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Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Kitchen Wisdom- Reduce Sprouting In Potatoes


What's an apple doing in the potato basket? 
Does it help reduce sprouting? Our grandmothers may not have had all of our modern technology, but they knew some basic kitchen wisdom that worked for them. 

Free Potatoes Vegetables photo and picture

I live in Florida half the year (snow bird), and I get extremely frustrated when I purchase potatoes, especially organic.  It seems that I no sooner buy a bag of potatoes that within days they are starting to sprout. 

I was determined to find a way to keep my potatoes fresh for a least 2 weeks (or more) in Florida. This is what I learned.  

KITCHEN WISDOM TIPS : 

1. Keep your potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place to slow sprouting and protect the vitamin C content. 

2.  Never store raw potatoes in the refrigerator. 
"Raw potatoes shouldn’t be kept in the refrigerator, as cold temperatures increase the amounts of reducing sugars and make them more carcinogenic when fried or roasted. They should also not be frozen, as they will become mushy and brown after defrosting". Source

3.  Keep potatoes out of light (both sunlight and florescent lights). Light, especially sunlight, helps potatoes turn green (chlorophyll) and produce a toxic chemical called solanine. Solanine can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea in sensitive individuals. Many people discard green potatoes or at least peel and cut away a green areas which may be toxic.

4. Store potatoes in a bowl or bag with ventilation. Humidity or dampness are not good for the potatoes and they will spoil more quickly. 

5. Do not wash potatoes before you store them. Again, the extra moisture is not good for the storage of potatoes.

6. Keep an apple or two in the bowl or bag with the potatoes. Apples give off a gas called ethylene which helps keep the potatoes from sprouting. Keeping an apple or apples together with your potatoes may help keep potatoes longer. (I'm trying it now and will update this post) 

Free Potatoes Potato Sack photo and picture
Potatoes come in mesh bags to allow for
ventilation to reduce moisture



Some of My favorite recipes using potatoes.

Potatoes and Mushroom Gravy - vegan (link to recipe)

mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, vegan


vegan potato salad



romanian potato stew

11 comments:

  1. Great article. Spuds are a “must have” in our house and an island commodity!

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  2. Hi Judee, looking forward to that update, keeping potatoes fresh is difficult at times.

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  3. So far, I haven't had this issue because when I bought potatoes, I usually just bought 2 potatoes :-)) My husband doesn't eat potatoes, except fries. I love the trick of the apple and look forward to your update, Judee.

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  4. I always love potatoes, and as I am on my own I buy small amounts so that they don't sprout. The apple is a good tip, must try it! Thanks Judee! Hugs, Valerie

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  5. I usually only buy potatoes when we need them, and only what we need, as we don't eat a lot of them. I have seen potato bags for storing them that are dark material bags.
    from Tandy I Lavender and Lime https://tandysinclair.com

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  6. Good morning, enjoyed your post hadn't read before not to store potatoes in the frig-I buy the tiny potatoes now and always store in the frig-so far no sprouting-thank goodness but loved the tip and recipes

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  7. This is really interesting. I think we all have issues with potato sprouting so these are excellent tips. The apple is an easy fix! I never knew about the fridge -- we always kept them there (and they rarely sprouted there) but that doesn't sound so good...

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  8. I had NO idea about this trick! Thanks for the VERY useful tip!

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  9. I share your frustration with sprouting potatoes -- you're right, it's especially a problem with organic potatoes -- and if adding an apple to my potato drawer means that my potatoes will last, I would gladly do that! Looking forward to learning how your experiment works out!

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  10. I was COMPLETELY unaware of this sneaky tactic! Many thanks to you

    Have a wonderful weekend!
    You can view my new post here:
    https://www.melodyjacob.com/2023/10/decoding-instagrams-modesty-debate-are-revealing-trends-empowering-or-indecent.html

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  11. What a cool trick! I've definitely had the potato sprout problem, so I'll be sure to try it! 🥔🍎

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