Information and discussion for successfully cultivating potatoes, the world's fourth largest crop.
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July 26, 2013 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 637
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Can I eat the berries?
I discovered berries on Yukon Gold this year. At first I thought it had crossed with a tomato! Didn't know what they were.
My daughter send me some info saying stuff like No this is not a seed, can't be planted. Well this site has proven that to be wrong! So is the berry something one could eat? If so, what would you make with them? How do they taste, or would they be too high in the toxin associated with the green skin from too much sun? |
July 26, 2013 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Long Island NY
Posts: 1,992
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I don't grow potatoes, but I grew up in Long Island potato country and worked on many a potato farm moving irrigation pipe as a kid.
Unless something has changing with respect to varietal differences, my understanding always was that they are loaded with alkaloids and therefore toxic. |
July 26, 2013 | #3 |
Crosstalk™ Forum Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: 8407 18th Ave West 7-203 Everett, Washington 98204
Posts: 1,157
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All potato berries, even when they are fully ripe and aromatic, are toxic. The alkaloid, glycoalkaloids, solanine...whatever you want to call the chemicals are there to protect the fruit from wholesale consumption. The bitterness alone would make you spit them out, but once they are eaten to a certain very small amount can lead to stomach or intestinal bleeding, etc.
A fully ripe potato berry can be very pleasant to the nose, and some varieties more than others. |
July 26, 2013 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Cache Valley, N/E of The Great Salt Lake
Posts: 1,244
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I tasted potato berried last winter, several months after harvest. They had turned yellow and soft. I would classify them as edible. They didn't have the slightest bit of bitterness about them. I wouldn't say that about a green potato berry though!!!!
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July 26, 2013 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 637
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Thank you, especially Tom! I figured as much, but now I know! The expert has spoken.
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July 27, 2013 | #6 | |||
Crosstalk™ Forum Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: 8407 18th Ave West 7-203 Everett, Washington 98204
Posts: 1,157
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I somewhat concur with Joseph about the seemingly edible nature of a ripe, soft potato berry. Seems to have a lower sensation of the solanine complex. However, my instinct is to say it is still toxic in some measure...bitterness put aside. Edible is not the choice of a word for the potato berry. To err on the side of safety, I will offer a no on this subject and suggest a review of the information from the internet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_poisonous_plants Quote:
Tomato-like Fruit on Potato Plants This article was published originally on 7/2/2004 Byline: by Richard Jauron, Department of Horticulture Quote:
Quote:
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July 27, 2013 | #7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Cache Valley, N/E of The Great Salt Lake
Posts: 1,244
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Yup. Potatoes can come true at any time: Plant of clone of the tuber!!!!
To my tastebuds, a supposedly edible solanum fruit like Garden Huckleberry is definitely poisonous. Tastes way too nasty to consider eating. |
July 27, 2013 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mid-Ohio
Posts: 848
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On a related tangent, I read where potatoes were first rejected by the English because (roughly as I remember it) the green tops were served to Queen Elizabeth and her people instead of the tubers and everyone got sick.
But that is not a common story AFAIK, so I wonder if it is just made up. |
July 27, 2013 | #9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Durhamville,NY
Posts: 2,706
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I suspect that it's made up. I can see some novel food being served by a cook to a queen without someone having eaten it before, particularly when the penalty was most likely to be executed.
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July 27, 2013 | #10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Cache Valley, N/E of The Great Salt Lake
Posts: 1,244
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It took a long time for Europeans and especially for American Yankees to adopt the tomato as being edible. It was still considered poisonous by the settlers that homesteaded my farm.
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