I am making apple, peach, tomato salsa and does it smell so good. Has cloves in it, and on a fall crisp day smells just awesome. Hope it tastes as good. Also do smells bring back memories for you? I usually don't use Joy dish soap but picked some up to use. The smell reminds me of my mom and doing her dishes. She has been gone for 15 years, and was in the nursing home for 5 years before that. So 20 years ago, doing her dishes and the smell of the dish soap reminds me of her. Miss you MOM...but learned lots from you. The love of gardening, cooking, baking and canning came from her. Look what that has done for me. Enough personal note...till next time this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa
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How to Slice Onions I know this isn't gardening but we do get the onions from our garden. I was doing this in the wrong order. HOW about you? Also anyone that has used my knives...having sharp knives isn't what we have.
The better the onions, the better the slices. Start with onions that have smooth skins, feel heavy for their size, and are supremely firm. "Freshness" isn't so much the issue, since onions are excellent storage vegetables, as is looking for onions that have been stored properly, after having been "cured" or lightly dried before being stored in a cool, dark place. One note if you're working with more than one onion: do as the pros do and do each step with each onion before moving on to the next step. Amazingly, it really does save time. The other key to perfectly sliced onions is to use a very sharp knife. Some people will worry that a sharp knife is dangerous, but a sharp knife is actually safer—it will cut where you want it to cut instead of slipping off the surface and cutting something else (like your finger!). So, using a very sharp knife, cut off and discard stem end, being careful to hold the onion steady as you do so. Set the onion on a work surface on the flat cut end to keep it steady and cut it in half lengthwise (down through the root end), using the intact root end to hold each half together. Peel the onion, removing any and all of the papery skin and even the external layer of onion if need be to get all of the skin off. If you tear up from onions easily or the onion at hand has a particularly clingy peel, you can do this under running water. The water will wash away the sulfur that causes the tears and get between the onion and the peel, making the latter easier to remove. On the work surface, lay the onion on its large flat side, hold it carefully by the still-intact root end, and use a very sharp knife to slice the onion as thick or as thin as you like. Push the onion slices aside and repeat with the second half. I like to keep the tip of the knife down, lifting and pressing down the knife handle in almost a rocking motion rather than hacking away lifting the entire knife up and down, but both methods have their fans. You will now have a nice pile of onion slices. What to do with them? Use sliced onions to make caramelized onions, French onion soup, or your favorite onion-y recipe. They're also good on pizzas, added to salads, or offered for people to add to burgers. Taken from https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-slice-onions- Till next time, this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty, Iowa Bring Those Herbs in from the Cold! Interesting way to preserve your fresh herbs for this winter. Hadn't thought about this!!! I will give it a try.
Fresh herbs add special magic to our cooking, and as fall approaches, we've done everything possible to prolong their bounty. Frosty nights send us scurrying to cover our Basil with garden fabric. We dig up Chives, Thyme and even Mint, cramming them into pots with fresh soil that can be brought indoors. Potted Rosemary and Sage are squeezed onto kitchen windowsills. We hold on to them as long as we can, as if their very existence could keep summer alive. But after many years, we've found that bringing herbs indoors can be more trouble than it's worth. Garden soil and plants almost always contain insects that can quickly infest houseplants. Providing adequate light is difficult. Instead, we focus on harvesting herbs before they succumb to chilly weather and preserving them in ways that make adding them to winter meals a snap. Bringing Harvested Herbs Inside After we have protected our outdoor herbs from early, intermittent night frosts, and ever more frosty night temperatures become the norm, we focus on bringing harvested herbs indoors~not the plants themselves. Although it is a little sad to tidy up and bid farewell to our herb garden at season's end, it really is a rewarding nesting process from which we benefit all winter