# Now what do we do w/all these potatoes?



## BamaNana (Dec 31, 2004)

Last year was our first try with red potatoes. Only had 30 or so pounds to deal with. I washed them because our dirt is very sticky clay. Let them dry real well on the kitchen counter. Put them in stackable crates in a kitchen cupboard. They kept very well.
So this year we planted a gazillion Yukon Golds. They grew like crazy and we now have probably close to 350 pounds harvested with still some left to harvest.
The first batch we harvest about a month ago, I did the same thing as I did w/the reds ones last year. Wash off the dirt, let them dry, put in trays in the cupboard. Well, yesterday I went to get some and half of them were decomposing! 
How should I store these Yukons??
Should I not rinse them off? If I don't, won't the caked on dirt (impossible to brush off) cause them to go mushy?
We have no garage, no basement, no place that I can think of where they'll be in a cool, dark place other than a kitchen cupboard.
Help!!


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

Can them.


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## BamaNana (Dec 31, 2004)

Thanks for the advice. I do plan on canning some of them, but the rest I want to store.
Just need to know the best way with my circumstances.
Basically, wash or don't wash and where would be the best place to put them with no garage or basement.


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## ai731 (Sep 11, 2007)

Don't wash.


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## bajiay (Apr 8, 2008)

Do you have a room in your house where there is not much heat? Heater can be closed off or something? We did this last year in our other house. We stored them in a barrel with the pet pine shavings that you can buy. They kept until this summer, and now we are out.  We had 650#. Gave away some as well.


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## nathan104 (Nov 16, 2007)

My granddad told me they used to store potatoes by not washing them, putting them on the shelf in in the dark, and sprinkling powdered lime over them. Havent tried it as we never have enough that doesnt get used up. 

Ive also heard about storing them in a box of sand in a cool dark place.


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## GrannyG (Mar 26, 2005)

Last Sunday at church dinner, someone brought a dish I thought was really good...a bunch of cooked little red potatoes, about like marbles, and they were in a BIG BOWL OF THICK WHITE GRAVY !!!


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I brush of the dirt lightly,let them dry, lay them in single layers on shredded paper and store them in my bedroom walk-in closet as it is on the north side of the house and is dark. They are between the long dresses and the shoes.


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## BamaNana (Dec 31, 2004)

Thanks everyone! 
I will not wash them. I'll store them in the kitchen cabinet and cross my fingers.


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## TNHermit (Jul 14, 2005)

You can store them in the ground if it doesn't freeze to low. You don't even have to dig them up till you need them. I had potates come up this year that I left in the ground last year. Just pile thick layer of straw or put some foam down first then straw and something to hold it there. Like and outside cellar
I would find someplace outside to store them. Trunk of car for winter LOL. but if some start to go you could have a million aggravating visitors in the form of gnats.


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## Badger (Jun 11, 2010)

I store them on a wooden box (3'X5') with a layer of clean wheat straw on the bottom, then a single layer of potatoes, more straw etc till full. Keep in a cool dark place. I think they store better if you leave them laying out on the ground for a few days to let the skins toughen up first. 
side note - I love the Yukon Golds but I think their the worst keepers. I grow some sometimes but plan on canning so I dig them kinda small. I like them better that way.


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## lukeott (Nov 1, 2011)

You can always dehyrate some. They dry easy and can store and have potatoes thru the winter. When you want to use them just follow the recipes on the box of au gratin or scalloped potatoes, but use real cheese. Taste great. Try it and let me know if you like it.



luke


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

I read somewhere that you shouldn't wash them because the dirt on them has some beneficial bacteria that keeps them from spoiling. Let them dry in the field for a day to toughen up the skins a bit.

I harvest mine in September here in Michigan. The later you harvest them, the better they keep. I sort them according to size and put them into double bagged paper grocery sacks. I then lower them into several giant 20 gallon crocks that I have and store them in a cold room in my pole barn. Here in Michigan I have to elevate the crocks off the floor an inch or so, so they don't freeze.

You can find the big crocks at garage sales or auctions. It doesn't matter if they have cracks (cheaper that way) because you won't be using them for liquids. The crock material helps keep them cold.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I wonder if they were ready to dig. They need to be mature. New potatoes don't keep well. I dig mine and spread them on the lawn under a shade tree for a few days to dry the dirt, brush off dirt, then let the skins dry some. Don't wash them. Don't leave in the sun long or they turn green....James


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

I don't know why but some years potatoes keep well and some years they don't. Also, some varieties do not keep as well as other. It must have something to do with the growing season. This year is crazy early so I know my potatoes aren't going to keep thru the winter because of early harvest. I'm planning to dehydrate which I've never tried before. We don't care for canned potatoes.

I've never had enough Yukon Gold to store so I don't know if they are difficult to store or not. 

Do not wash new potatoes. The skin is so tender it will damage it or even remove it. Potatoes need to cure before washing but even after curing I'd be tempted to store them dirty.


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## countryfied2011 (Jul 5, 2011)

I spread them on cardboard in DH's garage for a couple of weeks(I don't wash them until I am ready to use them) Then I bring them in the house and store them in a cool dark place usually in the closet. I don't like them canned either, mine usually last thru fall and part of winter. This year I will be dehydrating some. And I might try canning a few, I found a recipe that says use chicken broth instead of water in the jars maybe I will like them better...lol


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

I do not wash. Let them dry before packing them. I store in Bannana boxes with newspaper covering the top where the box is open. They need to be kept as dark as possibe. I use the Yukons first,Reds second and kennabecks last. I cann kennabecks, in slises and cubes,those are done as soon as they come out of the ground. My garden hoses pressure takes the peelings right off-no peeling.


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## Kato2010 (Jun 24, 2012)

Do you have a friend or neighbour who has a cold place to store them, and who would like some potatoes? 

I don't dig mine until after first frost. That would be usually in September in our part of the world. Like the others here, I also leave them out to dry and do not wash them. Just brush the dirt off. Then I store them in my basement cold room in laundry baskets. We have a basement that's pretty basic, and made a room in one corner that has the walls between it and the rest of the basement, as well as the ceiling insulated. That leaves the outer cement walls exposed to the cold. In a Canadian winter, it's as good as a refrigerator. 

Boy, I wish I had fresh new potatoes right now. Ours aren't even blooming yet. sigh....


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