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Cracks in the desert floor
gives you a clue about cracks in your potatoes. |
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| A sprouting spud is a
sign of a healthy spud. |
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These cracks in spuds
are called “storage cracks.” |
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Spud Scientist
Dr. Gale Kleinkopf
gives us the scoop on sprouting spuds. |
RUSSET POTATOES (Monday, March 28): What’s
up with all those cracks in the Russet Potatoes? You can really
see them easily on the ends of the Russet Potatoes. Big, ugly cracks.
These are actually called “storage cracks.” The longer
the spuds are in storage, the more likely you’ll see cracks.
It’s normal. The cracks are caused when the spud begins to
loose moisture. With less moisture, the spud begins to shrink. That
shrinking causes the cracks. The best place to understand this phenomenon
is a dry desert floor. After a flood saturating the soil with water,
the hot, dry desert sun begins to cook the ground, causing dehydration.
The ground dries up. Cracks appear as the soil shrinks. Do take
a look at these spud cracks. You can find decay at these cracks
as well. Other than that, these cracks are nothing to worry about.
Every Spring, we hear about…those sprouting spuds. Well, every
year, Spring is Mother Nature's way of rebirth, regrowth. People
get Spring fever. So do spuds. Dr.
Gale Kleinkopf is a potato professor, a spud scientist with
the University
of Idaho, at the Idaho
Center for Potato Research and Education. That's potato country.
Dr. Kleinkopf describes the sprouting process like this: "Potatoes
are tubers and they have a natural dormancy cycle of about 3 - 4
months. When there is a dormancy break, that tuber has completed
its cycle. Internal hormonal changes take place, causing the tuber
to sprout. It's a normal development to start a new plant for the
new year." When sprouting starts, growers call that "buds
are peeping from the eyes." Storage and temperature controls
help slow the sprouting by "increasing the dormancy time."
However, Dr. Kleinkopf says that "a sprouting spud is a healthy
spud." He says that sprouting actually causes the Russet potato
to dehydrate slightly, just enough to produce a much fluffier baked
potato. Here are some tips Dr. Kleinkopf says will help minimize
sprouting: Keep your spuds cool, and in the dark. That means keep
the lids on your potatoes. He says that if you end up with a lot
of sprouting, simply pluck the sprout off or peel the potato. Dr.
Kleinkopf also says that you can refrigerate your Russets. The cold
temperatures will slow the sprouting growth. Colder temperatures
will cause the starches to turn to sugar, so if you are frying your
spuds, this wouldn't be a good option. But, if you are boiling,
mashing or baking your spuds, refrigerating your potatoes would
be perfect. By the way, in the Spring, you start seeing "regrowth"
on other vegetables, like onions, garlic, shallots and gingerroot.
Keeping produce cold and dark will help slow regrowth. In the produce
industry, we call them “greenies,” spuds that turn green.
When exposed to sunlight, potatoes green, increasing the amounts
of glycoalkaloids, especially in and closest to the peel. Glycoalkaloids
are mildly poisonous.
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The green in your spuds
is caused by light, which produces chlorophyll.
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Green potato tubers are easily identified by their surface coloration.
This green coloration ("greening" also called "sun-burning")
can be as much as a half-inch deep in severe cases. French fries
made from green potatoes will have a green end and potato chips
will have a green edge. Associated with greening is the formation
of a natural chemical that can cause allergic reactions and illness.
Potato tubers, like leaves, turn green after prolonged exposure
to light, which is due to chlorophyll biosynthesis. The biosynthesis
of glycoalkaloids causes "solanine." Let’s take
a closer look at the phenomenon. Exposure of potato tubers to light
will induce the formation of a green pigmentation near the surface
of the potato. This is called "greening" and indicates
the formation of chlorophyll. This process is completely safe and
occurs in all plants. Chlorophyll is primarily found in leaves and
is responsible for a plant's ability to make food through photosynthesis.
Greening is strongly affected by the cumulative effects of light
quality, duration, and intensity. Chlorophyll is green because it
reflects green light while absorbing red-yellow and blue light.
Fluorescent lights induce more greening than incandescent lights.
That’s why we see greening in potatoes in a grocery store.
