I harvested my potatoes in September/October. I didn't have any fancy storage facilities. I still have a few left and they are still perfectly edible if getting a little wrinkled. They have only just started sprouting, 5 months later, as Nature intended, and I'll be replanting them next month.
Shop bought potatoes sprout within less than a week, and are sometimes black/bruised inside. I have recently gone through two bags of supermarket potatoes, and had a massive amount of waste from all the grey/black bits. Disgusting!
Makes you wonder how bloody old they are??
Well, the answer to that, apparently, is anything up to 12 months! Even ''new'' potatoes can be as old as 7 months! I never knew that and I'm really disgusted... And of course it's not just potatoes. It makes me realise the value of growing my own even more...
I think the main crop potatoes were affected by the dreadful weather last year. I’ve never thrown away so many before.
ReplyDeleteI really like your blog and have just gone back and read it from the beginning! I’ve saved the recipe for roast cauliflower and garlic soup and am going to try it this week.
I grew a lot of vegetables when I retired but have recently moved into my son’s house which has no space for anything other than pots. I do have some earthboxes and am going to grow some of my favourites in these. I live in West Lothian which is probably not too far away from you if you commute into Edinburgh for work!
Carol
Hello Carol :-) I have only been growing veg ''properly'' since last year; before that I had to rely on pots as well. Even if you can only grow a chili plant or some herbs on your kitchen window, it still feels good! I live in Lanarkshire, so not far from you at all :-)
DeleteI live in the city and I grow my own. They even taste different than store potatoes. I try and grow what I can or buy local at local farms for that very reason. You just don't know how old stuff is in the supermarkets. I'm limited, but I do what I can. There's great pleasure (and hard work) in growing your food, but I love it.
ReplyDeleteHi Theresa, I agree with every word! I wish I could fully rely on my garden for all my veggies, but with the space I have it's never going to happen. It doesn't stop me trying though!
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