long. kitchengardenseeds@kitchengardenseeds.com till next time this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse. Dougherty Iowa Once indoors, we lovingly remove Basil leaves from their stems and wash and spin them dry before nestling them into our food processor with toasted pine nuts, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, fat cloves of garlic and golden olive oil for the best pesto ever. We freeze it flat in airtight bags and then line them up like culinary soldiers in the freezer door. It is so nice to snap off pieces for quick pasta sauces, or to spread a thin layer over soft goat cheese in a little baking dish for an impromptu warm hors d'oeuvre with pita chips on a cold winter night. A little piece is also nice melted into a pot of homemade chicken and pasta soup. Herbed Butters are Useful All Winter We make all different sorts of Herbed Butter Balls and freeze them on cookie sheets, after which we pop them into airtight bags for easy freezer access. We dip into our frozen buttery herb treasure trove almost every night as we prepare dinner. You can make up your own favorite combinations: Parsley, Sage and Thyme; Parsley, Garlic and Shallots; or Basil, grated ginger root, lemon zest and Garlic. It's nice to rub herbed butter under the skin of a plump chicken before roasting, or to melt savory butter atop freshly steamed vegetables. It's deliciously handy to deglaze skillets with butters and a swish of wine or chicken broth after pan-searing scallops, chicken breasts or pork chops. Don't forget to make some butter with finely minced Dill~great for steamed Carrots. We chop Chives, Parsley, Dill and Cilantro, infuse them with just a little olive oil and freeze them in ice cube trays, eventually storing them in yet more freezer bags. They normally retain their verdant greenness for four to six months. Even More Herbal Ideas We finely dice Chives, wash them and dry them on paper towels before freezing them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, we scoop them into yet another airtight freezer bag. There is nothing more lovely on a cold winter afternoon than a steaming bowl of Cream of Potato-Leek Soup sprinkled with your own minced Chives. Parsley is good in almost everything. Cilantro perks up winter salsas and is essential in Asian dishes, like Thai Peanut Noodle Salad. Our freezer turns into a secret cache of magical envelopes that makes each night's dinner a quick, and most delicious, fix. Mint leaves, slowly steeped in homemade simple syrup, is a favorite addition to hot tea and adult beverages. A handful of crushed dry Mint is a delightful addition to hearty mixed grains. Herbal oils and vinegars make it easy to capture the complex flavors of Basil, Rosemary or Tarragon. Simply tuck a few sprigs of herbs into little bottles of good vinegar or extra virgin olive oil and let them sit for a month or so. They make wonderful gifts. The Mediterranean herbs like Sage, Thyme, Marjoram, Summer Savory, Oregano and Rosemary air-dry rather quickly. Make small bundles of them and fasten them with raffia or rubber bands. They look so pretty piled into a wicker basket or tied into a little herb wreath. Be sure to lay in a good supply of Sage for Thanksgiving dinner, and Thyme for winter soups, stews and chowders. Marjoram is delicious with Carrots or shrimp, and Summer Savory is good with mussels or pork. Every pizza is better with some crushed Oregano on top, but Oregano is also wonderful with chicken. Home-dried Rosemary is divine with roasted Potatoes, baked chicken, grilled meats and savory shortbread cookies. There are so many more ways to enjoy your herbal harvest all winter long. For more ideas, like how to make herbal salves, soaps, bath salts, sachets, wreaths, candles, teas, syrups, vinegars, oils and cocktails, visit our inspiring Herbal Recipes & Ideas Pinterest board. We share our best-of-the-best recipes in our online cookbook so you can feed your family and friends well without feeling frenzied, and practical, hands-on Horticultural Tips to demystify gardening with seeds. It's not tricky or difficult: it's more like easy magic. kitchengardenseeds@kitchengardenseeds.com till next time this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse. Dougherty Iowa I really don't want to think about putting plants and gardens ready for fall and that winter season. BUT I will have to with the calendar being on October soon. Remember all those pots we took to the Franklin Co fair over 200 of them. NOW we have to clean them up. NOT my favorite job but will have to do it. Have plants on the wagon racks to find a home inside the greenhouses. Here we go....never ending the work to do that is for sure. So here is a list of things to do with your gardens in October.
