Storing Potatoes

Becka03 · #1 08/22/12, 12:26 PM

I stored my potatoes in those round wooden cheese boxes~ in the basement- you think that would work? I was gonna prop open the lids to allow more air flow

elkhound · #2 08/22/12, 12:30 PM

they need air.....also toss newspaper over them if any daylight comes in.even if its just a bit of sunlight it will turn them green.got any milk crates to use?

where I want to · #3 08/22/12, 12:40 PM

My favorite potatoe container is a basket with lots of shredded paper. You can nestle the potatoes into the paper so the light is excluded. Great if not an really damp location.

Becka03 · #4 08/22/12, 12:52 PM

So I should get some shredded paper and add that to the boxes and keep the lids off...?

where I want to · #5 08/22/12, 12:56 PM

I carry mine that way into March or April. I do have to knock off some sprouts starting about March though. I have no idea if that is a good as others do but it works for me as the world keeps ending me paper which needs shredding anyway.

The other nice thing about shredded paper is a thick enough layer keeps them from weighing on each other and bruising.

elkhound · #6 09/04/12, 12:55 PM

National Center for Home Food Preservation | How Do I? Can Vegetables

i never canned potatoes.i been thinking od doing a few to see how i like them.link gives all info to do them.

Bearfootfarm · #7 09/04/12, 01:42 PM

Packing them in single layers, not touching, covered with straw will help a lot

Vickie44 · #8 09/04/12, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elkhound

National Center for Home Food Preservation | How Do I? Can Vegetables

i never canned potatoes.i been thinking od doing a few to see how i like them.link gives all info to do them.

I wasnt a big fan of canned potatos , might be ok for stews.

7thswan · #9 09/04/12, 02:53 PM

Becka, I use Bannanna boxes for the grocery store. They are perfect. Heavy and have holes in them. Go layer then newspaper,layer again then paper on top,put the lid on. I keep hundreds of pounds like this in my pantry each year. They last until the spring,then I plant the sprouters.

Becka03 · #10 09/04/12, 03:07 PM

Thanks to you all for bumping this!

Ozarks Tom · #11 09/04/12, 05:37 PM

BFF has is right, single layers with straw between them, and not touching. Been doing that way for many years.

Forerunner · #12 09/04/12, 08:11 PM

Storage is the latter half of a two part process, when it comes to standard taters.

Dig those taters from dry soil when possible.
Leave the thin veneer of dirt on them and let them cure in a dry place, out of sunlight, for a week or so. This gives an opportunity to sort out the smaller ones for immediate use, and to check for the occasional bad tater that begins to rot and will cheerfully so negatively influence his immediate neighbors if left in the pack.....
When totally dry and so cured, I store mine....placed carefully-not dumped..... in deep wooden boxes with half inch spaces between the bottom boards, piled high and deep, in a root cellar. Very seldom do I have any spoil after being handled so.

laurafergie · #13 09/06/12, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elkhound

National Center for Home Food Preservation | How Do I? Can Vegetables

i never canned potatoes.i been thinking od doing a few to see how i like them.link gives all info to do them.

I just canned and froze 100 pounds of potatoes. I was on the Eastern Shore and they were selling bags for $10. Since I am in the city, it was a great price.

I raw pack the potatoes. They end up al dente, so plenty of room to heat up for stews or mashed potatoes. To freeze, I bake first and cool in fridge over night, then shred for hashbrowns.

Honduras Trish · #14 09/06/12, 11:55 AM

I haven't found a way that potatoes will store well in my climate, and I recently saw on a blog where a lady was chopping, blanching, and then freezing potatoes. I know there's a limit to how much food can be stored in the freezer, but if this works it would add another level of potato storage, plus these would be a convenience item, as they're already prepped for use.

Currently I have some canned potatoes and some dehydrated.

sidepasser · #15 09/06/12, 01:11 PM

When it is said to store in a single layer, doesn't that take up a LOT of floor space? I grew potatoes one year and my Granny told me to dig them up, leave some of the dirt on (in other words, don't wash them), allow to dry at least three days out of the sun, then put a layer of newspaper in the box (we used the boxes that are made like baskets, but were a foot deep and about 24 inches long) and put the taters in the box, not touching, add another layer of newspaper, taters, etc. and leave a couple of inches at the top of the box for the lid and more newspapers. Store in cool, dry place out of sunlight.

I only had a few taters that went bad and that was along around mid to late March of the next year.

I would think single layering a couple hundred pounds of taters would take up a lot of storage space?

Bearfootfarm · #16 09/06/12, 01:46 PM

Quote:

When it is said to store in a single layer, doesn't that take up a LOT of floor space?

Not really.
Put an inch or two of straw in a box, then a single layer of potatoes.
Cover that with another layer of straw, and repeat until the box is full.

It's not just ONE layer, spread out
It simply means don't let the potatoes TOUCH each other

The straw seperates them while still allowing air to flow around them

Bearfootfarm · #17 09/06/12, 01:52 PM

Quote:

I haven't found a way that potatoes will store well in my climate

You might be able to do a "root cellar" arrangement by digging a trench, lining it with a tarp, and using straw to protect the layers of potatoes.

Then cover it with another tarp , and a layer of dirt to keep it cool.

If you do it in a covered area, MAYBE they will stay dry and cool enough.
I know this idea works well on colder, drier climates

where I want to · #18 09/06/12, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bearfootfarm

Not really.
Put an inch or two of straw in a box, then a single layer of potatoes.
Cover that with another layer of straw, and repeat until the box is full.

It's not just ONE layer, spread out
It simply means don't let the potatoes TOUCH each other

The straw seperates them while still allowing air to flow around them

I was thinking the same thing about the amount of space. I was hoping someone would ask about it.

I do the same layering only with the shredded paper.

sidepasser · #19 09/07/12, 09:04 AM

Glad I am not the only one that thought about the space requirements and single layers, I could see in my mind a whole basement with one single layer of taters...

thanks BFF for the explanation. And if you use straw between your layers of taters, make sure that it doesn't have any seed in it as it will attract mice. (did that one year and well, it wasn't a very good year for my potatoes but a dratted good year for the mice)..

Shredded newspaper is good, but I just used unshredded and still had good results.

praieri winds · #20 09/07/12, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bearfootfarm

Packing them in single layers, not touching, covered with straw will help a lot

do you store your onions this way also