Have You Noticed the Potatoes?

Have You Noticed the Potatoes?
“Strange Things are Happening”

By M. Harris


My favorite grocery store is the one closest to my house. If you go to the giant store down the road, the gasoline costs will eat up anything you could save. But, have you noticed the potatoes? They have black spots all throughout the insides. I peel half the potato away trying to remove the black spots for my mashed potatoes. My grandson knows when I try to pass off the artificial or cheap products on him - so instant potatoes will not do. Being old fashioned or just old, I peel with a paring knife. There is nothing left of the potato as I cut away the black; often three or four spots are found inside.

Now, listen to what I heard about the dark spots:
1. “It happens when potatoes are dropped or something heavy was placed on top of them.”
2. “Someone said a worm caused it and we had a bad year.”
3. “The dark spots are toxic.”

Then science and plant-disease experts educate me with this: A physiological disorder associated with low moisture content of the tuber at harvest, bruising, low storage temperatures, and potash deficiency. Bruising increases rapidly when the pulp of potatoes being harvested drops below 47 to 50 degree Fahrenheit.

Now, if we look at the agricultural research done on potatoes by the USDA, this problem seems to have been around for a while. Only the last two years have I noticed it. Bruising seems to come up more than once in my research, so I am thinking a hail storm hit the crop or a herd of elephants overran them.

Whether it is water damage, nutrient deficiency, abuse, hail, sleet, blistering sun or snow, how can we stop my potatoes from having black spots throughout their insides?