Gardening in October is entirely dependent on the weather. If there's an Indian Summer, there is no better time of year to be out in the garden. While gardeners in warm areas will have more to do than their northern counterparts, there are plenty of garden tasks to keep everyone busy in October. General October Garden Chores ■ Get your soil tested and add amendments as needed. ■ Amend your soil with a dressing of compost ■ Turn your compost pile. ■ Use your garden debris and leaves to start a new compost pile. ■ Plant trees and shrubs. Be sure to keep them well-watered, even through the winter (Snow permitting). ■ Make sure all vacationing houseplants are brought back inside. ■ Continue planting garlic. ■ Plant cool season annuals. Covering mums and asters on nights when a frost is expected, will lengthen their blooming. ■ Clear away dead foliage. ■ Dry and save seed. ■ Take cuttings of tender perennials. ■ Harvest and dry or freeze herbs for winter use. ■ Remove green tomatoes from the plants. Either ripen in a brown paper bag or lift the entire plant and hang upside down in a warm spot, to ripen. ■ Harvest winter squash once the vines die back, but definitely before a hard freeze. ■ Continue harvesting fall crops like beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, kale and leeks. ■ Clean and put away empty containers and garden ornaments. ■ Clean and sharpen gardening tools. ■ Continue winterizing your water garden ■ Clean bird feeders. ■ Think about a de-icer for the birdbath. If you're in an area that freezes and you don't have a de-icer, turn your birdbath over to keep it from cracking. ■ Enjoy the season. Show off your harvest with a fall display. ■ Then start thinking about putting your garden to bed. taken from https://www.thespruce.com/gardening-to-do-list-october-in-the-garden- till next time this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa Houseplants are not my expertise because I forget to water them believe that or not. But I do have luck growing them in the greenhouse. How about you? I will be blogging about the easiest houseplants to grow through out the weeks. Here is the first easy one to grow that you can't kill. I have a huge one in the greenhouse and what I can't get over how easy it is to grow new ones. Also belongs to the large genius of succulents.
Houseplants You Can't Kill Easy Care, Minimal Maintenance Indoor Plants By Marie Iannotti Some houseplants pretty much grow themselves. In fact, your biggest problem may be what to do with all the baby plants they'll produce. Almost all the indoor plants shown here can be grown in the indirect light from a window and like the same indoor temperatures as most people (55 - 75 degrees F.) A few will require a bit more pampering, but nothing extreme. As with any houseplant, there is always the threat of insect pests like aphids, scale, spider mites, and whiteflies. But disease-wise the only thing you're likely to incur is root rot, from too much watering. So the following indoor plants are also perfect for someone who always forgets to water their plants. That would be me. Aloe (Aloe vera) The sap from aloe vera plants is used as a skin moisturizer and to heal minor cuts and ease sunburn. While it is a very useful plant, it's also attractive. As a succulent, it needs little water, but it does prefer bright, but indirect sunlight, especially in cooler temperatures. An aloe plant will grow for years in the same container. If you do decide to use the leaves, don't remove more than a third of the plant, at one time. (USDA Zones 8 - 11) this article from https://www.thespruce.com/easy-houseplants-hard-to-kill- Aloe Vera Plant Care – How To Grow An Aloe Plant By Heather Rhoades People have been growing aloe vera plants (Aloe barbadensis) for literally thousands of years. It is one of the most widely used medicinal plants on the planet. If you are wondering, “How can I grow an aloe plant,?” I am here to tell you that taking care of an aloe plant in your home is easy. Keep reading to learn more about how to care for an aloe vera plant. How to Grow an Aloe Plant The first step in aloe vera plant care is to realize that this plant is a succulent. Like cacti, succulents do best in dry conditions. When growing aloe vera plants, plant them in a cactus potting soil mix or a regular potting soil that has been amended with additional perlite or building sand. Also, make sure that the pot has plenty of drainage holes. Aloe vera plants cannot tolerate standing water. One important thing in the care of aloe vera houseplants is that they have proper light. Aloe vera plants need bright light, so they do best in south- or west-facing windows. Care of Aloe Houseplants Another important part of how to grow an aloe plant is to water the plant properly. The soil of the aloe vera plant should be allowed to go completely dry before being watered. When the aloe plant is watered, the soil should be thoroughly drenched, but the water should be allowed to drain freely from the soil. The most common