8 Tips to Help You Keep Fruits and Vegetables Fresh for Months

Potatoes

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A mainstay of many different cuisines around, potatoes need particular storage conditions to keep their freshness and stop spoiling. Two main elements influencing potato storage are darkness and low temperatures. Light can cause potatoes to generate solanine and chlorophyll, so turning them green and possibly harmful. Thus, correct preservation of potatoes depends on a dark surroundings. Regarding temperature, cool circumstances are perfect usually ranging from 45°F to 50°F (7°C to 10°C). This temperature range slows down potatoes' natural ageing process, so preventing early sprouting or softening of them. One intriguing and less well-known advice for storing potatoes is to use rowan leaves. One tree species with naturally occurring antifungal and antibacterial qualities is Rowan, sometimes called mountain ash. These leaves emit phytoncides, antibacterial agents meant to help potatoes stay free from rotting. Just arrange a few rowan leaves among your kept potatoes to apply this technique. Your potatoes will keep much longer using this natural preserving method. One should be careful with what they keep next to potatoes. As was already noted, the moisture onions produce makes them unfit for storing alongside potatoes. Apples should likewise be kept away from potatoes. Apples release ethylene gas, a naturally occurring plant hormone that might hasten potato sprouting and spoilment. Additionally influencing potato taste is this gas, which could make them sweeter than intended. Store potatoes in a permeable container—a paper bag, mesh bag, or a basket covered with newspaper. Steer clear of airtight containers and plastic bags since they will collect moisture and hasten spoiling. If your basement is cold, dark, this would be a perfect place to store potatoes. Without such a location, a dark pantry or cupboard apart from heat sources can function really nicely. Check your kept potatoes often; remove any that seem to be softening or sprouting. The rest of the batch can suffer depending on these potatoes releasing ethylene gas and moisture. Should you see any green patches on your potatoes, it is advisable to throw them away since solanine levels in them can be higher and could be detrimental if ingested in great amounts. Following these storage rules will help you to keep your potatoes fresh for several weeks to months, thereby ensuring that you always have this adaptable vegetable available for your cooking requirements.