Topic: best way to store potatoes?

[ivorjen]

Hi there  ;D
I'm about to lift a few rows of early spuds & wondered whats the best way to store them  i.e. what type  of bag is best or do you put them in trays.

the sneaky look i had at one of the plants look like an indicator of a good crop so I'm oddly excited at the prospect of MY OWN VEG!!! cant wait   ( I'm still new to allotments
I never thought I would be excited about it the allotment was the wife's idea & I had been lumbered with it but now I'm inspired by it. Lovely what nature can do when you get close & open your eyes & ears.
 ;) :D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[keef]

Paper sacks are the norm, although cardboard boxes work well too - and are easier to store. The important thing is to keep them in the dark. You can sometimes blag paper sacks off your local chippy..

Hesian sacks are OK - but they let a lot of light in and later in the year the spuds will start to sprout earlier.

Store them in a cool, but frost (and rodent!) free place - garage etc.

[Ishard]

Pease make sure prior to storing that you have hardened the skins off by letting the spuds dry for a few days in the dark or they will rot.

A lot of people leave the spuds in the ground untill the frosts come but that really depends on your soil.

[Columbus]

Hi Ishard, Hi all  :)

I still have last years potatoes in store in sealed buckets of damp earth
in my potting shed from about last October. Most are in perfect condition.

They have kept much better than previous atttempts in paper sacks if you are looking for long term storage for a large harvest.

They need to be rodent-proof, dark and cool. Someone on the site suggested that the lack of air also helps.

Col

[kt.]

I lay mine out in trays for a few days in the shed to dry out and harden.  Don't store any that are not solid enough or they will  spread rot into the others.  (Take these home and eat first.) I then check them individually and place them in a brown paper sack.  Our lottie shop sells them for 20p each.  Every 6-8 weeks,  check them to ensure none have gone rotten.  If one goes and you don't spot it,  it won't take long before spreading to the others.  Last year, I had some in a cardboard box.  They lasted a while but not as long as those in the sack.

[Chris Graham]

or blanch for 3-4 mins and quick cool in cold water.  Pat dry then freeze.

Tried this the other night and put the frozen new potatoes in the steamer for 15mins.  Tasted just as good and held their shape.

[ivorjen]

thanks for the good advice everyone    I'm planning on eating them over time so I will need to store some as Ive got more from later variates to come  :D they seem to be growing well    ;) time will tell on those.

I have three kids so we eat a lot of potatoes we will see if i estimated correctly  ( i think I will run out before the end of the year but I still have time and there is always next year)

 

[Barnowl]

I've found that roasted potatoes freeze quite well. Roast more than you need and freeze the surplus. It may or may not be relevant that I roast in a mixture of oils. Cook from frozen in a preheated oven

Actually with three children the more you cook the more they'll eat so this probably won't work :)

[PurpleHeather]

I just wish I could lift them without slugs having taken most of them.

[ivorjen]

I just wish I could lift them without slugs having taken most of them.

You need hedgehogs or toads to keep the slugs down also I was told that copper tools helps something to do with leaving molecules of copper in the soil & the slugs don't like copper
try a small pond to encourage the slug eating animals/amphibians it may help & you can have fun doing it & put a seat near it  for when you back is sore from digging  :D

[ivorjen]

sorry posted that on the wrong thread

[Tee Gee]

Just a point that no one else seems to have mentioned and that is; early potatoes don't store as long as maincrop varieties.

But all is not doom & gloom do as the others have said about storing them, but eat them in the classified order i.e. 1st Earlies first, 2nd earlies next and so on and all should be well.

I find when I start picking/eating mine they last for around ten months.

[kt.]

I find when I start picking/eating mine they last for around ten months.

I usually run out by middle of September.  Thats feeding a family of 4, plus the 'outlaws' too.

[ivorjen]

I've got to say I am impressed with the flavour of my spuds they tast far better than the shop ones.

I don't think they will last to long not cos of storage problem but cos we are eating them quicker than I anticipated

[Sparkly]

As has been mentioned before, if you have the freezer space try the following:

*Par-boiled in portion sized bags in the freezer. These will work well dropped in boiling water from frozen, or even a few minutes in the microwave.

*Par-boiled and rolled in butter - straight in the oven from frozen.

Obviously you need the freezer space for this. We have only just used our last bag quite recently. We have grown mainly 1st and 2nd earlies and will store most of the earlies that will not be eaten quickly like this. Not sure how we are goign to deal with the rest of the glut yet! We planted about 1/4 of our 100ftx30ft with potatoes!