How Long do Potatoes keep for?

Blisterman

Bit of a strange question here.
I was just wondering if anyone knew how long you could keep potatoes for. Whenever I get potatoes, the bag says it's going to expire in about a week, but I always thought potatoes kept for months. You always hear about how, back in the times of the famine, people would harvest potatoes to last them the year.
I'm pretty new to cooking for myself, so I have no idea.
Do the supermarkets just put an experation date that soon, on the bag, just to make you buy more potatoes, or am I risking my life eating potatoes after the best before date?

Gordon

I throw them out when they start getting soft or start growing wee plants! As far as I know I'm not permanently damaged by this..

byte

I do the same as Gordon. Just wait until they go soft or start budding!

For me, the spuds don't seem to last more than a week, particularly in summer. I think they'll last longer in cool, dark climate.

The Sweeper

Put an apple in with the spuds in the bag. It sounds like an old wives tale, but I found it really does stop them sprouting as quickly.

Alun

I think part of the secret is to keep them in the dark and in a cool place (as it usually recommends somewhere on the bag). I remember back in my youth my parents would buy sackfuls at a time and keep them in the sack out in the garage. Can't remember them sprouting then. Commercially, I assume they're all harvested at around the same times each year, so they must store them for extended periods while waiting to bag them up and distribute them to shops.

mik_da_man

Coming from a farming background I know a bit about this!
We used to harvest potatoes and they will keep for a few months if kept in a cool dry dark place.
Heat and sunlight cause them to sprout.
They will be fine to eat once they are firm, the sprouting does not matter too much.
Even if they are a wee bit soft they can be fine to fry
it ain't gonna kill you:)

Well it didn't kill me yet;)

Mik

fatherdougalmag

Is there much difference between a 'fresh fresh' spud and a Dunne's Stores fake muck covered potato? Just curious. Does the sugar-turning-to-starch-as-soon-as-they're-plucked thing apply to spuds as it does to other veg?

noby

When people mention bags, I presume we're talking brown paper bags here? If you buy your spuds in a plastic bag, take them out, and put them into a brown paper one if you have one. This will extend their life a bit.