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I'm googling it as well, but I was wondering if anybody know if potatos became poisonous as soon as they started to sprout, or if they're okay to eat if you can just knock the green sprouting parts off with your fingers?
I can remember hearing on Gardener's Question Time that they become poisonous when they start to sprout, but what have people found to be the case in everyday life?
Thanks,
Tim
I can remember hearing on Gardener's Question Time that they become poisonous when they start to sprout, but what have people found to be the case in everyday life?
Thanks,
Tim
In reply to Timmd: The green bits under the skin are toxic, contrary to what my Home Economics teacher told me - she said it was where the vitamins are!
In reply to wayno265:Thanks, does that mean that the rest of the unaffected potato isn't toxic, ie just the green bits are? Just to clarify it a bit so I don't become ill, but thanks again.
Cheers
Tim
Cheers
Tim
In reply to Timmd: Not been killed by them yet...
In reply to Timmd: I think it's just the green bits that are toxic - the rest is OK. I should know the answer for sure but I don't. I've eaten tonnes of them in that past though, trying to get those vitamins!
In reply to Timmd:
They're fine----I usually end up with half a sack full of sprouted ones and they all get eaten by me and my family, with no ill effects as yet! The green bits are best cut off though.
They're fine----I usually end up with half a sack full of sprouted ones and they all get eaten by me and my family, with no ill effects as yet! The green bits are best cut off though.
In reply to Timmd:
Great, thanks all, lamb burger mashed potato leeks and carrots here I come!
Cheers
Tim
Great, thanks all, lamb burger mashed potato leeks and carrots here I come!
Cheers
Tim
In reply to Timmd:
don't worry, the sprouting bits don't make them poisonous, it's only when the green colour appears on the spud you have to worry. Just knock any white shoots off with your fingers and on you go as normal.
don't worry, the sprouting bits don't make them poisonous, it's only when the green colour appears on the spud you have to worry. Just knock any white shoots off with your fingers and on you go as normal.
In reply to Timmd:
Don't worry, they won't do you any ha...
> I'm googling it as well, but I was wondering if anybody know if potatos became poisonous as soon as they started to sprout, or if they're okay to eat if you can just knock the green sprouting parts off with your fingers?
>
>
Don't worry, they won't do you any ha...
In reply to Timmd: As the only irishman posting on this thread I'm obviously the most qualified to answer this.
In simple terms no. Sprouting potatoes are not poisonous. However if left out in the sun & they go green then the green flesh is poisonous but if you cut this away the rest of the potato is perfectly edible.
In simple terms no. Sprouting potatoes are not poisonous. However if left out in the sun & they go green then the green flesh is poisonous but if you cut this away the rest of the potato is perfectly edible.
In reply to Frank4short:
And, in fairness, "technically poisonous" would be a better term considering there has been no recorded death from eating green potato for at least 50 years...
And, in fairness, "technically poisonous" would be a better term considering there has been no recorded death from eating green potato for at least 50 years...
In reply to John_Hat: Poisonous has a much better ring to it than they'll make you feel like shit & possibly upset your stomach for a while.
In reply to Timmd:
Yes, the green bits of many nightshade plants are poisonous, and this is because they produce a wide variety of glycoalkaloids and saponins, generally bitter-tasting compounds that aren't very healthy for you.
Green tomatoes have relatively large quantities of tomatine, which is also a toxin and a good reason for not eating raw tomatoes.
However, I guess that you boiled the potatoes for some 20 minutes before you ate them... heating to a 100 degrees is generally enough to hydrolyse these compounds, and their toxicity is then gone, so I wouldn't worry too much.
Eating raw potatoes isn't a good idea anyway, for various reasons.
As long as you didn't eat large amounts of raw, green material I wouldn't really worry about it.
Yes, the green bits of many nightshade plants are poisonous, and this is because they produce a wide variety of glycoalkaloids and saponins, generally bitter-tasting compounds that aren't very healthy for you.
Green tomatoes have relatively large quantities of tomatine, which is also a toxin and a good reason for not eating raw tomatoes.
