Community Chat

[Scooby Doo]

The potatoes have probably been in storage for a while.  Idaho potatoes are harvested only once a year, usually in Sep and Oct.  From there they go into storage until shipped to the store.  Sometimes they are kept for up to 12 months.  Handling, storage temperature, flourescent lights, and shipping, are all going to affect the quality of the potatoes.

I've found the same problems with onions.  I was talking to the produce guy at the store about the poor quality of onions, and he told me we were getting the last of the onions that had been kept in storge from the harvest.

[CelticCrafter]

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@Scooby Doo wrote:

The potatoes have probably been in storage for a while.  Idaho potatoes are harvested only once a year, usually in Sep and Oct.  From there they go into storage until shipped to the store.  Sometimes they are kept for up to 12 months.  Handling, storage temperature, flourescent lights, and shipping, are all going to affect the quality of the potatoes.

I've found the same problems with onions.  I was talking to the produce guy at the store about the poor quality of onions, and he told me we were getting the last of the onions that had been kept in storge from the harvest.

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Whoeee!  You know they're old when you need a gas mask to slice and dice them!

[sunshine45]

i rarely buy an entire bag of potatoes unless it is the holiday season.

i like buying about 8-10 at a time from the loose potato bins.

i store them in our garage and they seem to stay good that way.

i rarely throw any away.

[Irshgrl31201]

Have you tried joining a CSA @madzonie (community supported agriculture)? We do eat meat in our family but we eat a lot more than the recommended daily servings for fruits and vegetables and the quality of the fruits and vegetables we get from our CSA is just great. We get lots of types of potatoes like fingerlings, rose gold, purple Peruvian, red bliss and more of your regular type like russet and Yukon Gold. Those are just a few of the different types. We don't eat a ton of potatoes but the ones we have had are just so good and taste so much better than supermarket produce even the Fresh Market and Whole Foods produce. I always got my potatoes at the grocery store and thought a potato was a potato. Wow, i was so wrong. I do agree with you that regular grocery store potatoes do seem a lot more bruised and beaten up than they used to in the past. My husband had to pick up a bag for me not long ago when I didn't think I would be needing any and didn't get them from our CSA. Almost every single potato in that bag was not only beaten up but sprouting. Now, my husband should have noticed that but I know I inspect our fruits and veg a little more closely than he does.

We not only get our produce from there but honey and flowers and they also offer eggs, other dairy products and meat too. 

It is worth checking out. I can't really say enough about the quality of what we receive from there. I have had a lot of comments on how good our produce is from dinner guests also. We got Minneloa (Honeybell or Tangelo) oranges from there several weeks ago, right around the time they were offering Honeybells on QVC. In the past I have ordered the QVC honeybells and they were just awful. Dry and tasteless, they were truly so dry. The Minneolas I got from my CSA were without a doubt the best orange I have ever had. I think that about almost all the produce I get there. Everyone who had one of these oranges thought they were the most delicious orange they have had. I have had over 5 friends join my CSA after they have tried produce we have gotten. 

[tansy]

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@Desertdi wrote:

Hmmm.......I'm in PHX, and only buy one big spud at a time........but I have to pick thru the pile in the grocery store for about 5 minutes to find a "good" one................

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Same here...but I spend more time because I'm looking for two decent-looking potatoes 🥔. 

I sure hope that pic pic looks like a potato and not a t#rd

[ROMARY]

If and when potatoes are mostly bad, I return the entire bag.   But our local Trader Joe's and Sprouts encourage us to return anything that we don't like, or for whatever reason.  Larger supermarkets will refund any questionable food products, too.   I don't return many items, but there have been a few occasions when I did, throughout the years.

[Noel7]

I never buy potatoes by the bag, they always include bad ones.

Our grocery stores also have them available singly, large piles of them.  I go through and pick out maybe six at a time from there.  I go over each one, looking for bruises or cuts.  Usually the overwhelming majority in the piles are good.

[Tinkrbl44]

@madzonie     @Lovingq

Uh oh.      When the potato lady sees this thread, she is going to lose her mind.  

[Noel7]

Sweet potatoes are more healthy for us than are white potatoes.

There is an entire line up on the RECIPES board about that for anyone interested.

[Noel7]

The benefits of sweet potatoes, better for you than white potatoes:

1. High in antioxidants.

2.  High in vitamin A

3. Gives us a beta-carotene boost

4. Easy Prep

5. Cancer fighting compounds

6. "Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin C, which revs up your immune system. High potassium levels help control blood pressure, while calcium bolsters your bones."

7. Re: Sugar... "White potatoes, the ones you normally eat baked or as french fries, rank high on the glycemic index, which measures how quickly food affects your blood sugar. Sweet potatoes rate lower. They also have more fiber -- about 5 grams in a 3/4 cup serving -- which slows digestion and keeps you feeling fuller longer."

8. If you’re trying to trim down, they’re stuffed with filling fiber. White potatoes have their assets -- both tater types are fat-free -- but the sweet ones have slightly fewer calories and carbs.

9. Sweet potatoes are a good source of iron.

WebMD source