A growing number of households are handing out potatoes alongside candy on Halloween, a trend called Trick-or-Tater. Some families have done it for more than a decade, and Potatoes USA says more join each year.
At most homes, the potatoes go into the candy bowl so trick-or-treaters can choose. Maren, a Virginia resident, offers a full-size candy bar, a small toy or a potato. She said her household went through about 25 pounds of potatoes last year, up from 16 the year before, and she is planning for a lot of visitors with Halloween on a Saturday.
The trend has reached community events too. Dan Corey, a potato farmer with operations in Maine and Florida, handed out bags of chips at a Halloween festival in downtown Houlton, Maine, last year. He brought a tractor and a trailer full of chips, and he plans to return this year…