However, I guess that you boiled the potatoes for some 20 minutes before you ate them... heating to a 100 degrees is generally enough to hydrolyse these compounds, and their toxicity is then gone, so I wouldn't worry too much.
Eating raw potatoes isn't a good idea anyway, for various reasons.
As long as you didn't eat large amounts of raw, green material I wouldn't really worry about it.
In reply to Arjen:
yeah. green tomato chutney will kill you every time!
> (In reply to Timmd)
>
> Green tomatoes have relatively large quantities of tomatine, which is also a toxin and a good reason for not eating raw tomatoes.
>
> Green tomatoes have relatively large quantities of tomatine, which is also a toxin and a good reason for not eating raw tomatoes.
yeah. green tomato chutney will kill you every time!
In reply to Arjen:
Eating raw potatoes reminds me of a famous experiment involving rats and the daily mail.
> (In reply to Timmd)
> Eating raw potatoes isn't a good idea anyway, for various reasons.
Eating raw potatoes reminds me of a famous experiment involving rats and the daily mail.
In reply to Arjen:
A sensible answer on UKC?
Spot on though. The quantities you would need to consume are rather large. Just as apple pips are poisonous (cyanide in them I think) you'll have to make a concerted effort to kill yourself with them
A sensible answer on UKC?
Spot on though. The quantities you would need to consume are rather large. Just as apple pips are poisonous (cyanide in them I think) you'll have to make a concerted effort to kill yourself with them
In reply to wayno265:
The bits under the skin are where the vitamins are but they shouldn't be green.
> (In reply to Timmd) The green bits under the skin are toxic, contrary to what my Home Economics teacher told me - she said it was where the vitamins are!
The bits under the skin are where the vitamins are but they shouldn't be green.
In reply to interdit:
You cook the tomato's before you make the chutney, and then let it stand for a substantial amount of time, which will oxidise everything.
The green berries of nearly all nightshade plants are stuffed with glycoalkaloids, this is to prevent them from being eaten before they're ripe, and from my own experience can I say that at least some plants produce humongous amounts of glycoalkaloids in the unripe berries, but very small amounts in the leaves.
To maresia, Sorry, I happen to do my phd on a nightshade plant, and have actually analysed glycoalkaloids...
> (In reply to Arjen)
> [...]
>
> yeah. green tomato chutney will kill you every time!
> [...]
>
> yeah. green tomato chutney will kill you every time!
You cook the tomato's before you make the chutney, and then let it stand for a substantial amount of time, which will oxidise everything.
The green berries of nearly all nightshade plants are stuffed with glycoalkaloids, this is to prevent them from being eaten before they're ripe, and from my own experience can I say that at least some plants produce humongous amounts of glycoalkaloids in the unripe berries, but very small amounts in the leaves.
To maresia, Sorry, I happen to do my phd on a nightshade plant, and have actually analysed glycoalkaloids...
In reply to Arjen:
crazy what some folk study... I did an honours project on the effects of ethylene on the sprouting behaviour of potatoes.
Conclusion - put an apple in with your tatties, they'll take longer to sprout.
> (In reply to interdit)
>
> To maresia, Sorry, I happen to do my phd on a nightshade plant, and have actually analysed glycoalkaloids...
> To maresia, Sorry, I happen to do my phd on a nightshade plant, and have actually analysed glycoalkaloids...
crazy what some folk study... I did an honours project on the effects of ethylene on the sprouting behaviour of potatoes.
Conclusion - put an apple in with your tatties, they'll take longer to sprout.
In reply to Joe G:
see that's a useful thing to know!
As for apple seeds being dangerous I suggest half a pound of them in a sock, that should be pretty lethal in the right hands.
I heard a story about jews in a concentration camp stealing potatoes and putting them in their clothes when they got de-loused by steaming. The Germans ignored them stealing the spuds because they couldn't be eaten raw.
Steve D
> Conclusion - put an apple in with your tatties, they'll take longer to sprout.
see that's a useful thing to know!
As for apple seeds being dangerous I suggest half a pound of them in a sock, that should be pretty lethal in the right hands.
I heard a story about jews in a concentration camp stealing potatoes and putting them in their clothes when they got de-loused by steaming. The Germans ignored them stealing the spuds because they couldn't be eaten raw.