reason an aloe plant dies is that the owners water too often or do not allow the water to drain. Do not make this mistake when taking care of aloe houseplants. You can fertilize your aloe vera plant, but aloes generally don’t need to be fertilized. If you decide to add fertilizing to part of your aloe vera plant care routine, aloe vera plants should be fertilized once a year in the spring. You can use a phosphorus -heavy, water-based fertilizer at half strength. Growing aloe vera houseplants is not only easy but can also provide your family with a plant that can help treat minor burns and rashes. Now that you know a little more about how to care for an aloe vera plant, you need never be without this lovely and helpful plant. this information from Gardening Know How - https://www.gardeningknowhow.com till next time this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa Tips for harvesting and storing sweet potatoes
We enjoyed its attractive, lavish foliage all summer long. Now, as fall nights cool down and days get shorter, it is almost time to dig up the buried treasure~our long-awaited, luscious, sugary Sweet Potatoes. Sweet Potatoes may look somewhat like regular Potatoes, but they are unrelated, and the way you grow, cure and store them is completely different. With warm soil and a long growing season, sweet potato plants can be amazingly productive-as much as 10 lbs. from a single plant. An abundant harvest means happy days ahead: velvety-smooth soups, heavenly roasted mélanges, hearty enchiladas, bubbly casseroles and moist and flavorful cakes. With a little extra attention at harvest time, you can be eating homegrown Sweet Potatoes almost all year. When to Harvest Sweet Potatoes Sweet Potatoes can be dug in early fall as soon as the tubers reach a good size. But don't hurry. The longer Sweet Potatoes stay in the ground, the larger and sweeter they get. It's best to wait until the leaves start to yellow or frosty weather is approaching. (Should the vines get frosted, it's important to harvest immediately.) Harvest Sweet Potatoes from right at the base of the plant, just barely under the ground. If the soil is relatively loose, you can simply brush it away to reveal the tubers. If your soil is heavier, use a garden fork to dig down and loosen the soil, then lift the tubers up out of the ground. When a Sweet Potato first comes out of the ground, its skin is very thin and it can be easily nicked or bruised. Handle the tubers as gently as eggs, transferring them carefully to a bin that's been lined with burlap or an old blanket. Move the potatoes out of the sun into a warm, dry location and lay them out in a single layer, so the skins can dry for a week or so. How to Cure Sweet Potatoes If you plan to use your Sweet Potatoes within a month or two, it isn't necessary to cure them. Simply air-dry the tubers for 7 to 10 days at 75° to 80ºF. For long-term storage, Sweet Potatoes should be cured at 90°F and 85% humidity for 5 to 7 days. Home gardeners with a modest-sized harvest can do this quite easily in an oven. Put a thermometer on the middle rack, and then place a light bulb on a cord inside the oven, run the cord out the door and plug it in. Close the door almost all the way. After an hour, check the temperature and either open the door a little wider or change the bulb wattage to achieve exactly 90°F. Load the Sweet Potatoes onto the oven racks so they're not touching. Put a pan of water in the bottom of the oven and begin the 5-day curing period. Once your Sweet Potatoes have been cured, nestle them into a box, allowing plenty of room for good air circulation. For storage, an air temperature of 55° to 60°F is perfect, with a humidity level of 75% to 80%. A cool, dry basement usually works fine. Enjoying Sweet Potatoes All Winter Our affection for Sweet Potatoes grew when we learned they are almost twice as nutritious as any other vegetable. High in vitamin C as well as calcium, folate, potassium and beta-carotene (which the body converts to vitamin A), Sweet Potatoes are also an excellent source of dietary fiber, protein and iron. And, though they are sweet, Sweet Potatoes have half the glycemic load of white Potatoes. They are a good carb that our bodies digest slowly, so we feel satisfied far longer than with most other foods. There are so many delicious ways to enjoy these delicious, incredibly versatile kitchen chameleons. Our recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato Coins is simple and so delicious, as is Kristy's Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Puree. If you want to dress them up even more, check out our Sweet Potato Recipes Pinterest Board, where you'll find tons of scrumptious ideas! Sweet Potatoes truly are garden gold, and we look forward to eating them all winter long. taken from kitchengardenseeds@kitchengardenseeds.com till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa This list isn't the most fun to do as we are putting our gardening to rest. BUT it will help with next spring.
