# Potatoes ~ Couple of Questions



## Callisto in NC (Mar 30, 2009)

Okay, so my potatoes are turning green so I'm peeling them now and I'm going to make some mashed potatoes so the question is: can I freeze potatoes?  Can I freeze the mashed potatoes?  Can I slice the raw potatoes and just freeze them?  I just don't want to waste an entire 10 pound bag of potatoes, I can't afford to toss any more perfectly good food.


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## themonkeytree (Mar 30, 2009)

I have never frozen mashed potatoes, only because whenever I make them I eat them all because I love carbs so much.  I would assume it would be fine to make a bunch of mashed potatoes and freeze the stuff you are not going to eat that day.  I have never heard of anyone freezing sliced or whole potatoes, so I am not sure if that would work.  I would just make some delicious garlic mashed potatoes and freeze the stuff you are not going to eat.  Freeze them in feezer bags and put a normal family serving size in each bag.  Then just thaw and reheat a serving size when you want it.


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## Andy M. (Mar 30, 2009)

If you keep the whole potatoes in a cool dark place the greening should be kept to a minimum.  When preparing them, just peel or cut off the green part.  The rest of the potato will be OK.

Potatoes don't freeze well raw, whole or sliced.  I've frozen mashed potatoes on a shepherd's pie and they seemed OK.


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## Callisto in NC (Mar 30, 2009)

I keep trying to find a cool dark place and keep striking out.  I have heard you can buy playground sand and bury the potatoes in it and they keep for a long time.  I'm getting to the point of trying that.  

I'll just mash them and hope.


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## GB (Mar 30, 2009)

Callisto in NC said:


> I have heard you can buy playground sand and bury the potatoes in it and they keep for a long time.  I'm getting to the point of trying that.


I saw Alton Brown do that. He took a large container filled with clean sand and buried all his root veggies in there. I thought that was a pretty clever idea if you have the room for something like that. The only problem I see is that you do not know what is in there unless you keep a list or something.


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## Andy M. (Mar 30, 2009)

Callisto in NC said:


> I keep trying to find a cool dark place and keep striking out.  I have heard you can buy playground sand and bury the potatoes in it and they keep for a long time.  I'm getting to the point of trying that.
> 
> I'll just mash them and hope.




I've seen colonial/early American museums where they show that.  Every home had a root cellar where they kept root vegetables and other hearty veggies over the winter buried in sand.


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## Callisto in NC (Mar 30, 2009)

GB said:


> I saw Alton Brown do that. He took a large container filled with clean sand and buried all his root veggies in there. I thought that was a pretty clever idea if you have the room for something like that. The only problem I see is that you do not know what is in there unless you keep a list or something.


I love lists.  I wouldn't have thought of that but now that's in my head as part of the plan.  I have a stack of bins where I keep canned foods and boxed stuff out next to my washer and dryer so I could convert one of those to hold potatoes too.


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## GB (Mar 30, 2009)

A dry erase board would work well for that.


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## Callisto in NC (Mar 30, 2009)

GB said:


> A dry erase board would work well for that.


Am I that transparent?  I have several of those around my house plus multiple lists on my BlackBerry.


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## GB (Mar 30, 2009)

I am the same way. I have dry erase lists at home and at work, lists on my iPhone, online lists, and paper lists at home. Even with all those lists though, I am a very spontaneous person


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## CharlieD (Mar 30, 2009)

How much potato do ou buy at once? How often do you shop? The only time the potato will go green if it seets in a worm room for too long. Though I have to admit last couple of years potato was not as good as it used to be. I'd say buy lesser amount. In comercial place they keep potato in comercial coolars at temps abouve freezing with good ventilations, no sand, and potato keeps whole winter. I'd say buying less is a solution.


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## Callisto in NC (Mar 30, 2009)

Unfortunately they only sell potatoes at the market in bags or I would buy less.  I bought these the 16th of March, less than two weeks ago, and they are already pretty green.  I agree, I don't remember potatoes going bad as fast even two years ago as they do now.  It's not been overly hot or humid, it's been nice here, so them going bad this fast is so weird.


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## Robo410 (Mar 30, 2009)

yes you can freeze mashed potatoes, more easily in fact than you can freeze slices.


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## Chef Munky (Apr 1, 2009)

Should you get tired of mashed taters,you could also try making,
Twice Baked,French Fries,or Hash Browns,.They all freeze well without a lot of trouble and time.
If my memory is right,I believe the green on the potatoes is toxic.Don't eat it.
It's caused by the tubers being exposed to sunlight.

I found a few old toy box buckets,the kind that have short ropes for handles.I think I bought them at Target or Walmart. Those make the ideal containers for growing your own Potatoes in.It's very simple to do.4 old tired stacked and then gradually filled with soil work well to,Just unstack as you harvest.I'm going the bucket route.

Just take a few potatoes that have the (eyes) sprouting,quarter them.Add them to the bucket,fill with any type of soil they love a lot of compost.Add just enough soil to cover the potato quarters.Taters aren't that picky the first time around.
When the shoots start growing up you will see them.Add more soil to top up,and you keep topping up. The tubers have to be kept covered at all times until the bucket is full.It's a huge bucket to.
By then all you have to do is reach in,and pull them out.
 You can do that with the bucket only twice.The third time isn't recommended that you use the same soil because by then the potatoes that have grown there,leave behind contaminated soil that needs to be discarded.Start fresh with new soil and compost.
If I can find the site(my memory is bad) it has a video demonstration on how to do it exactly.But until I can find it here's a link that been extremely helpful for me.
My first year with a full out garden..Wish me luck.I forget to water.Doh!
Vegetable Gardening : How to Grow Potatoes - by The Gardener's Network

Munky.


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## Chef Munky (Apr 1, 2009)

Ha found it!
Scroll down on the right side tab,it's towards the bottom

http://www.bhg.com/bettertv/?lid=627011329

Munky.


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## ella/TO (Apr 2, 2009)

don't you have a neighbour, friend, family member that you could share with?


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