Last year, Ingrid and I purchased a 50 pound bag of winter potatoes at the end of the season. We really didn’t know what we were doing, but hey, 50 pounds of potatoes for $16 was quite a bargain…plus, they were grown right here in RI. We simply put the bag in the basement, but due to the weight of the potatoes on top of each other and the access to the light, they became mushy and overrun with sprouts. To alleviate the problem this year, we came up with the P.S.D. or Potato Storage Device. We took an old rubbermaid container that we weren’t using and poked a couple of hole in the side. We then took a couple of wooden dowels and pushed them through the holes to create a support for a wire shelf. We then punched a couple of holes in the bottom to allow for some airflow. We placed a couple of blocks of wood on the bottom so that it would create an airspace between the bottom and the first layer of potatoes. We laid some wire mesh on top of that and then used the pieces of the bag as a liner. We put half of the potatoes in the bottom and half the potatoes on the top shelf so they won’t get squished. The top keeps out most of the light…so far the potatoes have been in the basement for two months with minimal sprouting and deterioration…we’ll see if the P.S.D. can make them last the long haul.

-Josh