Storing store bought potatoes?

For discussion related to emergency preparedness, survival, self-sufficiency, food and water storage, guns, heat, light, building, gardening, etc.
Post Reply
gardener4life
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1690

Storing store bought potatoes?

Post by gardener4life »

So I wanted to get advice on storing potatoes.

As a principle of self sufficiency, storing potatoes would be an essential skill if you ever got into a situation where you had to move and grow your own food. Even if nothing bad ever happens to you there are rapid price fluctuations for some goods that give you huge advantages in savings if you buy in bulk during certain times of the year.

As an example; cans of beef ravioli at Wal-Mart you can find as cheap as 84 cents a can or even 80 cents a can for name brands (not Great Value included and there is a new great value brand of ravioli), but during the peak periods of selling and production the price for Ravioli has recently gone as high as $1.34 a can. (This is also for the smaller cans not the big ones.)

This means a savings difference of nearly 40% if you know how to store goods.

So back to potatoes...

I've noticed that potatoes at Wal Mart are the cheapest value but there are a lot of problems there. For one, potential for water damage while its still in the store happens A LOT. This is an obstacle. Also it seems that several experiments I've done at home with trying to store them aren't working. When I put them in a closet upstairs there is rot growing in there and small within a month! I haven't even gotten through a 5 or 6 month winter cycle yet.

The signals for others to learn to watch for are easy to spot...you see flies gathering around the bag and a sickly gross smell. But what's alarming is how fast this is popping up. I stored the potatoes dry each time...or so I thought. But plastic sacks around potatoes I also learned recently help promote this problem too. Vegetables need to breathe so plastic container sacks on them will increase this a lot. But when I started to get the ones with the airy net like sacks I'm still getting this issue to it seems.

I wonder if the chemical sprays are doing this? One of the chemical sprays is to prevent the potatoes from growing eyes...so is this also part of that too? Why is there so much trouble with storing these? Are others having this issue too and any advise? Have others always had this problem or is this a recent potato sickness going around?

I will try to put them in the basement storage next and that's cooler...but the problem is that if I store food out in the open another family member is stealing it too.

Seek the Truth
captain of 1,000
Posts: 3511

Re: Storing store bought potatoes?

Post by Seek the Truth »

This doesn't answer your question but I grow potatoes and store them in the ground. They last till at least February and are fresh as a daisy till you pull them out. I have a friend that has soil so good they last year round.

Historically we stored potatoes in root cellars, I think that is the only option for store bought.

User avatar
SmallFarm
captain of 1,000
Posts: 4643
Location: Holbrook, Az
Contact:

Re: Storing store bought potatoes?

Post by SmallFarm »

Fruits should be stored up high, roots like potatoes and carrots need to be stored down low. Both release gasses that will speed up the decomposition of the other. Both should be kept cool and dry.

User avatar
markharr
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 6523

Re: Storing store bought potatoes?

Post by markharr »

Store your potatoes with an apple. It keeps them fresh longer and keeps them from sprouting roots.

https://lifehacker.com/5954159/store-po ... -sprouting

Michelle
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1795

Re: Storing store bought potatoes?

Post by Michelle »

I get potatoes from the farm, unwashed, and store them in a thick brown bag in the basement.

I stopped buying potatoes from the store because they are washed and sprayed and I can't get them to last past a couple of weeks.

gardener4life
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1690

Re: Storing store bought potatoes?

Post by gardener4life »

If you got them from some farm nearby would you be paying more then?

User avatar
WhereCanITurn4Peace
captain of 100
Posts: 369

Re: Storing store bought potatoes?

Post by WhereCanITurn4Peace »

gardener4life wrote: October 4th, 2017, 10:30 am If you got them from some farm nearby would you be paying more then?
Not sure about others, but here at local farmers markets the price of produce actually tends to be lower than grocery stores. Usually tastes better, too!

Michelle
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1795

Re: Storing store bought potatoes?

Post by Michelle »

gardener4life wrote: October 4th, 2017, 10:30 am If you got them from some farm nearby would you be paying more then?
50 lb for $18, so $0.36 per pound and they last through winter. The guy who picks them up is able to store his well enough to last through June he said.

Older/wiser?
captain of 100
Posts: 538

Re: Storing store bought potatoes?

