December 2, 2024, 4:56 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
If potatoes sprout, they may no longer be edible. To prevent this from happening in future, there is a very simple trick that keeps potatoes fresh for longer.
Correct storage is crucial to ensure that potatoes keep a little longer and do not sprout so quickly. It is important that the place is dry, airy, dark, and not too warm. However, even if you follow all these guidelines, small sprouts may still form. There is a simple trick to prevent the potatoes from sprouting – you just need to add a certain type of fruit.
This fruit prevents potatoes from sprouting
Surprisingly, potatoes should be stored together with an apple. This fruit is actually known for the fact that it should not be stored near other fruit and vegetables, as otherwise, they will ripen faster and spoil more quickly. The reason for this is ethylene, a ripening gas that apples emit. It occurs naturally in many fruits and accelerates the ripening process in other fruits.
Why the ripening gas has a different effect on potatoes
However, the ethylene from apples affects potatoes differently, slowing down their ripening and germination process instead of accelerating it. The ethylene suppresses cell elongation and therefore germination, according to the garden blog “gartenmoni.de.”
The blog further suggests placing one or two apples alongside a standard quantity of potatoes. If these become wrinkly after a while, simply replace them with fresh ones. If you have larger quantities of potatoes, you will, of course, need more apples.
Attention! Which vegetables should not be eaten raw?
Popular in winter Did you know? Oranges are actually green
Seeds for the next gardening season Easily propagate your own tomatoes
Can you still eat sprouting potatoes?
Whether you can still eat sprouting potatoes depends on how far the process has progressed. The sprouting process produces the slightly toxic substance solanine. This is why the potato has already been voted “Poisonous Plant of the Year 2022”. If the sprouts on the potatoes are no longer than about one centimeter, the concentration of solanine remains low, allowing for safe consumption. However, it is important that the sprouts are cut out generously.
Important: However, if the sprouts are longer or the potatoes have green spots, you should sort them out and avoid eating them. This is due to their high solanine content, which poses a risk of poisoning upon consumption.