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.