Storage Tips:
 

Store potatoes in a cool, dark, well-ventilated area, protect from direct light.
Do not store in unventilated plastic bags. Store on a pallet to enhance ventilation.
Store between 45 to 50 degrees is ideal.
Potatoes will last 1 - 2 weeks at room temperature and several weeks at 45 - 50 degrees F.
Storing in too much light causes potatoes to turn green and also causes a bitter taste.
If a potato has started to green, the green part can be pared before cooking.
It is best not to wash potatoes before storing.
Do not refrigerate or freeze potatoes. At temperatures below 42 degrees the starch in potatoes turns to sugar. 
 

Maximize the Shelf Life of Your Home-stored Potatoes
 

New research found April 2009

 TWIN FALLS, Idaho-They live. They breathe. And because
 they're 80 percent water, potato tubers thrive in humid locations. Take
 heed, consumers wondering about the best spots in your homes to store
 your potatoes.

 Cooperative research by University of Idaho Extension
 scientists and College of Southern Idaho students has confirmed that the
 optimum sites for home-stored potatoes are cool, dark and ventilated
 rooms, closets, cabinets and garages. In studies conducted in their own
 residences, the agricultural science students also found that the
 perforated plastic bags used in many groceries offer the best
 environment for extending shelf-life.

 Potatoes stored inside these bags in unheated areas of the
 students' homes benefited from a relatively cool average temperature of
 57 degrees Fahrenheit and a relatively high average humidity of 67
 percent. Potatoes on countertops, in refrigerators and under the sink fared considerably worse.

 Nora Olsen, co-author of the University of Idaho Extension's
 recently released publication, "Options for Storing Potatoes at Home,"
 said she was a "little surprised" by how well the perforated plastic
 bags held in humidity and held down tuber shrinkage. The four-page
 publication can be downloaded from the Educational Communications
 catalog on the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Web site,
http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/pdf/CIS/CIS1153.pdf

 According to lead author and Extension support scientist
 Lynn Woodell, if you only buy enough potatoes to eat within a few days,
 you can store them almost anywhere in your home as long as you keep them
 out of the light. But if you buy or harvest between several pounds and
 several hundred pounds, your choice of location can clearly affect the
 potatoes' long-term usability. Warm temperatures encourage sprouting and
 tuber disease, cold temperatures cause spuds to turn brown when fried,
 exposure to light prompts greening, sealed plastic containers starve
 tubers of oxygen and dry environments are downright withering.

 Woodell and Olsen recommend storing potatoes in an unheated
 entrance, spare room, attic, basement or garage insulated to protect
 against freezing or in an extra refrigerator whose temperature can be
 set a few degrees higher than normal.

Sastry Jayanty, Postharvest Physiologist at San Luis Valley Research Center in Center Colorado who is working on maintaining potato quality in storages says, “It is also important to avoid storing potatoes with other vegetables such as onions. Storing apples with potatoes to control sprouting is not advisable. Apples emit ethylene gas that promotes sprouting”.

  Our Potatoes Pack a Punch

More than a potential profit powerhouse, potatoes also pack nutritional PUNCH. With some

Colorado Potato varieties studied, we have found levels of Iron, Vitamin B6, Folate and many other nutrients far exceeding the Recommended Daily Allowance set by the FDA.

Recent studies have also found that some of Colorado’s colored varieties –  our Purple Majesty, particularly – contain lycopene and other powerful antioxidants. Studies are also underway that compare the role our soil, altitude and climate play in delivering a healthier potato: one that does not rely on pesticides.  

Important as well, Colorado Potatoes delivers great flavor in smaller sizes. This is ideal for those growing households now preparing smaller servings to help control weight.  Then there are those specialty varieties – like our French Fingerlings – that is a favorite with kids for both their fun size and unique, nutty flavor.

Beyond the nutrition message, note also that potatoes deliver on the value side.  With many households watching their food budgets, one large baked potato with a healthy fresh salsa topping can deliver less calories yet satisfy the appetite for pennies on the dollar.

A 100-gram Colorado Russet baked with skin has only 110 calories and almost no fat.

Although the potato appears to be a bulky vegetable, it is 80 percent water, just a little less than in milk. Its association with high calorie toppings like butter, sour cream, gravy and mayonnaise dressing to name a few, puts the low calorie potato at a disadvantage. Just one tablespoon of butter will double the number of calories in a baked potato. There are many low calorie ways to prepare potatoes deliciously.

Here are just a few tasty low/no calorie ideas:

• Toasted sesame seeds
• Whipped butter and poppy seeds
• A spoon full of stewed tomatoes and a bit of grated cheese
• Melted butter or margarine thinned with lemon juice
• A mix of dried herbs: parsley, chives, basil, dill
• Mock sour cream (cottage cheese and lemon juice whipped in a blender)
• Chopped onion with coarsely grated black pepper
• Chive-spiked yogurt
• Salsa