Many of us know that potatoes belong to the nightshade family, commonly known as the nightshade family. The potato plant is so poisonous that eating the green leaves of the plant, the stems of the potato plant and even the sprouts can make a person very sick and possibly even kill them. These parts of the annual plants all contain high levels of solanine which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and possibly death. For this reason, a person should shoot from old potatoes that have sprouted instead of just bursting sprouts and fix the potato in the usual way.
But what about the annual green? Do green potatoes make me sick if eaten? I was wondering about this after fixing a pot of potato-less soup for dinner tonight. I plucked a tuber of nightshade from my free-standing fruit stand and turned it a beautiful shade of green that lasted at least half an inch into the potatoes. I threw it on the compost pile of course, and turned to the internet for an answer to all the “green potatoes make me sick” questions.
I learned from the Idaho Potato Commission that potatoes turn green when exposed to full light, both natural light. That green color is chlorophyll and with that greening process, solanine levels rise and the potato begins to turn.
Potatoes grow in the vegetable garden and if they are not buried deep enough, they can also turn green after they have been picked. . If the potatoes are stored in a bowl on the counter or in some open place that receives a lot of light, they will turn pale green in time. Often the greening does not stop at the skin, but can penetrate deeper into the skin. This is exactly what happens with potatoes in my kitchen.
You can also find green potatoes in the grocery store, which will become much more common in recent years. They store for longer hours, the potatoes in the vegetable presentations of all light appear, which speeds up the process until green.
While solanine is poisonous, the good news is that it tends to concentrate around the surface of that peeled green potato. And according to the Idaho Potato Commission, all you have to do is peel the green skins and the rest of the potato will be good to cook and eat. But if it falls under the green skin, the whole potato must be thrown away.
So what will happen if you happen to like eating a green? Probably nothing. The levels of solanine are so small that eating a lot of green spuds can make a person sick. It seems to be a common strategy, since the green potato razor won’t kill you, don’t let those hands slip out of your middle.
Snopes.com
Medline Plus
Idahopotato.com
Straightdope.com
