Potato
Solanum tuberosum
A stem tuber, not a root. Green tubers and foliage contain glycoalkaloids (solanine). Store in the dark. Not a sweet potato (Ipomoea, different family).
GROW → HARVEST → EAT → DRY → POWDER → CAPSULE → GUMMY — forms are not equivalent. Food first.
Identity
What it is
A stem tuber, not a root. Green tubers and foliage contain glycoalkaloids (solanine). Store in the dark. Not a sweet potato (Ipomoea, different family).
Edible portions
- tubers that are not green
Absence of a portion from this list means it is not treated as food here — not that every other part is toxic.
Growing
- Climate. Cool nights help tuber set
- Light. Full sun
- Soil. Loose, well-drained, moderately acid; do not lime like cabbage
- Planting. Certified seed tubers, not grocery potatoes treated against sprouting if they fail. Hill to cover developing tubers.
- Harvest. New potatoes when plants flower; main crop after vines die.
Processing, drying, storage
- Storage. Dark, cool, humid, not the fridge for long-term (sugar conversion). Never store with apples if you want them dormant. See also Make → Storage.
Preparation and culinary uses
- Boil, roast, fry — preparation changes glycemic impact more than variety folklore does
Nutrition and compounds
- Minerals (qualitative). potassium, vitamin C — look up current USDA FoodData Central entries for numbers.
AAA interpretation Food first. These associations explain why a plant shows up in a nutrient conversation — they are not a supplement shopping list.
Safety
- Do not eat green or sprouting-heavily green tissue. Compost green leftovers; don’t juice leaves.
Next steps
Sources
- USDA PLANTS Database — taxonomy and range (verify current entries)
- USDA FoodData Central — nutrient profiles for foods (verify current entries; this page does not invent milligrams)
- State cooperative extension growing guides — verify for your region
Honest incompleteness is preferred to fabricated completeness. If a section is missing, no record for it is attached here — not a claim that the plant lacks that characteristic, and not that it was omitted as a secret.
Internal quality class A. Strong page: distinctive plant facts plus practical growing or kitchen use.