Have you ever opened your kitchen cabinet and instead of potatoes, you were greeted by a real botanical experiment? Those long, green shoots may look like science fiction, but in reality they only mean one thing – your potatoes have decided to grow... and without you.
But fear not – salvation for sprouted potatoes comes straight from the treasury of wisdom of our grandmothers (and a little bit from Facebook). And the best part? All you need is a single, simple apple. Yes, you read that right – an apple! The one that has been sitting alone in the fruit bowl for three weeks, waiting for its five minutes of fame.
Why an apple among potatoes?
Quite simply: apples emit ethylene gas, which is a kind of natural “life coach” of the plant world – it accelerates the ripening of fruit. But with potatoes it works counterintuitively (like many life lessons): instead of promoting ripening or sprouting, it actually inhibits it. You can send your gratitude directly to nature.
This way, the potatoes stay firm, fresh, and don't develop those mysterious growths that remind you of clips from documentaries about strange life forms. Or, to be more precise, they stay just the way you like them: without surprises.
Grandmas know what they're doing (even if they have Facebook)
While it may sound like a Gen Z TikTok trick, this tip is as old as time – or at least as old as our grandmothers. It's been passed down from generation to generation for decades, somewhere between a potica recipe and a warning not to open the oven while a sponge cake is baking.
And now it's experiencing a renaissance - proof that sometimes the best solutions are found in the past. Or in the comments under posts titled "The best home tips your mom didn't tell you."
How exactly to do this potato trick?
It's simple: add a whole, fresh apple to your potato box, net, or bag. Not the peel, not the apple juice, and not the compote from that jar from 2016. Let it be a juicy fruit—ready to save your potatoes from premature transformation into Franken-vegetable.
Pro tip: use an apple that no one wants to eat anyway – you know, the one with a tiny bruise or that suspicious spot that still doesn't belong in the trash.
Bonus: a fragrant kitchen and bonus points from your mother-in-law
In addition to saving your potatoes from rotting, the apple will also start to smell like an autumn market – cozy, homey, almost like apple pie (if you're a little imaginative).
And yes – if your mother-in-law ever “accidentally” peeks into your pantry, she will be impressed by your “innovation”. Even though you will read about this trick here. The question is, will you admit to her that it was the online version of your grandmother who advised you to do this?
So if you're looking for the cheapest, most natural, and possibly most nostalgic way to store potatoes without the fear of them turning into a green alien - remember this: one potato, one apple, one happy pantry.
