What the? (That didn't work)
What the heck? Are they alien Spider Legs? Are they mutant man-eating worms? What are these fuzzy pinkish spine covered beasts?? Yeah your right, Their just really funky potatoes.
In case you don't remember, or have just joined me recently, I was testing the storage potential of our basement storage area over this winter and I guess you could say it didn't work out so well. We bought these "storage" potatoes in mid to late October, and wanted to test how they would do over the winter before trying to do this at a larger scale. The things I worried about were two fold; light and temperature. We regularly need to access the cold storage, so the lights are turned on often.
Also, after placing a thermometer in there, I found that the temperature stays at the high end of the 40 to 50 Deg F range. This is a warmer than I have read that potatoes like to stay in. You may also be able to tell from the picture that these were a type of red potato, not the typical russets that are stored for longer lengths of time, that may also have played into the sprouting.
We're thinking of building ourselves some sort of in-ground storage option for this winter; something for storing potatoes and other root crops, but that's a long way away from now. I've shared a lot of success's with you, I guess I've been overdue for a new challenge. Note: I didn't say failure, that would imply defeat and I'll have none of that.
Finally I thought I'd leave you with this particularly funky tater. What shall we call him, Mr. Potato-Pinhead? Darth Tater? Call em whatever you like, one things for sure... He won't be getting called "dinner".
We're thinking of building ourselves some sort of in-ground storage option for this winter; something for storing potatoes and other root crops, but that's a long way away from now. I've shared a lot of success's with you, I guess I've been overdue for a new challenge. Note: I didn't say failure, that would imply defeat and I'll have none of that.
Finally I thought I'd leave you with this particularly funky tater. What shall we call him, Mr. Potato-Pinhead? Darth Tater? Call em whatever you like, one things for sure... He won't be getting called "dinner".
P~
Labels:
experiments,
food,
food storage
3 comments:
Darth Tater? LOL!!! We're learning from you, since we've never grown potatoes before and since we live in Florida, have plenty of challenges when it comes to cold storage :)
I'm glad if my flops can help someone else. If you will be growing potatoes this year, I will be prepping mine for planting this week and will be posting on it. I plan to try out a new method of container growing them this year. Thanks for reading.
P~
You will be planting those, right? Ok the storage issue. Reds do seem to eye sooner then others. Our local Atwoods sells gunny sacks for $1. I would invest in some of those. Your best bet for saving them from harvest to harvest is investing in some wooden kegs, or plastic (dark color) rain barrels. When you go to store, place them in the keg single layer, then top with straw and repeat layering. The best thing you can do however is wintering them outside. They will continue to grow. Dig them up and allow them to dry out a bit, dig a pit and burry them with straw, at least a foot of it. When you need a potato, just reach down and grab what you need. Hopefully that helps you out a bit. I can a lot of potatoes as well as keg storing. Good luck this year.
Post a Comment