Potato Road Touring towns along the mighty Saint John River BY DARCY RHYNO
M
exican Fiesta, Dark Chocolate Explosion, Hot Apple Pie, Lobster— these are just a few of more than 30 choices, not for dishes at some eclectic buffet, but as flavourings for my two bags of potato chips fresh from the fryer. I just watched them come off the assembly line at the Albright family-owned Covered Bridge Potato Chips near Hartland, New Brunswick. One bag is filled with sweet potato chips. For them, I go all out with a few shakes of “Too Hot for You.” For the bag of regular chips, I have to try the lobster seasoning. Many of these flavours aren’t available in stores. They’re just for visitors who want to customize a bag or two of fresh chips. Some of the flavours sold in stores are distinctly East Coast—The Weekender, Atlantic Lobster, Donair and perhaps their most popular, Storm Chips, named for the
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common practice around here of stocking up on chips before a major winter storm. While flavouring my own chips is great fun, so is watching the assembly line process. The Russet potatoes used in this small factory are grown on the Albright family farm not far from here. A mere 55 pounds of washed, sliced potatoes are cooked at one time. It takes just 35 seconds for a mechanical slicer to do its work and five minutes for the chips to deep fry to perfection. The oil gets spun from the chips before final inspection and flavouring. Covered Bridge in Hartland is my first stop on what I’ve come to think of as Potato Road, the 100-kilometre stretch of Route 105 along the scenic Saint John River in western New Brunswick. The Albrights’ potato chip company is named for the town’s historic landmark, the wooden covered bridge,
by far the longest in the world at nearly 400 metres, and a national historic site. It recently turned 100 years old. Vehicles cross the Saint John River beneath its gabled roof, pedestrians beneath the covered walkway attached to one side. Route 105 meanders further north along the river. Following it, I arrive at another covered bridge in Florenceville-Bristol. This is truly the epicentre of New Brunswick’s potato country. Across the Saint John River is a museum called Potato World. Interactive displays, short films and antique farm machinery such as the International kerosene tractor—its thick metal wheels painted fire engine red—make for a terrific museum experience. A Potato Hall of Fame documents the history of this area as the French fry capital of the world. Florenceville is the hometown
