Seeing as I am part Irish, (my maiden name is O'Neal), and we are gearing up for everything green, I thought I would write a post about potatoes. Green potatoes that is. Green potatoes you say? Aren't they toxic? Here is all the mash on green potatoes.
I was peeling some spuds for a stew I was making and I found that I purchased a whole bag of the most green-skinned potatoes I have ever seen.
No, they were not part of a St. Patrick's day display.
It's in my Irish blood to enjoy a good potato and for reasons other than being Irish.
They have gotten a bad rap from people trying to stay away from carbs but these tubers are actually full of all sorts of good stuff. That is why countries like Ireland were able to depend on growing potatoes, (Irish Lumper was the variety they chose). This is also the reason why their luck ran out in the 1840's during the potato famine where approximately one million people died and approximately one million people emigrated from Ireland.
Why do potato skins turn green?
They can produce their own toxicity when they turn colour or are exposed to sunlight.
A green-skinned potato has produced too much solanine, a phytonutrient from the alkaloids family.
So, if you are thinking of celebrating St. Paddy's day with green potatoes, think again. Too much solanine can give you headaches, nausea, diarrhea, or fatigue.
But
You would have to indulge in quite a few of these green tubers to let it wreck your green merry-making.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
They can produce their own toxicity when they turn colour or are exposed to sunlight.
A green-skinned potato has produced too much solanine, a phytonutrient from the alkaloids family.
So, if you are thinking of celebrating St. Paddy's day with green potatoes, think again. Too much solanine can give you headaches, nausea, diarrhea, or fatigue.
But
You would have to indulge in quite a few of these green tubers to let it wreck your green merry-making.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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