Canning potatoes question

[kimba]

ok I just did 7qrts of potatoes ( I par-boliled them first)

 

Are they supposed to be a peachy-ish color when they are done? The potatoes themselves look ok but the aren't white - white....know what I mean???

 

Anyone know of they are ok??

 

Thanks!!

 

Kimba

[Canned Nerd]

You didn't state what kind of potatoes you were canning and where you got them -- fresh from the ground, store-bought.....

 

My new (waxy) potatoes seem to have a yellowish color to them, but I assume the color is caused by the sugars and starch in the potato when cooked. Did you 'can' with the cooking water or did you use fresh boiling water?

 

[kimba]

Store bought Russets -

 

I did not use the water I used to cook them in - had a kettle of boiling water

 

They aren't as peachy colored now that they've been sitting a few days. All the lids sealed fine.

[Canned Nerd]

I've never canned Russets since they go too soft and tend to disintegrate, preferring to use new potatoes, aka waxy.

 

That being said, I checked on the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) about canning potatoes and it noted -- Tubers stored below 45ºF may discolor when canned. Being store-bought that just may be your answer.

Canning Potatoes reference

 

I think your potatoes are fine/safe, but be aware about canning Russets.

[kimba]

Thanks Canned Nerd! The potatoes were 4.99 for 20 pounds - it was too good to pass up. I think I'll dehydrate them next time.

[AMarthaByHeart]

If you can new potatoes, can you leave the skin on? I used to can them but been so long I forgot what I did. I used to always can them with fresh green beans.

 

 

[kimba]

From what I heard/read on here skin on potatoes is a big no-no.

 

There's another thread on here that talks about this...I just can't remember which one

[Violet]

No, do NOT leave the skins on. You cannot get all the botulism spores off the skins. Even if you think you have scrubbed them well. It puts you and your family at a risk for botulism. Rember, you cannot see, taste, or smell botulism and if it is sealed in a jar and grows it can kill you within 2 to 3 days of sitting there.

That is why you also must reprocess within 24 hours of the initial canning of a food because it grows that fast and after that time even reprocessing may not kill all the botulism.

 

[AMarthaByHeart]

Thanks--I now know what to do. The old memory is hazy.

[Pigzzilla]

Kimba, I can Yukon Gold taters. They change color a bit. I have been told that it is normal. Store bought canned taters have something added to them to keep them white.

 

Yes, always peel taters before canning. Like Violet said, they carry invisible nasties even after scrubbing. pigz

[Jake]

Is it possible that you have iron in your water? Do you get rust stains in the washer, toilet, or bath? We have sulphur and iron in our water as well as a lot of mineral making it 100 grains of hardness. Our softener makes it usable for household use but I wouldn't drink it, the taste if off a bit. So I installed a reverse osmosis system for drinking and cooking water. Boy what a difference that made. It is like crystal clear bottle water coming from the tap now, canned foods taste are greatly affected by water quality.