A New Potato That’s So Creamy, No Butter Needed

Looking to elevate your holiday meals? There’s a new potato on the scene that’s so creamy, it doesn’t require butter or cream—just pure, natural flavor straight from the ground.

The Upstate Abundance potato, developed by Row 7 Seed Company, gets its name from its abundant growth in the fields. It’s grown in collaboration with organic farmers in New York and Pennsylvania.

What Are Upstate Abundance Potatoes?

Charlotte Douglas, president of Row 7, shared that Upstate Abundance potatoes are a new variety created by plant breeder Walter De Jong, a professor at Cornell University’s School of Integrative Plant Science, specializing in Plant Breeding and Genetics.

‘These golf ball-sized potatoes have a smooth, white flesh that’s naturally packed with flavor,’ says Douglas. She adds that Row 7 was instrumental in early trials, both in the field and kitchen, and was the first to introduce this variety to farmers and home gardeners in 2018.

‘Upstate Abundance is a cross between the variety ‘Jacqueline Lee’ and a Cornell breeding clone, ‘NY121,’ both of which have resistance to late blight, a common potato disease,’ explains De Jong.

It turns out, Upstate Abundance shares the same resistance to late blight, which De Jong explains was the primary goal of the cross—‘Developing a late blight-resistant variety was our starting point,’” he says.

How Long Did It Take to Develop Upstate Abundance Potatoes?

It took a total of 17 years from when ‘Jacqueline Lee’ was crossed with ‘NY121’ in the early 2000s to when the new potato variety was officially introduced in 2017.

‘That’s a bit longer than the usual 12 to 15 years for potatoes,’ De Jong says. ‘The reason this took longer is that we didn’t plant the seeds from the cross until 2005.’

‘Looking back, I wish we had started planting those seeds earlier!’ De Jong adds with a chuckle.

De Jong has a personal connection to Upstate Abundance as well. In 2017, he realized that one of the grandparents of Upstate Abundance—specifically one of the parents of ‘Jacqueline Lee’—was a variety his father had bred, called ‘AC Chaleur.’

‘My father was a potato breeder at Agriculture Canada, but I never paid much attention to his work growing up,’ De Jong recalls. ‘’AC Chaleur’ was developed to mature early, and that trait is also found in Upstate Abundance.’

How Are Upstate Abundance Potatoes Different?

De Jong highlights that the most striking difference between Upstate Abundance and most other varieties is the size of the potatoes. While most varieties produce a few large potatoes, Upstate Abundance yields many smaller, golf ball-sized potatoes.

‘The reason we first became interested in Upstate Abundance was because of how unique it was at harvest,’ De Jong recalls. ‘When we dug up our first trial plot using a mechanical harvester, we found an abundance of bright white, small potatoes. The small size doesn’t require special growing conditions—there’s no need to cut the plants early to limit their size, and you don’t have to crowd them together. It’s simply a characteristic of the variety.’

‘Another unique trait of Upstate Abundance is its resistance to Potato Virus Y, a feature not commonly found in other U.S. varieties,’ he adds.

What Do Upstate Abundance Potatoes Taste Like?

Douglas explains that the exceptional taste of Upstate Abundance potatoes is due in part to their organic cultivation and seasonal availability. She adds, ‘These potatoes are naturally creamy and nutty, as though the butter is already baked right in.’

‘In the kitchen, they’re incredibly versatile—you can roast, smash, or fry them—but I usually enjoy them simply boiled in salted water,’ she adds.

De Jong adds, ‘They taste fantastic and are my personal favorite, as well as a top choice for many of my potato breeding team.’

When asked what makes Upstate Abundance potatoes so creamy without any added ingredients, De Jong says, ‘I wish I knew, because then we’d try to breed it into future varieties! Breeding for flavor, texture, and taste in potatoes is more art than science. It involves tasting a lot of potatoes to find the best ones—and a bit of luck.’

He adds, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if the creamy texture came from ‘AC Chaleur.’’

Will Upstate Abundance Potatoes Save You Money?

Upstate Abundance potatoes have a natural advantage for growers due to their abundant yield in the field, which translates into better pricing for consumers.

‘And with their unique texture, you can skip the butter and cream,’ Douglas points out. ‘That’s an immediate cost saving right there.’

When Will Upstate Abundance Potatoes Be Available in Grocery Stores?

If you’re in the Northeast, Upstate Abundance potatoes are currently sold at 100 Whole Foods locations. Row 7 plans to expand to the mid-Atlantic and West Coast next year.

For those who prefer to grow their own, De Jong mentions that commercial seed for Upstate Abundance potatoes was produced in Idaho, Nebraska, and New York in 2022. He expects these potatoes will be cultivated by home gardeners across most U.S. states and by large-scale commercial growers on both coasts. Organic seed for Upstate Abundance will be available online at row7seeds.com starting in November.