The temperature during light exposure is a another factor since
greening is an enzymatic response and enzyme activity increases
as temperature increases. There is no greening when the potato temperature
is less than refrigeration temperature (40°F) and is most rapid
at room temperature (68°F). So, why are we seeing more green
spuds in stores these days? Because many stores are now open 24
hours. When I first started in the retail business, our store opened
at 8 am and closed at 8 pm. At night, I would put burlap sacks over
the potato section, and then covered them with black plastic bags,
trying to keep all light off the spuds. Today, stores just don’t
close. The spuds are exposed to light constantly, leading to more
green spuds. By itself, chlorophyll is not a health concern. It
is harmless and tasteless. In potato tubers, the greening is a sign
that there may be an increase in the presence of glycoalkaloids,
especially the substance solanine. When the potato greens, solanine
increases to potentially high levels. Increased solanine levels
are responsible for the bitter taste resulting from a high solanine
concentration in potatoes after being cooked. Any chlorophyll and
solanine produced before cooking will remain after cooking. A good
guide is "if the potato tastes bitter, don't eat it."
Although greening is easier to see with white and yellow varieties,
russet and red varieties also will green. Avoid buying green potatoes
and inform the produce managers if greening is common. If you do
get some green spuds, don’t worry. These tips will help:
- Store potatoes for short periods in a dark, cool place.
- Wash potatoes before cooking to expose green areas.
- Cut away green areas, especially the peel, and cook the rest
for safe eating. If someone has a tendency toward allergies or
allergic reactions, dispose of the whole potato tuber to be safe.
If the potato tastes bitter, do not eat it.
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Where’s the “stink,”
of the “stinky rose?” |
GARLIC
(Tuesday, March 29): Where’s the “stink” of
the “stinky rose?” Well, “It ain’t over
‘til the fat lady sings.” So says Dandy Don Meredith,
the former quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys and former Monday Night
Football announcer. Dandy Don just might be singing his famous phrase
about Garlic. We are at the end of the storage season for fresh
domestic Garlic. The new domestic crop doesn’t start until
June. Until then, expect less flavor from your Garlic. You see,
Garlic is a bulb, and in the Spring, it begins to re-grow. That
tiny sprout begins dehydrating the bulb, causing some of those precious
oils to evaporate. The oil…is the flavor. Less oil. Less flavor.
So you may have to double up on the Garlic as an ingredient, or
chop it finer in order to release more oil content for flavor. To
help preserve the oil content, go ahead and refrigerate your Garlic.
That will help minimize dehydration.
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Ripen your Kiwifruit with
patience…and a paper bag. |
KIWIFRUIT
(Wednesday, March 30): You will be noticing a big difference
in Kiwifruit right now. The difference is in how ripe they are.
We are just ending California
supplies. At the end of their season, the fruit was very mature
and ripe, usually ready to eat when you bought it at the store.
But now, with California fruit basically finished, new crop fruit
is starting to come in from Chile,
followed in just a few months by new crop fruit from New
Zealand. The new crop fruit will be quite hard. It will ripen,
but you had better be patient with it. Buy your Kiwifruit well in
advance of when you want to use it. Place it in a brown paper bag
and put it out on your counter at room temperature. The magic of
the brown paper bag will help ripen the fruit. Be patient. The new
crop will take a few days longer to ripen.
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Use a brush to scrub and
wash your Cantaloupe…before you cut into it. |
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The state of Sonora is
in northern Mexico. That’s where our spring crop of
Cantaloupes are grown. |
CANTALOUPE (Thursday, March 31): Finally, we’re
getting some better quality melons, and prices are starting to get
back to more normal levels for this time of year. For most of the
winter, prices have been very high, and quality was aweful. In fact,
many retail stores around the country just stopped carrying Cantaloupe.
That’s how bad it got. Well, we are finally coming into new
crop acreage in northern Mexico, in the state of Sonora, around
the town of Hermosillo. Up until now, most of our melons have been
coming from “off-shore” growing regions of Central and
South America and the Caribbean, mostly Costa Rica and Guatemala.
You may have seen some mold on the shell. That’s because of
a “break,” a term we use to describe a breakdown during
transportation, particularly affecting melons that are wrapped in
plastic in the box. We’ve seen some mold issues, mostly because
the fruit is wrapped in plastic. Changes in temps on the boat ride
over to Florida, causes condensation in the bag, leading to mold
in the melon rind. I like checking for harvest dates. Sometimes,
melons are harvested, but can’t make it on the ship because
of tight shipping space. Those melons have to wait for the next
boat. This delay in shipping can bring a cheaper price, but also
a problem with shelf life. Cantaloupes, like most other melons,
originated in the Middle East. They love the hot, dry conditions.
So if they don’t get hot, dry growing conditions, the yields
and quality are way off. Cooler weather and rains throughout the
growing regions not only slowed growth, cut yields, but also spread
viruses and plant diseases throughout the region. In northern Mexico,
near the town of Hermosillo, most of the nation’s spring cantaloupe
crop is just about ready for peak harvest. This region of Mexico
used to be a vast desert, until farmers drilled deep water wells,
tapping into vast underground rivers flowing with crystal clean
water which had filtered through the Sierra Madre mountain range.
