Harvest and Storage True “new” potatoes are
immature tubers, harvested from green vines
during the late spring and throughout the
summer. They are moist and sweet, relatively
low in starch, and perishable. Mature potatoes
are harvested in the fall. The vines are killed
by cutting or drying, and the tubers are left in
the soil for several weeks to “cure” and
toughen their skin. Potatoes can be stored in
the dark for months, during which their flavor
intensifies; slow enzyme action generates
fatty, fruity, and flowery notes from cell-
membrane lipids. The ideal storage
temperature is 45–50ºF/7–10ºC. At warmer
temperatures they may sprout or decay, and at
colder temperatures their metabolism shifts in
a complicated way that results in the
breakdown of some starch to sugars. Makers
of potato chips must “recondition” cold-stored
potatoes at room temperature for several
weeks to reduce their levels of glucose and
fructose, which otherwise cause the chips to
barry
(Barry)
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