive the sack of potatoes. This is not only for students, whose main dish is baked potatoes, but also for all the people who help to gather the harvest. The reward for one-day work is a 50 or more kilos sack of potatoes unless one asks money. The national dishes usually presented to foreigners when they visit Lithuania are also made from potatoes. National is not so precise, because Germans also has rich traditions of making dishes from potatoes. Cepelinai is the dough-ball from mashed potatoes with a piece of bacon inside and the specific sauce. This dish is quite fat, so not everybody like it, but all Lithuanians does, even while counting calories. Kugelis is mashed potato pie with meat or smoked bacon stewed in high temperature. Pan cakes, tomato soup, boiled, baked potatoes are the most common dishes. Interesting and surprising is the fact that French fries are not popular in Lithuania at all. The foreigner will face a lot of troubles trying to find good French fries, while cepelinai can be served in almost all Lithuanian restaurants. In recent times Lithuania was in Soviet Union with huge collective farms, which possessed gigantic fields of potatoes. Human force was used to gather the harvest: the students, schoolchildren and soldiers had work for two or three weeks. This was quite difficult job and quite ineffective because a lot of potatoes were left on the field: everybody was eager to finish work as soon as possible. Only students were quite happy having the opportunity to go to villages and to have some parties after the work, sometimes in tents and camps. After restoring the independence in 1990, collective farms were reorganized. Students and soldiers did not participate in harvest gathering, while some schools still were helping to gather potatoes. Payment was the supplies of potatoes to local schools canteens. Current situation of Lithuania is quite difficult for farmers, because somehow they have to earn for living. Sometimes one can see the farmer sitting in the market and selling fresh potatoes. The state does not buy potatoes from small farmers as well. The way to European Union will be free for Lithuania only when 7% of farmers will be left from 30%. Most of them will stay without work and will be given only 3 hectares of land. Lithuanian potatoes still can hardly compete with German, Dutch or French, so after entering EU the conflict between on state farmers and Lithuanian potato grows can arise. Still farmers keep in tension with Lithuanian Government and are ready to protest like French farmers blocking all the roads. The situation is serious.