Steve D
In reply to Joe G:
That is actually quite sensible - we regularly make caterpillars vomit and collect their spit so we can smear it on the plant...
That is actually quite sensible - we regularly make caterpillars vomit and collect their spit so we can smear it on the plant...
In reply to Arjen: I guess everyone's got a hobby of some sort...
In reply to Joe G:
So ethylene advances or retards sprouting? I recall that bananas cause other fruit to ripen/spoil faster because they give off ethylene (ethene).
> Conclusion - put an apple in with your tatties, they'll take longer to sprout.
So ethylene advances or retards sprouting? I recall that bananas cause other fruit to ripen/spoil faster because they give off ethylene (ethene).
In reply to captain paranoia:
Yeah, strange one. If you put bananas next to other fruit the ethylene that they produce makes them ripen faster. It seems to be all about the complexities of plant hormones (in this case ethylene/ ethene) and physiology, which I know nothing about... Apples give off ethylene at a fairly steady rate as they ripen but at much lower rates than bananas. Also, ripening and sprouting are different things, so although the result is the same for us - food spoiling - the processes and effects of hormones on them differ greatly.
But basically, from what I remember, the ethylene given off by apples delays the sprouting of the potatoes and also retards the apical dominance so that instead of getting one or two big sprouts you get more smaller sprouts, which is good because they're easier to knock off and don't damage the tuber as much. And it's so simple, just chuck an apple in the same place as you store your tatties and they'll last longer, I'm surprised more people don't know about it... I feel the urge for an evangelical quest to spread the word...
Yeah, strange one. If you put bananas next to other fruit the ethylene that they produce makes them ripen faster. It seems to be all about the complexities of plant hormones (in this case ethylene/ ethene) and physiology, which I know nothing about... Apples give off ethylene at a fairly steady rate as they ripen but at much lower rates than bananas. Also, ripening and sprouting are different things, so although the result is the same for us - food spoiling - the processes and effects of hormones on them differ greatly.
But basically, from what I remember, the ethylene given off by apples delays the sprouting of the potatoes and also retards the apical dominance so that instead of getting one or two big sprouts you get more smaller sprouts, which is good because they're easier to knock off and don't damage the tuber as much. And it's so simple, just chuck an apple in the same place as you store your tatties and they'll last longer, I'm surprised more people don't know about it... I feel the urge for an evangelical quest to spread the word...
In reply to Joe G:
Part of my HND in Chemistry I had to find the most efficient way to synthesize the licorice flavouring. I now hate the smell of licorice.
Do you hate apples?
> (In reply to Arjen)
> [...]
>
> [...]
>
> crazy what some folk study... I did an honours project on the effects of ethylene on the sprouting behaviour of potatoes.
>
> Conclusion - put an apple in with your tatties, they'll take longer to sprout.
> [...]
>
> [...]
>
> crazy what some folk study... I did an honours project on the effects of ethylene on the sprouting behaviour of potatoes.
>
> Conclusion - put an apple in with your tatties, they'll take longer to sprout.
Part of my HND in Chemistry I had to find the most efficient way to synthesize the licorice flavouring. I now hate the smell of licorice.
Do you hate apples?
In reply to Timmd:
Always amazes me the so many plants are have poisonous parts yet we eat them. Especially when the toxic bit would seem the obvious part to eat; eg the fruit of the potato or the leaves of rhubarb. You'd think that our ancestors would've seen someone eat them then become ill or die, then leave well alone.
Another example is cassava, the staple diet of many south american indians; this is obtained from manioc which contains prussic acid and it don't get much more toxic than that.
Always amazes me the so many plants are have poisonous parts yet we eat them. Especially when the toxic bit would seem the obvious part to eat; eg the fruit of the potato or the leaves of rhubarb. You'd think that our ancestors would've seen someone eat them then become ill or die, then leave well alone.
Another example is cassava, the staple diet of many south american indians; this is obtained from manioc which contains prussic acid and it don't get much more toxic than that.
In reply to Hat Dude:
You haven't tried my mother's cooking!
> (In reply to Timmd)
>
> Another example is cassava, the staple diet of many south american indians; this is obtained from manioc which contains prussic acid and it don't get much more toxic than that.
