Potatoes and Potato Bread

[IndustryStandard]

Potatoes is such an obvious addition that I assume it's already planned but less common in games is potato bread.

And whatever else you make potatoes with too during the copper age. Definitely would go nicely with stew. 

[Thorfinn]

True. There used to be a crops mod or 6. I seem to remember potato bread, too.

On the other hand, if you are going for realism, they are primarily a K crop, so they would just be left right where they are, like the unloved carrot.

[IndustryStandard]

3 minutes ago, Thorfinn said:

True. There used to be a crops mod or 6. I seem to remember potato bread, too.

On the other hand, if you are going for realism, they are primarily a K crop, so they would just be left right where they are, like the unloved carrot.

I'm not really into mods but what's the current K plant everyone is picking and why? I'm still newish to game.
 

[Thorfinn]

Flax. Needed for windmills, armor, linen sacks, etc.

Edited July 7, 2023 by Thorfinn

[Maelstrom]

On 7/7/2023 at 1:25 PM, Thorfinn said:

Flax. Needed for windmills, armor, linen sacks, etc.

don't forget higher quality poultices (or bandages), clothes repair and ore blasting bombs.

[VaelophisNyx]

Potatoes have one thing that could make them rise above flax

Starch. Potato starch could be extracted via soaking the potatoes to get a potato "milk", then heating it until it forms a thick mass usable in place of Resin. Potato Glue: https://www.potatopro.com/news/2011/potato-starch-excellent-adhesive

 

Additionally potatoes grow in bulk and require VERY little maintenance and have wildly low soil quality requirements IRL (though thrive in higher quality soils). They are at risk of being dug up and ate by wildlife however, if left exposed to them. To make matters better you just replant potatoes that are small to make more potato plants.

Potatoes could also be used to make alcohol, with no extra steps over other plants in game already.

Potatoes are also cold-hardy down to 30°F, at which point the ground temperature can damage the potatoes themselves, they also are heat-tolerant up to 100°F though they start to suffer before then, and wither at and above that point.

An interesting note however is that potatoes do not fixate any major nutrient into the soil on their own, and as previously mentioned in this thread, they do consume more K than other nutrients. That said, the volume of food per harvest that you could get would make it worth it in the end, even if just to compost most of it.

[Bumber]

5 hours ago, VaelophisNyx said:

Potato starch could be extracted via soaking the potatoes to get a potato "milk", then heating it until it forms a thick mass usable in place of Resin.

I doubt it's suitable for the same purpose. Starches tend to break down over time, especially if they're going to be exposed to moisture (i.e., outside,) and aren't durable enough for moving parts.

You'd use it for book-binding, which isn't done in VS right now.

Edited September 26, 2023 by Bumber

[VaelophisNyx]

9 hours ago, Bumber said:

I doubt it's suitable for the same purpose. Starches tend to break down over time, especially if they're going to be exposed to moisture (i.e., outside,) and aren't durable enough for moving parts.

You'd use it for book-binding, which isn't done in VS right now.

Borax can be mixed with starch glues to make them have much better weather resistance though, something being explored IRL right now to replace petrol adhesives potentially

[ArgentLuna]

On 7/8/2023 at 5:25 AM, Thorfinn said:

Flax. Needed for windmills, armor, linen sacks, etc.

I do whole separate farms for Flax to to ramp its production up instead of being tied to the Mixed veg rotation. Only when starting out is it in with anything else.

[Bumber]

22 hours ago, VaelophisNyx said:

Borax can be mixed with starch glues to make them have much better weather resistance though, something being explored IRL right now to replace petrol adhesives potentially

Borax tends to be rarer than resin, however.