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Comment by thematrixturtle | Hacker News Reader

Potatoes keep for months if stored properly, which means in a cool, dark place and still covered in soil.

Unfortunately supermarkets prefer to sell washed potatoes in transparent plastic bags sitting around in bright lights, which is just about the worst possible way to do it.

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My parents used to buy a huge bag of potatoes that came in a brown paper bag.

https://www.newworld.co.nz/shop/product/5045696_ea_000nw?nam...

Like this but I believe it was 10kg And kept in that bag in the pantry. They lasted forever (few months minimum).

The ones I would buy in Singapore were washed in clear bag I had to keep in the fridge that lasted like 2 weeks :(

Edit: bug > buy

Plastic bags are the worst for potato storage. If the potatoes look fresh, rip large holes in the bag and lay flat in a dark place. If they aren’t really fresh, remove them, wash them and put them in something with good airflow like a colander.

I have never tried stroking potatoes with a layer of dirt but seems plausible.

Still covered in soil? That’s interesting, hadn’t heard that before. Kind of funny to think of keeping a box of dirt in your kitchen to store the potatoes in.

I think he's just referring to regular unwashed potatoes.

These absolutely do keep much better than the washed ones.

After 32 years in the USA, I am still amazed that I have never, ever seen what Brits call "new potatoes" sold commercially anywhere. These are typically dug right out of the ground early in potato harvest season, and not cleaned. I've searched farmers markets and food coops ... nothing.

Same in Germany. The potatoes with dirt on them are "the good stuff." Another huge difference: In Germany, it is illegal to sell eggs that have been washed. In the US, it is illegal to sell unwashed eggs.

Indeed. Interestingly, egg washing involves some tradeoffs. If they are washed, they are safe to handle but the cuticle is eroded so they must be refrigerated. Unwashed eggs can be kept unrefrigerated for some time, but the shells must be treated as a raw food item.

Sounds like as long as you're mandating one or the other you're making the right decision. Being able to know how to handle food is important.

Iirc some US states had rules about moving soil across state lines. Unwashed products packed in dirt may have once been at risk of spreading unwanted pests from one state to another. These rules may still be on the books.

When I worked for a gardening company, we charged extra fees shipping to Hawaii, because we had to wash the roots of the plants. They had regulations about mailing dirt.

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