If you haven’t heard, there’s a new sheriff in the Horticulture Building.
We all know that Tully’s has taken over the Baked Potato Booth and is leading the charge handing out one $1 baked potato at a time… but there’s a new partner behind the potatoes themselves!
They come from NY Fresh Farm in Wolcott, New York.
I get to work closely with the New York State Fair on some of the videos I make each year, and I was really excited to work with them on this one — not just because I love Tully’s so much, but because of the agricultural story behind it.
I had the chance to head out to the farm and hang out with Garret and his team while they were harvesting the potatoes that are now being served up at The Fair. And honestly, it was a genuinely cool experience.
I visited right in the middle of harvest. One machine drives down the field, digging up the potatoes buried underground to bring them to the surface. Then a second piece of equipment follows behind and scoops them all up. From there, the potatoes get loaded into a truck and taken to a massive conveyor line, where they’re sorted so only the best ones make the cut for The Fair. Then they’re packaged up and shipped in to The Fairgrounds. And now, just a few days later, here we are eating them.
At the booth I tried both the Salt Potatoes and the Loaded Baked Potato.
The Salt Potatoes come four to a paper boat with two huge scoops of melted butter on top, all for a buck. And yeah, they’re just really good Salt Potatoes.
Then there’s the Loaded Baked Potato, which runs about $3.50. It’s a massive potato topped with butter, sour cream, cheese and bacon. But, for $3.50 at the New York State Fair? That’s an incredible deal.
Tully’s has also put its own spin on things, including a Buffalo Chicken Dip Baked Potato stuffed with their Buffalo Chicken Dip (And, if you’ve been following this blog, you know their stand outside on The Fairgrounds is now serving up Buffalo Chicken Tenders).
Believe it or not, this was my first time ever eating a Baked Potato at The Fair, at least of the $1 variety. But the coolest part for me was knowing I was eating potatoes from the exact farm I’d visited just a few days earlier. There’s something pretty cool about watching a potato come out of the ground in Wolcott one day, and then a few days later, eating it.
So whether you’re trying to save a few bucks at The Fair or you’re just chasing something nostalgic, I highly recommend checking out the new baked potato booth in the Horticulture Building.
