When I was a kid, 40some years ago, I remember that the potatoes we bought
were pretty dirty. Always had to scrub them with a brush before fixing them
to eat. But in more recently years, I've noticed that most all of the
potatoes I've gotten have been so clean that they only seem to need a quick
rinse in the sink. Only have to pull out the brush every once in a while.
Until tonight.

I get a box of organic produce weekly from a local farm. Most of the time
even their potatoes are pretty clean. But the paper bag of baby reds I put
in tonight's soup were so dirty I had a hard time getting them clean. They
were just encased in thick dirt that turned to mud and splattered my shirt
as I tried to clean them. And I scrubbed them so much to get the mud off
that most of the peel came along with it.

Now I realize the growers or vendors or someone along the food chain is
probably using some method of cleaning that I'd most likely not want to know
the particulars of. Or maybe I would... But my question is: When was the
last time you got some really dirty potatoes? Unless of course you grow
them yourself!