STORING POTATOES

Many of you have received potatoes this time of year. I thought I might give a few suggestions about how to store them.

Here is a picture of potatoes and carrots ready to go into storage.

Here it shows the tubs the potatoes and carrots are stored in.

LIGHT
Always keep potatoes out of any light. They will turn green and bitter if they are in direct light. The way to tell if a potato is ‘green’ is to scratch the skin back, if it is white, it is okay. If it is ‘green’ the potato will be bitter. I always throw away any green potatoes I find.

SORTING
It is a good idea to sort the potatoes before storing them. The smaller potatoes won’t last as long as the large ones, so sort them out and use them first. Then look for any ‘green’ potatoes and any that may be cut or spoiled.

DIRTY POTATOES
It isn’t a good idea to wash the potatoes before putting them in long term storage. For some reason, they begin to decay sooner if they have been washed. If they are extra dirty or muddy, just wipe them off. But it is best to leave them alone.

COOL
Always store potatoes in a cool place. In the basement is okay if it is cool. In the garage is okay too, if the container is insulated, (blankets make good insulation), remember to wrap the entire container, especially if the container is sitting on the cement floor. I like to use a plastic tub to store potatoes, it keeps them cleaner than a box and safe from pests.

REFRIGERATION
It isn’t a good idea to store potatoes in the crisper of your refrigerator. The starch turn to sugar and may cause the potatoes to turn dark when fried. The best temperature to store potatoes is between 43 to 48 degrees.

DECAYING
It is a good idea to check the potatoes occasionally to see if any are soft or beginning to decay. Just remove the ‘bad’ ones and clean the container or move the ‘good’ ones to a clean container. Sometimes there may be liquid from a decayed potato in the bottom of the container, usually the other potatoes will be okay, just wipe them dry and move them to a clean container.

SPROUTS
As the Winter goes by, the potatoes may grow sprouts. In our family our Mother always threatened us if we were fighting with the awful job of pulling the sprouts off the potatoes. We didn’t like that job very much, our spud cellar was kind of spooky. It doesn’t harm the potato too much if you break the sprouts off early when they are small. So keep a watchful eye for sprouts too.

LITTLE KNOWN FACTS
Did you know the average American eats over 140 pounds of potatoes each year, (almost 365 potatoes per person, or an average of one potato each day.)

The average American eats 142 pounds of potatoes a year, almost 365 potatoes per person-that’s an average of a potato a day.

Potatoes are the second most consumed food in America, milk products are number one.