The planting is done, and many of us are harvesting the last of the vegetables from the garden during October and November. This time of year is all about getting ready for next year. It may be strange to think about spring planting already, but the things you do in your garden before winter hits will make spring gardening much easier. Here are some things to do in your garden before the snow flies: ■ In vegetable garden beds, be sure to remove old plants, as well as any foliage that has fallen on the soil. Do a final weeding, and mulch the bed with straw, grass clippings, or chopped leaves. These mulches can be turned into the soil next spring to help fertilize next year's crops. ■ In perennial beds, weed and give everything a good layer of mulch. After the ground has frozen, mulch around the crowns of your plants to reduce the chance of frost heaving. ■ Mow the lawn one last time. You can also spread compost over the lawn to get it off to a good start next spring. Spread corn gluten meal if you have problems with crab grass. ■ Pick up any fallen fruit around fruit trees. This helps reduce the chance that pests such as apple maggot and coddling moth will overwinter and wreak havoc next year. ■ If you are planning on making new garden beds or expanding current ones, why not do it now and save yourself some work during the hectic spring gardening season? You can make a lasagna bed, or just cover an area of grass with thick newspapers and mulch, and you'll have an area ready to amend and plant next spring -- without having to remove sod! ■ Bring in any pots that can't take a freeze -- terra cotta, ceramic, and many plastic pots. Taking care of these chores now will save you time in spring, and help reduce the amount of pest and disease problems you'll have to deal with next year. Taken from https://www.thespruce.com/fall-garden-maintenance- till next time, this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa Picture from Thompson/ Morgan When can I plant tulip bulbs? So here is what I found out. NOT too soon as we don't want them to grow at all.
When to Plant Bulbs:
How to Plant Bulbs:
Till next time, this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa How to Prune Snowball Bushes
Several hydrangeas and a viburnum are known as snowball bushes. The term “snowball bush” is an example of the confusion caused by the use of common plant names based on appearance or features. Chinese viburnum (Viburnum macrocephalum), Annabelle hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens "Annabelle") and panicle hydrangea (H. paniculata) are all called snowball bushes. In Southern gardens, smooth-leaf hydrangea (H. macrophylla) is also called snowball. Prune these shrubs based on how they form their flowers. Annabelle and panicle hydrangeas form blooms on new wood each summer, but Chinese viburnum and smooth leaf hydrangea bloom earlier on last year’s growth. Things You Will Need ◾Hand pruners ◾Pruning shears ◾Pruning saw ◾Bleach or rubbing alcohol ◾Mixing bowl and clean rag Tips H. macrophylla, H. paniculata and V. macrocephalum snowball bushes respond to complete renewal -- cutting the shrub to the ground -- but may take more than one season to resume heavy blooming. Annabelles will bloom as usual if cut to the ground during winter. Hydrangeas and viburnums will respond to heavy pruning by suckering -- sending up new branches. Cut these back when they appear if you want to limit the spread of your snowball bush. Sterilize cutting tools with a 10 percent solution of household bleach and water or isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol before cutting branches and after finishing each plant. Warning Identify existing snowball bush shrubs before pruning and complete pruning at the correct time. In addition to being time-critical, annual pruning needs vary: For example, viburnum requires little regular pruning, while Annabelle stays tidy but productive only with annual renewal pruning. predominantly on the upper part of the shrub. Cut from one to three of the oldest branches back to the ground to renew the shrub. You may cut up to one-third of the old stems from overgrown smooth-leaf hydrangeas to the ground to renew them. Renewal may affect the succeeding year’s bloom, so limit its use to overgrown plants or plants whose bloom has fallen off. things You Will Need ◾Hand pruners ◾Pruning shears ◾Pruning saw ◾Bleach or rubbing alcohol ◾Mixing bowl and clean rag Tips H. macrophylla, H. paniculata and V. macrocephalum snowball bushes respond to complete renewal -- cutting the shrub to the ground -- but may take more than one season to resume heavy blooming. Annabelles will bloom as usual if cut to the ground during winter. Hydrangeas and viburnums will respond to heavy pruning by suckering -- sending up new branches. Cut these back when they appear if you want to limit the spread of your snowball bush. Sterilize cutting tools with a 10 percent solution of household bleach and water or isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol before cutting branches and after finishing each plant. Warning Identify existing snowball bush shrubs before pruning and complete pruning at the correct time. In addition to being time-critical, annual pruning needs vary: For example, viburnum requires little regular pruning, while Annabelle stays tidy but productive only with annual renewal pruning. taken from http://homeguides.sfgate.com/prune-snowball-bushes-42978.html Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa Question asked from yesterday's blog " Do I throw out all the potatoes with green skins because they contain poison?" Mom always just cut that part away is that ok? So I did some research on this and this is what I found out.
