Have you got potatoes starting to sprout in their bag? Whether you’ve bought spuds from us or from a store, sprouts are inevitable the further out of season they are. For example, we harvest potatoes from December through to March, at which point potatoes get stored and gradually consumed/sold over the next few months. By the time September rolls around, some potatoes will still be good for consumption, and the rest go back into the ground as the next seed crop.
So, before you rush to throw out potatoes with sprouts, let us reassure you that a few small sprouts on an otherwise good potato are fine, as long as you knock them off as demonstrated in the video below! If the sprouts are so advanced that you can’t just brush them off, it’s time to cut the sprouts out or save the potato to plant in the garden later.
Even spuds with a bit of give are usually ok to eat - if unsure, cut them open, if they look and smell normal, it’s all good. Potatoes that are green, mouldy, or rotten are the ones to avoid! (note: we quality check all our spuds before sale, but potatoes will potato sometimes).
Knowing how to assess your produce - and potentially give it a second chance - will not only reduce food wastage over time but will also benefit your wallet. We all know that eating food that is organic, spray-free, and grown naturally is better for the environment and for our health, but it also means accepting some 'imperfections' in our food, and learning that 'imperfect' does not equal 'inedible'.
If you find information like this useful, please let us know!