How much green on a potato before you can't use it?

[Colin_M]

I'm getting a few that are 4-5 inches long and have some green in the final inch at one end. Is it safe to cut off a good inch or so further down, or has the nasties in the green part already spread elsewhere in the tuber?

[Westi]

I always cut it back to where there is white only
and use as normal. I'm still here to tell the tale
but others might say something along the line
'Oh that explains quite a bit then'

Westi

[alan refail]

Colin

I agree 100% with Westi - cut back to the white.
I read that all parts of the potato plant are "poisonous" - but you'd have to eat 5 kilos to have any noticeable effect on you

[Johnboy]

Hi Alan,
This is rather like the American speaker on Woman's Hour a few years back who like most of her compatriots like to try and prove that sayings like "An Apple a day keeps the doctor away" are nonsense.
She broadcast that Apples were if fact poisonous and when you drink Cider you are in fact poisoning yourself not getting drunk.
The BBC switchboard was jammed with concerned women and the following day had to tell everybody that in order to be poisoned, enough to even make you sick, you would have to eat something like two hundredweight of Apples a day.
As regards Potatoes Westi has got it spot on.
JB

[Colin_M]

Hi JB,
do you know, there are quite a few groups (inc. macrobiotics) who believe that all members of the Solanum family have enough links to plants like Deadly Nightshade that they should not be eaten. Some people believe that this includes Tomatoes, Aubergines and Sweet Peppers as well as spuds.

Our culinary lives would be a lot less interesting without these being available to use

[Johnboy]

Hi Colin,
I was unaware of these people but am not at all surprised. What really annoys me is that these people seem to have credence over people with a sensible approach to gardening and growing when it comes to broadcasting on the BBC. They are obviously more newsworthy than boring old conventional/organic people.
This weeks figures on sales on organic produce seems to prove one of the points that I have been trying to say for a long time.
Sales of conventionally grown produce £71 Billion to organic sales of only £1 Billion and knowing what they charge for organic produce their billion wouldn't buy as much food as a billion pounds of conventional produce.
I feel it someway goes to prove that those who grow their own produce organically do not buy organically because I feel the sales figure would be far higher. There are very few growers that are any where near self sufficient in vegetables which means that most growers buy in a great percentage of their vegetables.
Now what this has got to do with green potatoes and the answer is absolutely nothing!
JB.

[Geoff]

People often go on about the Mediterranean diet and the like but have you ever thought what proportion of our diet is South American?