I'm not really certain but I do know there are many things that recommend being stored/cured for a period of time before use because it gives time for the starches to change character to either improve flavor or texture. (I do know sweet potatoes have a sweeter taste after a period of several weeks of storage after curing. Sweet potatoes straight from the ground tend to be rather hard and bland.)

You could always try freezing some french frys without waiting 30 days and see if they come out ok after being frozen for a week or so. I've never tried freezing anything but baked potatoes so don't really know what's involved.

On the topic of storing potatoes, I read on a thread that you should dust your potatoes for storing with, I believe lime, but it didn't say what kind or how much, etc. Also on another thread someone mentioned the skin gets a bit more mature, but what would be the advantage? longer storage? The potatoes I pulled out of the ground and prepared that night were fantastic. I though about spending a few hours making mashed potaotes(my hubby is from Ireland and we eat A LOT of potaotes) and freeezing if storing becomes a problem. Sorry if I hi-jacked your post Dave, but I am wondering about the storage issue also.

No problem gardener1908 ;).

Yeah we root cellar close to 100 lbs. of potatoes each year (not Irish but we still use tons of them) but we've never bought into the lime dusting thing. Never made much sense to me as it only increases potato scab and they store well without it if you check them now and then.

But we also can and freeze just as many for the convenience and long-term preservation. Peeled new potatoes, blanched, and then frozen or canned keep that fresh new potato taste well and it is so easy to just open a jar or pack of them in the winter to make potato soup or to boil or fry.

But we also like fries done in the oven so thought it might be worthwhile to try them. We did 10 freezer bags of some older ones we already had but was just curious about why it can't be done with freshly dug ones too. Figured it must be a taste issue but not a safety issue.

Will just store them for now and try the FF later.

Dave

The 30 day wait is for freshly dug potatoes. Like garlic and onions, the potatoes need a bit of air drying for a few weks to harden up the outer surfaces and to also make dirt removal a bit easier. You can also peel and slice, then dry them. Some people will parboil the slices and that might reduce oxidation which turns them black. But I use a dip in metabysulfite (sulfur) and water solution to protect the slices from blackening while drying. What you get is similar to what they have in commercial boxes of dried potatoes Au Gratin, etc.

For freezing fries, they would be partially fried, but only after they are well rinsed off and dried a little prior to partial frying.

Hey, I actually know the answer to this one -- my mother used to do a lot of these for the freezer when I was little, and she always waited a while after they were dug before processing them -- I remember this as being a fall activity, something she tried to do after Halloween but before the holidays hit. Of course, with a house full of kids, we used a lot of french fries, hash browns, etc back then. Now, times and diet have changed, and I hardly ever have a french fry, most potatos are eaten either baked or boiled or in other dishes.

The main reason for waiting a month is that freshly dug potatos have a higher moisture content, which results in a lot more danger of bubbling up when they hit the hot oil, and also causes them to not brown as well. A month of storage results in them losing a fairly significant amount of stored moisture under appropriate storage conditions. You can, of course, fry them right out of the ground, but they are better if you hold off a while.

Its just like I said in my note.

Thanks guys! That does make sense. denninmi - after Halloween huh? Well that will give us something to do in the way of preserving food after most of the garden is done. ;)

Dave

I method behind the madness is root crops need to cure from the moisture in the ground.
BTW, Fruit Fresh also works on keeping taters white. Sulfite free.

Makes sense to me also. Maybe thats why they say to wait 1 week or so after a rain to harvest potatoes. I know the best french fries are double fried, even the ones you buy frozen have been quick fried. Do you soak or dust the potatoes with the Fruit Fresh?

This makes sense to me IF you're going to fry them.
But what about baked? I often dig potatoes, scrub, don't peel, cut into slices/wedges, toss with olive oil/salt/pepper and bake immediately.
They are very good.

I just froze some like this, but only baked about half the time. I haven't taken any out and eaten them yet.
I did toss them into a bowl with Fruit Fresh while I was cutting them up to prevent darkening in the time it took me to cut up enough to fill a couple of cookie sheets at a time.
It just doesn't seem like there's a need for the cure time if they're being baked, then frozen.
Am I missing something?

Deanna

gardener1908 - FF is a fresh use product not for storage. You soak the potatoes in FF after peeling. The ones we are canning soak in it while waiting for their turn blanching.

Last night we did an experiment: we french fried 1 older potato and 1 brand new-dug potato for comparison. The ones from the new dug potato were definitely softer - like a stick of fried mashed potatoes - and didn't brown well at all. So they'll get stored till after Halloween. :)

Thanks all.

Dave

Thanks for letting us know how your potatoe experiment went. I think I will try the half fried (Iknow you wanted oven fries,my kids like fried) then freeze. And yes I know I am new to canning, but I did know that FF is used as a soak, I just though that all you experienced folks had other uses for it, like dusting potatoes LOL. As always thanks for your help.

Anytime that I peel, slice or dice potatoes (before cooking) I put them in a bowl of salted water. It doesn't take much salt. Couple of teaspoons probably. This prevents them from turning black. Works great if I want to do some of my preparation ahead of time.

Sometimes I do the potatoes the day before and keep in the fridge in the bowl of salted water. Works great!! I rinse them just before cooking.

Haven't ever used this method in preparation of freezing the potatoes though.