Berlin is giving away free potatoes due to a record harvest. 174 distribution points are open throughout the city, two trucks were sent to Ukraine.
A record harvest led to a massive giveaway of free potatoes across Berlin, UNN reports with reference to The Guardian.
The exceptional surplus of potatoes during Germany’s last harvest, the publication writes, “stunned even the most ardent fans.”
Dubbed Kartoffel-Flut (“potato flood”) after the highest yield in 25 years, this large harvest inspired one farmer to organize a potato giveaway in Berlin, and calls spread across the German capital for people to come to various locations and pick them up for free.
Ordinary city residents, many of whom are feeling the pressure of rising living costs, reportedly arrived at pre-announced potato collection points, filling everything from bags and buckets to handcarts. In total, 174 distribution points were opened, spontaneously created throughout the city.
Photo: Dpa Picture Alliance/Alamy Live News.
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Among those who benefited, reportedly, are free soup kitchens, homeless shelters, kindergartens, schools, churches, and non-profit organizations. Even the Berlin Zoo participated in the “rescue mission,” taking tons of potatoes that would otherwise have gone to landfill or for biogas production, to feed its animals.
“Two trucks were sent to Ukraine,” the publication reports.
The operation, named “4000 tons” after the surplus that one potato farmer near Leipzig offered in December after a sale fell through at the last minute, was organized by a Berlin newspaper together with the Berlin environmental non-profit search engine Ecosia.
Photo: Dpa Picture Alliance/Alamy
“At first I thought it was some fake news created by artificial intelligence when I saw it on social media,” said Astrid Marz, a teacher. “There were photos of huge mountains of ‘earth apples,'” she recalled, using the word Erdäpfel, an affectionate term for potatoes sometimes used by Berliners, “with instructions to come and get them for free!”
This excitement lifted spirits at a time when arctic cold is gripping Berlin, making movement difficult, stopping public transport, and leaving sidewalks dangerously icy, the publication writes.
“There was a truly festive atmosphere,” said Ronald, describing how people cheerfully helped each other with heavy loads and exchanged culinary tips when he recently also picked up potatoes at one of the points.
Photo: Hannibal Hanschke/EPA
A multitude of recipes are circulating online as those who collected potatoes try to figure out what to do with the surplus.
“While this year it’s potatoes, last year there was a surplus of hops, and next year, according to forecasts, it will be milk,” the publication notes.
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