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permaculture - Re: [permaculture] Processing Potatoes for longer term storage

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  • From: "John D'hondt" <dhondt@eircom.net>
  • To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Processing Potatoes for longer term storage
  • Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:20:38 +0100

One possible potato storage method was used in the war years in German occupied countries. For this potatoes were squashed into a fine pulp that was then stir washed repeatedly in clean water in a galvanised tub. The starch granules sink to the bottom quite fast so that with 4-5 washings almost pure starch remains. Most of the water can be decanted easily and what is left will keep almost forever when dried under even primitive conditions.
Not a nutrient dense food but in an emergency it could be a life saver. The first washings were fed to pigs.
john

Subject: [permaculture] Processing Potatoes for longer term storage


Ok, I left a little hint in an earlier email that claims potatoes can be civilization makers, and kept for longer term storage (so you don't live harvest to harvest (pay check to pay check) but have reserves for the bad year.)

Let us celebrate Bill Mollison and quote from Page 81 of Ferment and Human Nutrition Tagari 1993

"The dried potato is pre- Columbian in origin, and originated on the altiplano (high plains,) of the Andes where conditions are ideal for natural freeze-drying. On mid-winter nights frosts are severe, with minimum at -2 to -14C (28 to -6F) and the sunny days 26-35C(78-95F) humidity is 15 to 39% at dawn, and 12-18% at midday. Papa seca dried whole potato is made by boiling, the skins rubbed off cut up and again boiled to a thin gruel, which is then sun-dried to a crisp brown sheet, ground or milled into flour. It is stored for months."

Bill mentions that Vitamin C is reduced by this processing.

Also

"Potato Cheese In Saxony, potatoes boiled and beaten with sour milk are made into a sort of cheese, which packed in well-sealed vessels is kept many years (from an old book the title page missing; it might be worth a try) I imagine 6-15% salt would be essential."

Bill leaves us the detective work to get good at it by trial and error or to hunt down recipes and instructions that work.

In modern times there are freeze-dry-vacuum machines that can reduce a runny mash potatoes into cream white dried flakes or fine powders. This is what was stored in such large quantities in the 1970's. I remember my mother making mash potatoes from powders then. Potato flours or mash potato mix vary in quality. These may be able to retain more Vit C on a single cook cycle basis. Vacuum packs of the stuff is available in O2 barrier bags, packed with O2 absorbers.

I will write about long term rice storage another time.
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