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Light, and Florescent lighting will do it quickly.  The potato is a living plant.  Light does the same thing to a potato that it does to other plants.  It makes them want to grow.  The 'greenish' color is the natural process that happens when potatoes are exposed to sunlight or artificial light. The brighter the color, the more bitter the flavor will be in cooked potatoes.

The color change is actually chlorophyll developing in the skin along with increased levels of solanin. Solanin is a natural substance found just under the skin in all potatoes. It gives potatoes their flavor. There is little cause for concern about solanin being harmful. Research shows solanin is not stored in the body and is rapidly excreted.

To prevent greening, store away from light. If it occurs, trim the green area away before cooking.

If you think your potatoes are going to be exposed to light for any prolonged period of time before sale or use, then store them in dark containers and cover them with cardboard or other dark but breathable materials.  Don't completely shut off the air supply to them or they will spoil.

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2

The ideal temperature for potatoes is between 40-45 degrees F.  We suggest using a "Pulp" thermometer when they are received from your supplier.  There should be no more cause for alarm if they are between 38 and 55 degrees.  If they are beyond these limits, the supplier should be notified.  One of the problems that we see frequently is that potatoes arrive at the store or place of use pulping 38 degrees or lower, then they are placed in the display where temperatures will range from 70 degrees or higher.  It is like taking a cold glass and setting it on the table.   Condensation develops on the potatoes and the water seals the outside of the potato causing it to start to die.

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3

'Hollowheart' is a discolored cavity in the center of an otherwise healthy potato. It can be caused by rapid growth or possibly by sudden temperature changes early in the growing season.

This condition doesn't affect taste or nutritional value of potatoes. These potatoes can be eaten but the hollow piece should be cut out. If you find a hollow center in your baked potato, just remove the brown area before serving.

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4

There are two possibilities:

1) This darkening may be caused by a natural reaction with the iron in the potato. To prevent this, add a little lemon juice or vinegar to the cooking water.

2) When potatoes are stored at refrigerator temperatures, the starch in them changes to sugar. When cooked, this sugar "caramelizes' or darkens.   Store potatoes at cool, not cold temperatures.

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5

Black spots are usually bruises which are caused by rough handling. One type of bruising happens when the skin is broken. The potato forms a thicker layer of skin to protect and/or heal the wound.

The second type of bruising shows up just under the skin or deeper inside the potato as a black spot. This happens when potatoes are dropped more than six inches or something heavy is placed on top of them.

Handle potatoes gently.    Store in a cool, dark place. Remove any black spots before cooking.

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6

We suggest opening your master containers of potatoes as soon as practical.  This allows the potatoes to breathe and dry out.  A potato tuber is a living, breathing plant.  It needs to breathe to survive.  If left in an air confined environment, it will suffocate and die.

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7

Some people think of potatoes as 'fattening' and consider them taboo on a weight-reducing diet. Nothing could be further from the truth. One medium, baked potato only contains about 100 calories. Baked or boiled potatoes are already conveniently portioned, making it easy to control the calories. It is the extras, such as fat added during or after the preparation, that increase the number of calories.

As a substitute for popular high-calorie potato toppings, consider these alternatives: yogurt with chives; whipped low-fat cottage cheese blended with lemon juice; grated parmesan cheese; calorie reduced salad dressings; or a mixture of herbs.

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8

If potatoes are stored at refrigerator temperatures, part of the starch in the potato changes to sugar. The high temperature needed for deep fat frying causes the sugars on the surface of the fries to darken before completely cooking on the inside.

Blanching potatoes in hot water 9OoC (170oF) for several minutes removes most of the sugars and cleanses the surface of the fries to allow them to brown more evenly.

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 9

Some varieties are better suited to boiling and mashing than others. For a fluffy, mashed potato, choose a Russet variety because of its drier, fluffier texture; Soggy, mashed potatoes could result from over-cooking, i.e. too rapid a boil or too long a cooking time; Sticky, gluey, mashed potatoes could be caused by over-whipping.

For perfect results:

• Choose a Russet variety of potato
• Add a small amount of water
• Cook on Medium High just until fork tender
• Drain well and mash

If despite your best efforts, your mashed potatoes are too wet; add some instant potato flakes and stir just until combined.

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10

We store our potatoes for months on the farm.  Our modern storage facilities are humidity and temperature controlled by a computer which maintains this environment.  In an ideal sustained environment, a potato tuber will store and remain fresh indefinitely.  A potato needs 95 per cent humidity and 45 degrees in temperature.  We realize this is not possible to maintain after they are shipped to market.  Understanding what the ideal conditions are will help you decide how to best handle your product, whether it is for consumption or storage.   One of the most important things to remember is that, although high humidity is important to the survival of the potato, you must keep the humidity in suspension.
Do not put free water on your potatoes, or it will trap the air and they will die.

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11

This is a question which takes a lot of analysis before answering.  It all depends on what is going to happen to the
potatoes.  If they are going to be stored for long periods of time, then we must consider means by which
all of the potatoes can have sufficient air and humidity.  If they are being packaged for immediate sale and use,
then we use other methods such as boxes and bags. 

For our general purpose shipping, we use what we have considered as the ideal package for the potato.  It is a plastic mesh bag that allows the potato to breathe.  We use it almost exclusively for our military packs.  It can extend the shelf life of a potato by a week or more.  It allows the potato to remain dry, get the air it needs and virtually eliminate the condensation which sometimes develops at night when the light and temperatures change.   The bag is also dark on the front to reduce the amount of light exposure and partially clear on the back to allow the consumer to inspect the potatoes.

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