Post by Older/wiser? »

For the enterprising ward member go call Jorgensens and get a load of Idaho potatoes, we get ours delivered to the Church . $11.00 For 50lbs, Yukon , reds or russet. Ours last all winter in the basement. The lady who buys direct from the farm marks them up a few dollars I'm sure, opportunity for someone , I used to haul pears up to fruit heights, it was worth it.

brianj
captain of 1,000
Posts: 4066
Location: Vineyard, Utah

Re: Storing store bought potatoes?

Post by brianj »

WhereCanITurn4Peace wrote: October 4th, 2017, 10:46 am
gardener4life wrote: October 4th, 2017, 10:30 am If you got them from some farm nearby would you be paying more then?
Not sure about others, but here at local farmers markets the price of produce actually tends to be lower than grocery stores. Usually tastes better, too!
If it's not too personal, where is 'here'?

I moved to Utah late last winter and I have to say that I was quite disappointed by the Provo farmer's market, but I haven't tried any others yet.

User avatar
WhereCanITurn4Peace
captain of 100
Posts: 369

Re: Storing store bought potatoes?

Post by WhereCanITurn4Peace »

brianj wrote: October 4th, 2017, 10:43 pm If it's not too personal, where is 'here'?

I moved to Utah late last winter and I have to say that I was quite disappointed by the Provo farmer's market, but I haven't tried any others yet.
Arizona...seems each city has its own farmers market (with different times and days), so you can visit several depending on your location. During the height of summer it is way too hot to do much outside, even in the early morning, but now that it's autumn the weather is finally getting to be ideal for doing outdoor activities.

Some of our farmers markets have food trucks, so you can try a new cuisine or have breakfast and/or lunch while shopping there. A few are fairly large and include carnival type attractions, so it can be a fun family outing or something to do on a date or with friends.

brianj
captain of 1,000
Posts: 4066
Location: Vineyard, Utah

Re: Storing store bought potatoes?

Post by brianj »

WhereCanITurn4Peace wrote: October 5th, 2017, 2:58 am
brianj wrote: October 4th, 2017, 10:43 pm If it's not too personal, where is 'here'?

I moved to Utah late last winter and I have to say that I was quite disappointed by the Provo farmer's market, but I haven't tried any others yet.
Arizona...seems each city has its own farmers market (with different times and days), so you can visit several depending on your location. During the height of summer it is way too hot to do much outside, even in the early morning, but now that it's autumn the weather is finally getting to be ideal for doing outdoor activities.

Some of our farmers markets have food trucks, so you can try a new cuisine or have breakfast and/or lunch while shopping there. A few are fairly large and include carnival type attractions, so it can be a fun family outing or something to do on a date or with friends.
I really enjoyed that type of farmer's market in Washington state, and developed an affinity for street food at markets in places like Olympia and Puyallup. But the market in Provo wasn't anywhere as nice or as big.

I will have to find other markets in the region next year.

User avatar
brlenox
A sheep in wolf in sheep's clothing
Posts: 2615

Re: Storing store bought potatoes?

Post by brlenox »

gardener4life wrote: October 4th, 2017, 10:30 am If you got them from some farm nearby would you be paying more then?
Each year around this time, I coordinate a yearly potato order for the Ward where we get a 50 lb bag of potatoes for 13.00 dollars. My order along with about 50 other Wards gets coordinated with a local Co-OP and they bring the potatoes down to us to a location in Kaysville. Russets, Shepody, a variety of RED potato, and Yukon are the four varieties the farmer grows.

These are in a very thick brown paper bag, and we store them in the part of the garage closest to the back door. These last very well until around April when they start to sprout. However they are still usable until first of May or so. I also have some potatoes that I have left in the ground for over 6 years now. They last all winter long and I do not dig them up. They claim you should never plant potatoes in the same area from year to year as that encourages specie specific fungus to establish but so far it has not been a problem.

User avatar
passionflower
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1026

Re: Storing store bought potatoes?

Post by passionflower »

Would you consider it an option to home can potatoes? I have done so and this has worked out very well for me.

ndjili
captain of 100
Posts: 984

Re: Storing store bought potatoes?

Post by ndjili »

Store bought potatoes are sprayed with sprout nip to stop them from sprouting. Unfortunately this just caused the potatoes to rot way more quickly. I try to find fresh potatoes that aren't sprayed at the farmers market for whole potato storing, but when store bought potatoes are cheap then I'll can them. Tried these steps and it works great, and you have potatoes stored in a couple different ways.
http://thesuburbanchicken.com/index.php ... -potatoes/

Post Reply