General Chat

Does anyone eat them if they are over a week old and with potatoes do you eat them if they have shoots on, we do but hubby doesn't like to, he says they are off so we shouldn't.

We eat veg over a week old, as long as they don't look as though they have deteriorated too much. Root veg in particular are stored for some time before you buy them.
Sprouting potatoes are ok, cut the sprouts off though. And don't eat green bits of potato either
If you have a lot of veg and they are getting a bit old, make them into soup, which you can freeze if required.

What grannyfranny said :-D :-D :-D

Frequently....much longer than a week.....

My Dad grew vegetables and rarely needed to buy any. Hubby is just being fussy I think.

What the others said....unless obviously bad/off they're fine to eat in one form or another you'd waste far too much otherwise :-)

We also often eat veggies that have been in our fridge for over a week ............ gawd knows how old they actually are, 'cos they will have been kept in cold storage after picking and before getting to the store.

We also eat potatoes that have begun to sprout ................ we cook them with the skins on unless making mashed potatoes, so OH usually doesn't remove the sprouts if they are tiny, he'll snap them off if they are longer.

He grows potatoes every year, and they often last us from about September until February or March in the cold area in our basement. They're often sprouting when he brings them up to the kitchen ...... but ones you buy are often much older than that.

PEI farmers, one of our major potato growing areas, seem to keep them in cold storage sometimes for a year.

Google what your potato farmers do! ;-)

ZZzz, I have always been careful with potatoes - not so much as I got older (although I am still fussier than many) but certainly when I was of child-bearing age.

Many years ago research was carried out between potatoes and neuro birth defects - with the incidence of spina bifida being the major instigator for much of the research. When I had my first child in 1971 I made the choice when I was sure I was pregnant (six weeks) not to eat potatoes for the first three months of pregnancy. I was not a big potato eater anyway but during the last month of pregnancy I ate a lot of potatoes including crisps (though I still do not eat any that show green or have 'bad bits').

EDIT: apparently the last month of pregnancy is the time when the brain grows most! I am not sure whether thinking has changed about this as time has progressed and I certainly have not checked for umpteen years.

I made the same decision consciously with my second pregnancy.

It is a long time since I did any reading on the subject but I remember, at that time, that the prevalence of spina bifida was higher in Ireland and Australia.. I recall linking potato blight with Ireland and the number of Irish convicts transported to Australia possibly being a factor - but I have not kept up with any scientific research on the subject of neuro defects and potatoes, I am afraid. I am sure there will be more up-to-date research so, for anyone interested, there will be more reading available.

Completely unscientifically, however, my Mum and Gran would never entertain using green potatoes and used to cut off sections of potatoes that showed any growth. Where that came from is anybody's guess and since I am on the upper side of 75, they are no longer here to ask.

Perhaps someone reading this thread has more information on the research carried out - specifically more up-to-date information and results?

I eat veg as long as it is not obviously rotten. I also eat sprouting potatoes although cut off the shoots. I cut off any green bits leaving a good margin and eat the remainder. I did read somewhere that it is only the green part that is 'poisonous' and that the rest of the potato is ok,

Seems to be a lot of advice on google, one I found says 'What should I do with a green potato?

Always use caution if small areas of greening are found in tubers because they contain elevated levels of solanine. Removing the green portions by simply cutting them out will eliminate most of the toxin.

However, if more extensive greening occurs, throw the tuber away. Never eat tubers that are green beneath the skin. Only potato tubers should be consumed; other parts of the potato plant can be toxic to consume.'

The advice is to store potatoes in a cool dark place as it is light that causes them to turn green, but I have found the green has usually occurred by the time I get them from the supermarket so I guess this only applies if you grow your own.

The green in potatoes is chlorophyl. (Edit: I was not disagreeing, Ann. Chlorophyll and solanine go hand-in-hand.)

Must read more so I can get up-to-date but I have to admit, as I got older my concern lessened.

We regularly eat fresh veg that is more than a week old. Potatoes - as others have said, remove the shoots and green bits; carrots will keep for several weeks, as will tomatoes, radishes and cabbage. Also, to my surprise, if it is stored in the fridge in an airtight container, lettuce will keep for about three weeks.

Not so good - sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower.

Like Andysmum, we eat lots of veg that we have had for more than a week. The only thing I find doesn't last too well is broccoli. I also watched a piece on the TV where someone said that cucumber was better NOT kept in the fridge. I was sceptical about this but thought I would give it a try. It certainly does last longer and doesn't go wet and soggy like it does in the fridge. I never keep tomatoes in the fridge either.

Kath. x

I sort of found out that a cue lasts better with its plastic wrapper still on...peel off as much as you need when you need it

I always cut the sprouts off and the green bits I as told in the 60s was caused buy exposure to the air and fertiliser used on them.
Hubby doesn't realise that I use "wrong" vegetables and is none the wiser, it's wasteful and expensive to throw away for no reason and buy more.

The sprouting bits and green bits on potatoes are why I use a knife when I peel potatoes - and I use a potato peeler when peeling 'older' carrots and parsnips.

This confused my 'driver' who saw me doing this whilst helping to prepare a huge dinner when the family were camping.
The 'driver' used a potato peeler and threw out a huge potato, with one small green area, as it didn't come off with the peeler!
I retrieved the spud, cut off the green bit and showed him, it wasn't green right through!
He'd reached 60+ years before he realised this.

I use both peeler and knife Maggie, swopping to knife to remove shoots and green bits.

We are currently eating a Romaine lettuce that has the date December 23rd on it. It's still perfect and it would be wasteful to throw it away just because the date has passed.

Annie

I agree. I think the lettuce (Little Gem) that we have just finished is the one I bought to have with cold turkey on Boxing Day!!

People have become obsessed by dates on food items, in my opinion it is not necessary but is used as a safeguard for shops etc, there is a lot of food waste by households and by what shops, restaurants and the like throw away.