Potato blight is the bane of many gardeners’ existence. This rapidly spreading disease can quickly ruin an otherwise bountiful potato harvest. 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?
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive into everything you need to know about consuming blighted potatoes.
Can You Eat Potatoes Affected by Blight?
Eating potatoes impacted by blight can potentially make you sick. Here’s why:
- The fungal lesions and rot contain the toxin solanine that can cause gastrointestinal issues if ingested.
- Decaying potatoes harbor bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella that trigger food poisoning.
- Even potatoes without visible exterior flaws can have internal microscopic blight infections spreading.
- Cutting away obvious blight spots doesn’t remove all 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 minor early blight lesions may be safe after heavy peeling and cooking, late blight damage or any internal rot makes the tubers unsafe to consume.
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 main types of potato blight:
- Early blight – Causes spotty brown lesions on leaves and stems that can later spread to tubers through cracks in the skin.
- Late blight – Occurs mid to late summer, manifesting as water-soaked brown spots on leaves that quickly 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 strain. It can destroy a whole potato crop within just weeks of the first signs appearing. Both types of blight negatively impact plant health and tuber quality.
Signs a Potato is Too Blighted to Eat
It’s not always clear if a potato is mildly or severely blighted. Watch for these signs of excessive damage and potential toxicity:
- Large dark brown, green, or black lesions covering over 25% of the surface, especially with an oozy consistency
- Visible white fuzzy fungal growth on the lesions
- Distinct dark ring patterns inside 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 or nearby plants
Any of these red flags mean you should NOT eat the potato, even if some sections look 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 can’t 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.
- Toss potatoes with 25% or more surface discoloration or lesions.
- Do not eat potatoes with any visible internal dark spots or rot when cut open.
- If the potato smells funky and musty, it’s too far gone – compost it.
- Peel away eyes, sprouts, and green skin, plus an extra 1⁄4 inch just to be safe.
- Cook suspect potatoes thoroughly until mushy to kill more potential contaminants.
Don’t take risks with suspect potatoes from blight-prone gardens. Better safe than sorry!
Safely Using Potatoes After Blight Damage
If caught early, potatoes with minor blight damage can still be enjoyed with proper handling:
- Inspect closely and cut open potatoes before cooking to check for internal issues.
- Peel away all eyes, sprouts, green skin, and discolored lesions, with an extra 1⁄4 inch margin.
- Dice and inspect again for any dark streaks or soft spots – remove those sections.
- Cook potatoes thoroughly until very soft and mushy, not just crispy or fork tender.
- Avoid eating raw potatoes even if peeled, like in salads. Cook them.
- Do not can or freeze potatoes that had any blight damage.
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
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to this pervasive disease. Here are organic ways to prevent blight on your plants:
- Choose 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 soil level in the morning to keep foliage dry.
- Use organic biofungicides with 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 plants.
- Maintain proper crop rotation each year – avoid following tomatoes, peppers or eggplants.
- Immediately remove any plants or debris with blight lesions to avoid spread.
With diligent monitoring and cultural methods, you can prevent potato blight issues altogether for a healthy, hearty harvest.
The Takeaway
When blight strikes, consume potatoes with caution. Check each one closely for flaws, odors and softness signaling contamination. If in doubt, do not eat it. Remove all eyes, sprouts, green skin, and lesions before cooking thoroughly. Enhance prevention tactics next season to avoid blight.
With some care and common sense, you can safely eat potatoes from a blight-affected crop. But if late blight takes hold or tubers show internal damage, they must be discarded. Don’t risk illness – when dealing with this sneaky pathogen, better safe than sorry!