Dave Parker
Store potatoes for a long time – this is how it works
The best place to store potatoes is still in a potato box in the basement.
- Basically, the potatoes should be stored in a cool and dark place. If the potatoes get too much light, the toxic solanine forms. You can tell that the tuber has formed solanine by the green discoloration of the potato. If you don’t have the space, at least put the potatoes in a dark box or a special potato sack.
- The potato container should not be made of plastic and the tubers must be well aerated during storage.
- Containers made of natural materials, such as boxes made of wood or willow or jute sacks, are well suited for storing potatoes. Do not place the potato crate directly on the ground, but always a little higher so that the air can circulate properly.
- Line the bottom of the box with newspaper and rearrange the potatoes every few days. Sort out the potatoes that are no longer quite as good as those that are already beginning to sprout.
- Potatoes also make some demands on the room temperature. If it is too warm, the potatoes will germinate very quickly. If it is too cold, the food will have an unpleasant taste as the starch is converted into sugar. The perfect temperature for storing the potatoes is therefore between four and eight degrees.
- You should definitely not store apples or other types of fruit that give off ethylene near the potatoes. The gas ensures that all fruit and vegetables that nearby ripen or, in the case of potatoes, sprout much faster.