Green Potato Myths and 10 Steps to Safe Potato Eating Mulched potato plants For several years we have had problems with our June-planted, October-harvested potatoes having too many green patches. I’ve been researching what to do, and sorting myth from reality. How poisonous are green potatoes? How can we get fewer green patches on our potatoes? How should we deal with green skin when we get it? The Facts about Green-Skinned Potatoes Why do potatoes turn green? The green is chlorophyll, caused by the potatoes being exposed to light. Chlorophyll is not poisonous. But the same conditions that promote chlorophyll production also increase the formation of solanine, which is poisonous. So the green is an indicator of likely trouble, but is not trouble itself. Potatoes can also have dangerously high levels of poisonous solanine without being green. This can happen if the potatoes are diseased or damaged, or they are stored in warm temperatures, or they experience a spring frost and make only stunted growth as a result. Solanine is one of the potato plant’s natural defenses against diseases such as late blight, and against pest attacks. Just discarding all green-skinned potatoes won’t remove all the solanine from our plates. Solanine is a glycoalkaloid found at some level in all nightshade crops. Apparently the amount of solanine in an average-sized serving of potatoes is easily broken down by the body and excreted. “[S]olanine levels in the blood are low after ingestion due to poor absorption by the gastrointestinal tract. Second, it is removed from the body fairly rapidly in both the urine and the feces, usually within 12 hours, preventing accumulation in the tissues. Third, intestinal bacteria aids in the detoxification by hydrolyzing the glycoside into solanidine (aglycone), which is less toxic than solanine and also poorly absorbed.” Andrew Montario, Cornell University It takes 2-5 mg of solanine per kilogram of body weight to cause toxic symptoms, and 3-6 mg per kilogram of body weight to cause death. A regular (not green) potato can contain 8 mg of solanine or 12-20 mg of total glycoalkaloids per kilogram of potato. So, to get 2 mg solanine per kg of body weight, a 100-lb (45.35 kg) person eating regular (not green) potatoes would have to eat about 90 mg of solanine, or at least 11.25 kg (about 25 lbs) of potatoes, within the 12 hours or so before the compound starts being excreted. Green potatoes contain 250-280 mg/kg of total glycoalkaloids, 20 times the level of non-green potatoes. The make-you-sick dose of 90 mg of solanine for the 100 lb person could be found in 0.6 kg (about 1.25 lbs) of green tubers. That’s green-all-over potatoes. Our calculation is backed up by Alexander Pavlista at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln who says that a 100 pound person would have to eat about one pound of fully green potatoes to get sick. That is equivalent to one very large baked potato – diet sites on the internet are full of estimates of weight of potatoes. His report recommends cutting away the green parts. Green skins contain 1500-2200 mg/kg total glycoalkaloids. That’s just the skin. Don’t eat just green skins! Various reports give figures of 30-50 mg solanine /100 gm potato; 24 mg/100 gm, 40 gm/100 gm for green-skinned potatoes. See, for example, The Smithsonian article of October 21 2013 by K Annabelle Smith. Potato shoots (sprouts) are high in solanine. They can contain 2000-4000 mg/kg of glyclakaloids. These figures are from Is It Safe to Eat?: Enjoy Eating and Minimize Food Risks, by Ian Shaw “Solanine levels above 14mg/100g are bitter in taste. Cultivar[s] with greater than 20mg/100g cause a burning sensation in the throat and mouth.” Andrew Montario, Cornell University The 'Lenape' potato was developed in the 1960’s for industry to make attractive golden potato chips (it’s hard to make good chips without burning them). But studies showed that Lenape produced a very high level of solanine, and it was pulled from the market in 1974. The toxic dose varies, depending on the individual’s tolerance as well as the ratio of solanine to the rest of the potato eaten. The