Farmers put in drip irrigation and turned this desert into a sprawling
melon oasis. We are finally starting to see better quality, with
better sugar, better color, flavor, and a thinner rind. Within a
month, Texas, Arizona and California fields should also start their
spring harvest, which will certainly increase quality, but also
bring better prices. Cantaloupes do not gain any more sugar content
once they have been picked. But, you can increase the flavor and
even make it “taste” sweeter. If you leave your unripe
Cantaloupe out at room temperature, you will cause some of the acids
in the fruit to dissipate, and the other volatile compounds in the
fruit will mix, causing the flavor to improve, and because some
of the acids have dissipated, it gives the impression that it is
sweeter. There are fewer acids to counter the sugar content in the
melon. Remember to always scrub the outside of your Cantaloupe with
a brush. All of those nooks and crannies in the rind is a perfect
hiding place for bad bacteria. Get out the Vanilla Ice Cream! It’s
time to once again enjoy sweet Cantaloupe.
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Workers scrape off “shellac”
from
the Rain trees in Southeast Asia.
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Your candy is shiny for
the same reason some produce is shiny. |
WAX
ON PRODUCE, (Friday, April 1): Did you know that candy
and produce have a lot in common? So does your timed-release medicines?
No kidding. This is no April Fool’s Joke. You no doubt have
seen the labels that read: Coated with food-grade animal-based wax
to maintain freshness. Or, Coated with food-grade vegetable-, beeswax-,
and/or shellac based wax or resin to maintain freshness. “What
is that shiny stuff on my produce,” you surely have thought.
You find it on your apples, oranges, grapefruit, on your tomatoes,
cucumbers and bell peppers. Is that waxy coating simply to make
the fruits and vegetables look “pretty?” Certainly,
a shiny apple does look prettier than a dull apple. However, the
purpose of the coating is to lengthen the shelf life of the item.
You see, when produce is picked or harvested, they are washed. That
washing cleans off much of the “natural oils” that are
already on the fruit or vegetable, so the growers replace that “natural
oil” with the waxy coating. Without the “wax,”
apples, for example would ripen and spoil 8 times faster. Without
the wax to replace the natural oils, those produce items would simply
dehydrate and shrivel before you even got to use them. What exactly
is that waxy substance? There are two main types used in the produce
industry. One is plant based and the other is animal based. “Carnauba”
comes from a Brazilian Palm tree, much like coconut oil. A waxy
substance exudes from the fan-shaped leaves of this palm tree to
keep the leaves from dehydrating.
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The fan-shaped leaves
of the Brazilian palm tree. |
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Raw Shellac (left) and
refined Shellac (right) |
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The whitish “shell”
from the “lac” beetle. That’s where we get
the word “shellac.” |
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Have you ever wondered
how
timed-release medicine worked?
It’s the same reason your produce stays fresher longer. |
This Palm tree, found primarily in northeastern Brazil, is also
known as the “Tree of Life.” The other wax comes from
a lac beetle found in India, Pakistan and Thailand. This lac beetle
crawls into the rain trees and lays its eggs. It then puts a protective
“shell” around the egg. Once the eggs have hatched,
workers climb into the trees to scrape off the “shell”
of the “lac” beetle. That’s where we get the word
“shellac.” This is much like beeswax, the honeycomb
of the honeybee. These raw waxes are refined and purified. And they
are used in many more applications than just fruits and vegetables.
Take a look at the ingredients list on many of your candies. Why
do you think they are so shiny? Why do they “melt in your
mouth, and not in your hand?” You will find Carnauba listed
on many ingredients lists. However, you will rarely find “shellac”
listed. That’s because bakers found a new word for “shellac.”
They call it “confectioner’s glaze.” It’s
shellac. You not only find it on your candies, but also on your
vitamins, which helps you swallow a vitamin so easily. You will
also find shellac or carnauba on many of the timed-release medicine
capsules. Have you ever wondered how timed-released capsules work?
There is a layer of medicine, followed by a layer of…shellac.
It takes about 30 minutes or so for the acids of your stomach to
break through the shellac and reach another layer of medicine, which
is then released into your body. This is followed by another layer
of shellac, another layer of medicine, and so on. I’ve never
seen anyone wash off their candy or their medicine, so don’t
fret over the wax on your fruits and vegetables. If you really have
to, you can simply rinse it off with a little warm water. By the
way, sometimes, you find a little whitish film on your apple. That’s
the wax, which has broken down through condensation. If the apple
goes from cold to room temp, back to cold, back to room temp, that
series of condensations will breakdown the wax, causing it to turn
white. Looks pretty ugly, but nothing wrong with it.
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