Nearly $300 million dollars worth of this popular tuber ends up in the landfill – it also sprouts, turns green, and becomes poisonous. So what's one to do with this dirty potato?
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00:00Nearly $300 million worth of this popular tuber ends up in the landfill.
00:06It also sprouts, turns green, and becomes poisonous.
00:10So what's one to do with this dirty potato?
00:14It's not hard to spot a sprouted potato.
00:16They're the ones with white bulges bursting out of them.
00:19No, as much as it may look like it, this is not some kind of alien parasite trying to
00:24attack you by disguising itself as food.
00:26It's just a part of the potato plant's normal growth cycle.
00:30According to an open-source botany textbook, wild potato plants rely on tubers to survive
00:35from year to year.
00:36Although most gardeners plant potatoes as an annual crop, in its natural habitat, this
00:41species grows yearly.
00:43The plant stores its energy as starch in bulbous potatoes underground.
00:47When the conditions are right, warm and moist, the underground tuber sends shoots upward.
00:53Potatoes hidden away in kitchen pantries sometimes do the same as their wild cousins.
00:58They detect summery conditions and start growing sprouts.
01:01Yeah, we'd say this one's gone all kinds of wrong.
01:12"...I'm a zit, get it?"
01:15Potatoes also sometimes turn green when under certain conditions.
01:19According to John Seymour, author of The New Self-Sufficient Gardener, this is because
01:23potatoes are scientifically classified as stems rather than roots.
01:27That means they can produce chlorophyll, which tints them green when exposed to light.
01:32This is not the same as sprouting, although potatoes can both sprout and have a greenish
01:36hue at the same time.
01:38It's tempting to buy potatoes in bulk.
01:40They don't have a reputation for spoiling quickly, and can be a lot cheaper this way.
01:45But Michigan State University recommends only purchasing the number of potatoes you
01:49can use in one month.
01:51The tubers can keep for longer, depending on their freshness, but this way, consumers
01:55know potatoes won't sprout before they can get them in the oven.
01:59When you're in the produce aisle, check each potato carefully for nicks caused by farming
02:03equipment.
02:04The vegetables you choose should be free of bruises, injury, and mold.
02:08They should not show any signs of greening, and have no sprouts on them.
02:13Seeing the green sprouts on potatoes makes it tempting to pop them in the soil.
02:17Seems like they should make more potatoes, but that's not always the case.
02:20A University of Minnesota guide says to only plant certified seed potatoes.
02:25These are not seeds, but rather small, disease-free tubers.
02:29Using them ensures vigorous plants and a high yield at harvest.
02:33It also keeps gardens healthy.
02:35Pathogens hide in tubers.
02:37Diseases that affect potatoes will also take a toll on tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant.
02:42Finally, supermarkets do not intend for people to plant their potatoes.
02:46They may treat them chemically so they'll stay dormant.
02:49Some gardeners use a technique called chitting, which means purposely sprouting seed potatoes
02:53before planting, according to the New Self-Sufficient Gardener by John Seymour.
02:58It reduces the days until harvest time.
03:00The potatoes rest in boxes, one layer thick, in a warm place and out of direct sunlight.
03:05Once potatoes have sprouted, gardeners rub off all but the three best and plant the tubers
03:10four inches deep in soil with plenty of compost.
03:13If you do plant potatoes and harvest them, you'll need to cure them so they don't sprout
03:17too quickly.
03:18John Seymour avoids this step by simply leaving his in the ground until he's ready to cook
03:23them.
03:24In contrast, North Carolina State University says to dry potatoes for a few days after
03:28digging them up so they're less likely to sprout in storage.
03:32Now that sprouted potatoes have invaded your kitchen, you want to get rid of them.
03:36You can't bring yourself to throw them in the trash, though.
03:38It seems like a waste of good organic material, and there's your hungry compost bin in the
03:43backyard.
03:44The EPA says that vegetable waste, like potato peels, is fantastic for composting, although
03:50they don't specify anything about sprouted potatoes.
03:53The agency does recommend checking everything that goes into the compost for disease.
03:57A contaminated vegetable could ruin a batch of compost or, worse, sully an entire garden.
04:03Thriving Yard recommends you do not compost your sprouted potatoes, as they can be vessels
04:08for bacteria once sprouted.
04:10If you do want to compost your sprouted potato, freezing and then adding it in will likely
04:15prevent the spread of any diseases by the tubers.
04:18To eat or not to eat sprouted potatoes?
04:21That is the question.
04:23Rest easy.
04:24The National Capital Poison Center says,
04:26"...the highest concentration of solanine is found in the leaves, flowers, eyes, green
04:31skin, and sprouts.
04:33The lowest concentration is found in the white body of the potato."
04:37In other words, as long as you cut out the eyes and sprouts, your mashed potatoes shouldn't
04:41be toxic.
04:42Okay, here we go, I think the taters are just about done, I'm just gonna give them one quick
04:50whisk here.
04:52Be warned.
04:53Baking, boiling, and roasting will not reduce potato toxicity.
04:57You can only achieve that by peeling them and cutting off any affected areas.
05:01Green potatoes are goners.
05:03Even after peeling, they still have high levels of solanine.
05:07If you are unsure if a potato is safe or not, the best course of action is to chuck
05:11it.
05:12That being said, sprouted potatoes are a large source of food waste, according to the Daily
05:16Mail.
05:17Many cooks see a sprouted potato and throw it out instead of taking the time to remove
05:21the growths.
05:22This results in nearly $300 million worth of potatoes rotting in landfills.
05:27That's a great argument for spending a few extra minutes with your peeler.
05:31The planet will thank you.
05:33Your garden was especially fruitful this year, or there was a fantastic deal at the
05:38supermarket.
05:39Either way, you're worried that they're about to sprout or go green before you can cook
05:43them.
05:44Not to worry, using up those potatoes won't be hard.
05:47Penn State University says that with some preparation, potatoes can go in your freezer.
05:53Freezing whole, fresh, or baked potatoes results in something less than appetizing, but there's
05:57another alternative.
05:59Whipping up and freezing industrial-size batches of mashed or cut potatoes means fast, delicious
06:04meals when you're in a hurry.
06:06Freezing cooked potatoes doesn't noticeably affect the taste or texture.
06:10Another option is to cut spuds, pre-bake, and freeze them.
06:14Score!
06:15You've just prevented food waste and done meal prep in one fell swoop.
06:19And anyone who loves Italian food needs to try homemade gnocchi, which are simple to
06:23freeze and then cook up in small batches.
06:26As for eating raw potatoes, yeah, we'd advise against it.