Place peeled potatoes in water to prevent discoloration.
Potatoes are tubers, enlarged stems filled with nutrients for the plant developing above ground. If you harvest potatoes before the tubers' supply of nourishment is all spent, you get to enjoy a vegetable that provides vitamins B and C, minerals, complex carbohydrates -- and bonus dietary fiber if you eat the skin. Potatoes also have a long shelf life. If you store them properly at harvest, you could still be eating potatoes in six months.
Instructions
1. Locate a dark room that stays dry and at 40 degrees Fahrenheit to be your potato storage area; a cellar or garage usually works. Clean the place before moving the potatoes there. If you use water to wash the area, let it fully dry before transferring the potatoes inside.
2. Dig your potatoes and leave them on the ground in the sun to dry for four hours. Move them to a counter indoors if you expect rain.
3. Scrub the soil clinging to the potatoes off with your hands, fingers and a dry brush.
4. Examine the potatoes for signs of disease and sprouts. Use immediately any potato that has sprouted a new plant. Discard potatoes that feel soft or look moldy.
5. Move the potatoes you retained to the storage area. Organize them in a single layer if there's space. If you have to stack the potatoes, place several sheets of newspaper between two layers to prevent disease that breaks out in one level from transferring to the stack above or below.
6. Check your stored potatoes once a week and throw away those that have become diseased. Lower the temperature inside the storage room if potatoes begin to sprout.
Tags: storage area
