Can You Safely Eat a Potato Affected by Blight?

As a vegetable lover and avid home gardener, you’ve probably dealt with annoying plant diseases like blight that can ruin an otherwise bountiful potato harvest. Late blight in particular causes potatoes to rot quickly, rendering them inedible But what if your potatoes have only minor blight damage? Is it safe to simply cut away the visibly affected parts and eat the rest? Let’s dive into the risks of consuming blighted potatoes and how to determine if they are still edible

What Exactly is Potato Blight?

Potato blight is a fungal disease caused mainly by the organism Phytophthora infestans. This fungus thrives in wet humid conditions and can spread rapidly through both potato foliage and tubers.

There are two stages of potato blight:

• Early blight causes spotty brown lesions on potato plant leaves and stems. It can spread to tubers later in the season through cracks in the skin.

• Late blight occurs in mid to late summer, manifesting as water-soaked brown spots on leaves that quickly enlarge and kill the entire plant. Infected tubers exhibit dark brown or green lesions with underlying rot

Late blight is by far the more damaging and aggressive type. It can decimate an entire potato crop within just a few weeks of the first signs appearing. Both types of blight negatively impact plant health and tuber quality.

Can You Eat Potatoes Affected by Blight?

Eating potatoes impacted by blight can make you sick. Here’s why:

• The fungal lesions and internal rot contain the toxin solanine that can cause gastrointestinal issues if ingested.

• The decaying potatoes harbor bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella that also trigger food poisoning.

• Even potatoes without visible exterior lesions can have microscopic blight infections spreading internally.

• Cutting away obvious blight spots doesn’t remove all the contamination if it has penetrated deep into the potato.

• Cooking doesn’t destroy the dangerous solanine toxin or bacteria hiding within affected potatoes.

So while a potato with a few small early blight lesions on the skin may be okay to consume after extensive peeling and cooking, late blight damage or any internal rot makes the tubers unsafe to eat.

Signs That Indicate a Potato is Too Blighted to Eat

It’s not always straightforward to determine if a potato is mildly or severely blighted. Look for these clear signs of excessive blight and potential toxicity:

• Large dark brown, green, or black lesions on the surface, especially with an oozy consistency

• Visible fuzzy white fungal growth on the lesions

• Distinct dark ring patterns inside the potato when cut open

• Soft, mushy spots or streaks in the potato flesh

• Strong musty odor, versus fresh potato smell

• Wrinkled, shriveled potato skin indicating advanced decay

• Known late blight infection of the plant foliage or neighboring potato plants

Any of these red flags mean you should NOT eat the potato, even if some sections appear healthy. Intense surface discoloration, internal damage, foul odors, and late blight context are dead giveaways that extensive contamination is present. Don’t risk getting sick; compost severely blighted potatoes.

When In Doubt, Play It Safe

If you cannot conclusively assess whether a potato is heavily blighted or has only minor damage, err on the side of caution. In general:

• Discard any potato from a late blight-infected crop, regardless of appearance. Assume the spores have spread.

• Toss potatoes with discoloration or lesions covering more than 25% of the surface.

• If internal dark spots or rot is visible when cut open, do not eat the potato.

• If the potato smells funky and musty, it’s too far gone. Into the compost pile it goes.

• When peeling away eyes, sprouts, and green skin, go an extra 1/4 inch deeper just to be safe.

• Cook suspect potatoes thoroughly until mushy to kill more potential contaminants.

Why risk a bout of food poisoning? Follow this better-safe-than-sorry approach with potatoes from blight-prone gardens.

Safely Using Potatoes After Blight Damage

If caught early, potatoes with minor blight damage can still be enjoyed with proper handling:

• Inspect the potato closely and cut it open to check for internal issues before cooking.

• Peel away all eyes, sprouts, green skin, and discolored lesions, with an extra 1/4 inch margin.

• Dice up the peeled potato to inspect it again for any dark streaks or soft spots. Remove those sections.

• Cook the potatoes thoroughly until very soft and mushy, not just crispy or fork tender.

• Avoid eating raw potatoes even if they will be peeled, like in salads. Cook them.

• Do notCan or freeze potatoes that had any blight damage, as the processing may not kill toxins and bacteria.

With meticulous inspection, peeling, and cooking, potatoes with slight superficial early blight can potentially still be eaten. But late blight or any internal damage means they must be discarded.

Preventing Potato Blight in the First Place

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to this pervasive potato disease. Here are organic and natural ways to fend off blight on your plants:

• Select blight-resistant potato varieties like Red Gold, Defender, Jacqueline Lee, and Blue Amish.

• Space plants generously and prune stems to encourage airflow and dry leaves quickly.

• Water at the soil level in the morning to keep foliage dry as blight spores require moisture.

• Use compost tea and organic biofungicides with beneficial Bacillus bacteria to protect from infections.

• Avoid overhead watering and working with wet plants to limit blight transmission.

• Spread a thick organic mulch layer to suppress soil-splashing onto the plants.

• Maintain proper crop rotation from year to year. Avoid following tomatoes, peppers, or eggplants which also get blight.

• Immediately remove any plants or plant debris with clear blight lesions to avoid spread. Do not compost infected material.

With diligent monitoring and these cultural methods, you can sidestep potato blight issues altogether and enjoy a healthy, hearty harvest.

When Blight Strikes, Consume with Caution

No gardener wants to see blight ravage their carefully grown potatoes. With such a fast-spreading disease, some tubers may escape unscathed while others get varying degrees of infection. Check each individual potato closely for any flaws, odors, or softness that signal contamination. If in doubt, do not consume the vegetable. Remove all eyes, sprouts, green skin, and lesions with a good margin before cooking thoroughly. And enhance prevention tactics next season to avoid blight altogether.

With a little caution and common sense, you can safely salvage and eat potatoes from a blight-affected crop. But if late blight takes hold or the potatoes have internal damage, they must be discarded. Why risk getting sick? If something seems off with your potatoes, be extra vigilant against potential toxins or bacteria. When dealing with this sneaky pathogen, better safe than sorry!