>
> Another example is cassava, the staple diet of many south american indians; this is obtained from manioc which contains prussic acid and it don't get much more toxic than that.
You haven't tried my mother's cooking!
In reply to captain paranoia:
Sorry to give a small lecture here, but ethylene plays an important role in almost all plant- related processes... as soon as a caterpillar starts chewing on a leaf the plant will release ET, when a flower gets pollinated it will give a puff of ethylene that will induce senescence of the flower, while its role in fruit ripening is well-known.
Also germination is dependent on ET - if I remember correctly are the ethylene receptor mutants (that cannot perceive any ET) not so easy to germinate. I'd not heard of ET regulating apical dominance before, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did.
Basically, expose any part of a plant to ethylene, and you'll probably see something.
/plant geek...
Sorry to give a small lecture here, but ethylene plays an important role in almost all plant- related processes... as soon as a caterpillar starts chewing on a leaf the plant will release ET, when a flower gets pollinated it will give a puff of ethylene that will induce senescence of the flower, while its role in fruit ripening is well-known.
Also germination is dependent on ET - if I remember correctly are the ethylene receptor mutants (that cannot perceive any ET) not so easy to germinate. I'd not heard of ET regulating apical dominance before, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did.
Basically, expose any part of a plant to ethylene, and you'll probably see something.
/plant geek...
In reply to Arjen:
In the end I cut the blue or purplish bits of the flesh off the potatos as well, which had been underneath the green bits sprouting out of them, and everything tasted okay.
It's interesting what you can find out on UKC just from asking about green bits on potatos.
Cheers
Tim
> (In reply to Timmd)
>
> Yes, the green bits of many nightshade plants are poisonous, and this is because they produce a wide variety of glycoalkaloids and saponins, generally bitter-tasting compounds that aren't very healthy for you.
> Green tomatoes have relatively large quantities of tomatine, which is also a toxin and a good reason for not eating raw tomatoes.
>
> However, I guess that you boiled the potatoes for some 20 minutes before you ate them... heating to a 100 degrees is generally enough to hydrolyse these compounds, and their toxicity is then gone, so I wouldn't worry too much.
> Eating raw potatoes isn't a good idea anyway, for various reasons.
>
> As long as you didn't eat large amounts of raw, green material I wouldn't really worry about it.
>
> Yes, the green bits of many nightshade plants are poisonous, and this is because they produce a wide variety of glycoalkaloids and saponins, generally bitter-tasting compounds that aren't very healthy for you.
> Green tomatoes have relatively large quantities of tomatine, which is also a toxin and a good reason for not eating raw tomatoes.
>
> However, I guess that you boiled the potatoes for some 20 minutes before you ate them... heating to a 100 degrees is generally enough to hydrolyse these compounds, and their toxicity is then gone, so I wouldn't worry too much.
> Eating raw potatoes isn't a good idea anyway, for various reasons.
>
> As long as you didn't eat large amounts of raw, green material I wouldn't really worry about it.
In the end I cut the blue or purplish bits of the flesh off the potatos as well, which had been underneath the green bits sprouting out of them, and everything tasted okay.
It's interesting what you can find out on UKC just from asking about green bits on potatos.
Cheers
Tim
In reply to Timmd:
You shouldn't eat any part of a pototoe which has green bits if you are pregnant:
"Green sprouting potatoes: Avoid these during pregnancy, as they contain toxins called alpha-solanine and alpha-chaconine, which are harmful to the developing foetus and are linked to spina bifida. You're unlikely to eat whole green potatoes, anyway, but it's not just a matter of cutting away the green bits - the whole potato will be affected, even where it's free from green, and should be discarded."
You shouldn't eat any part of a pototoe which has green bits if you are pregnant:
"Green sprouting potatoes: Avoid these during pregnancy, as they contain toxins called alpha-solanine and alpha-chaconine, which are harmful to the developing foetus and are linked to spina bifida. You're unlikely to eat whole green potatoes, anyway, but it's not just a matter of cutting away the green bits - the whole potato will be affected, even where it's free from green, and should be discarded."
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