symptoms of solanine poisoning include gastro-intestinal problems, and harder-to-recover-from neurological disorders. Victims of solanine poisoning usually make a full recovery. People who don’t get treatment, or were undernourished to start with, are the ones most likely to get a fatal dose. The British Medical Journal of 8 December 1979 reports that there is normally a high concentration-gradient between the peel and the flesh, but this is lost when potatoes are exposed to light or stored in adverse conditions. This means the level of solanine quickly drops as you peel deeper into the potato, unless the potatoes were exposed to light or were stored in a warm place for several weeks or more. Green Potato Myths, Dispelled Some studies have shown a link between pregnant women eating potatoes suffering from Late Blight (which increases levels of solanine and other glycoalkaloids) and spina bifida in the fetus. But other studies have found no link at all between eating potatoes and birth defects. “Solanine is fat-soluble, so deep-frying reduces the danger.” The Department of Animal Science at Cornell University says that solanum-type glycoalkaloids are not destroyed by cooking. “Solanine is water-soluble, so boiling lowers the levels.” An infamous 1979 case of 78 London school children getting very sick after eating boiled potatoes that had been stored improperly over the summer vacation seems to prove this belief not true. (All made a full recovery.) Results of a study by Takagi, Toyoda, Fujiyama and Saito “confirmed the relatively high stability of CHA [alpha-chaconine, the other main alkaloid in potatoes] and SOL [solanine] in potatoes under normal home cooking conditions.” The US National Institutes of Health advises never to eat potatoes that are green under the skin. This is ambiguous and has been interpreted to mean either: throw out all potatoes with any green bits, or cut off the green skin and also any green flesh under the skin and eat the rest of the potato. Most people seem to cut off the green bits and use the rest. “Eating nightshades makes arthritis worse.” This seems to be an entirely different issue, as no source lists arthritis as a symptom of solanine poisoning. 10 Steps to Safe and Healthy Potato Eating 1. When you grow potatoes, try to cover them fully with soil or mulch, so that they are not exposed to light. 2. Give plants enough space so that the developing potatoes are not crowded and pushed up above the soil surface. 3. If mowing to reduce weeds before mechanical harvest, keep the length of time between mowing and harvest to a minimum. For the same reason, harvest soon after removing mulch. Hand digging can be done without removing weeds or mulch first, but there is a limit on how much one person can hand-harvest. 4. When harvesting, minimize damage to the tubers. 5. When sorting potatoes for storage, do not put all the ones showing any green in the same container. Leave the green-skinned potatoes mixed with the others, so that no-one gets a higher amount than average. 6. When storing potatoes, keep them in the dark, and cool. Don’t store them for longer than necessary. There seems no need to worry about storage up to one year or so, as generations of potato growers have provided for their family needs this way. 7. Apparently there is no reason to use green potatoes sooner than others. Nor is there apparently any advantage to storing them longer in the hope of de-toxifying them. 8. When preparing potatoes for eating, cut off and compost the green bits. Don’t use all the greened potatoes in the same meal. Reduce the risk by mixing greened and plenty of non-greened potatoes. 9. When eating, spit out any potato that tastes bitter. 10. Enjoy eating your potatoes fried, boiled, mashed, chipped, baked, roasted. taken from https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/green-potato-myths-and-safe-potato-eating-zbcz1509 till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa |
AuthorHi! My name is Becky and I am a master gardener. I own Becky's Greenhouse in Dougherty, Iowa. Archives
February 2023
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