Higgs Boson wrote:
I always wondered about potatoes green under the skin.

Does this Snopes article deal with all-green, or just under skin?

Anybody have the skinny on this?

http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/greenpotatoes.asp

HB

I have never seen a potato that was green all the way through, it seems to
me to be unlikely to ever happen as the green is chlorophyll which is only
useful if exposed to light.

Snaopes have it right, you would have to eat a great deal of tater to get
ill. Another useful test is that nearly all alkaloids are very bitter and
solanine is one such, if your spuds don't taste at all bitter then there is
no problem.

Keep in mind that many plants have toxins in them to ward off animals (like
us) who would feed on them. This is a perfectly normal state of affairs and
if you take normal precautions you will come to no harm. In some cases (eg
chilli) we prize the defensive mechanism!

D

On 6/9/2014 3:28 PM, David Hare-Scott wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:
I always wondered about potatoes green under the skin.

Does this Snopes article deal with all-green, or just under skin?

Anybody have the skinny on this?

http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/greenpotatoes.asp

HB

I have never seen a potato that was green all the way through, it seems to
me to be unlikely to ever happen as the green is chlorophyll which is only
useful if exposed to light.

Snaopes have it right, you would have to eat a great deal of tater to get
ill. Another useful test is that nearly all alkaloids are very bitter and
solanine is one such, if your spuds don't taste at all bitter then there is
no problem.

Keep in mind that many plants have toxins in them to ward off animals (like
us) who would feed on them. This is a perfectly normal state of affairs and
if you take normal precautions you will come to no harm. In some cases (eg
chilli) we prize the defensive mechanism!

D



As potatoes sprout, the starch starts to turn to sugar, which could mask
the bitterness of the solanine. However, if the potato is still very
firm, that conversion is not very far along.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

David E. Ross wrote:
On 6/9/2014 3:28 PM, David Hare-Scott wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:
I always wondered about potatoes green under the skin.

Does this Snopes article deal with all-green, or just under skin?

Anybody have the skinny on this?

http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/greenpotatoes.asp

HB

I have never seen a potato that was green all the way through, it
seems to me to be unlikely to ever happen as the green is
chlorophyll which is only useful if exposed to light.

Snaopes have it right, you would have to eat a great deal of tater
to get ill. Another useful test is that nearly all alkaloids are
very bitter and solanine is one such, if your spuds don't taste at
all bitter then there is no problem.

Keep in mind that many plants have toxins in them to ward off
animals (like us) who would feed on them. This is a perfectly
normal state of affairs and if you take normal precautions you will
come to no harm. In some cases (eg chilli) we prize the defensive
mechanism!

D



As potatoes sprout, the starch starts to turn to sugar, which could
mask the bitterness of the solanine. However, if the potato is still
very firm, that conversion is not very far along.

Where are these droves of people suffering solanine poisoning from potatoes?
Are there any cases at all reported? You would think that there would be
some evidence other than the theoretical possibility if it was a widespread
real issue.

D