Eggs are expensive, so farmers are pitching ‘Easter potatoes’ for baskets this year

Ah, the perfect Easter basket: loaded to the brim with chocolate rabbits, jelly beans, marshmallow candies and, of course, those colorfully dyed and decorated … potatoes?

Why not, American potato farmers are asking — especially when egg prices remain at near-record highs.

Potatoes USA, a Denver-based potato farmers advocacy group, has released #Easterpotato tips on social media for decorating spuds for the holiday. 

The group recommends using a coat of hairspray to “seal the color and keep the dye from bleeding” into the potatoes, whose skins are more absorbent than eggshells.

“The idea of painting potatoes made me laugh, but honestly, it’s really fun,” said Marisa Stein, the group’s director of marketing. “My kids loved experimenting with different designs.”

Potato enthusiasts say the tuber is healthier, less breakable and (possibly) less expensive than eggs for Easter painting, hunts and rolls.

“The beauty of this is that beyond saving money and wasted eggs, children get to have a whole new experience around creativity on Easter,” said Laura Linn Knight, an Arizona-based parenting coach and author. “How fun to dye or paint on a different canvas.”

Mrs. Knight, a former grade school teacher, encourages families to explore nontraditional holiday activities. She takes her own children to look for wildflowers during Easter.

Purists who insist on real eggs for Easter will have to open their wallets wider this year.

Costs of eggs rose year-over-year by 124% and russet potato prices increased 59% in February, according to the latest federal statistics.

On Monday, President Biden and first lady Jill Biden will host children and families for the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House.

The White House, which has cited a 2022 outbreak of avian flu for reducing the national supply of eggs, did not respond to an email asking whether potatoes will appear at this year’s event.

The American Egg Board, a farmers advocacy group that donates eggs for the event, said potatoes will not be served.

“When it comes to Easter and Passover season, there’s just no substitute for eggs,” Emily Metz, the egg board’s president and CEO, told The Washington Times.

Ms. Metz noted that farmers don’t set egg prices.

“Eggs are sold as commodities like wheat and corn, and prices can change due to supply and demand,” Ms. Metz said.

The average price of a carton of eggs in February was $4.21, up from $2.01 at the same time last year.

The nonprofit California Grain & Feed Association, a trade group of growers and animal feed producers, said prices are cooling just in time for Easter.

“An 18-pack of eggs is currently selling for $6.99, or $0.39 per egg,” said Chris Zanobini, the association’s CEO, pointing to prices posted online by supermarket chain Safeway. “A standard russet potato is on average $1.45 each or $1.69 per pound. That equates to four eggs for every pound of potatoes.”

“When prices rise a lot like they have with eggs, many consumers get creative and find substitutes,” said Christine McDaniel, a senior research fellow at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center free market think tank. “Potatoes are also round and can be decorated, so why not?”

Gifts of hard-boiled eggs date to spring festivals in the ancient pagan world, according to English Heritage, a group that manages ancient Roman and Christian historical sites in Britain.

To mark Easter Sunday, when Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, early followers in Mesopotamia adopted the tradition of dyeing eggs.

Potatoes could become a new workaround for believers who don’t want to waste eggs, some economists say.

“When the price of something rises, people look to substitute other things, if at all possible, even when this involves changing a treasured holiday tradition,” said Dan S. Sutter, an economist at Troy University in Alabama.

Others are skeptical about the long-term prospects of potatoes displacing eggs in Easter baskets.

“Simply put, the Easter egg has significance for Christians,” said Sam Kain, a finance teacher at Walsh College in Michigan. “For me, the celebration of Easter is about much more than the attendant foods and activities, so I’ll leave the potatoes in the potato salad.”