By Larry Billinger
So, there I was, getting ready for work one morning, listening to the radio. The KSU agronomist was on, sharing his usual tips on gardening, storing veggies, and making our green thumbs even greener. Then, out of nowhere, a nugget of wisdom hit me like a bolt of lightning:
“Never store onions and potatoes together because it causes the potatoes to sprout early.”
Wait, what? In all my 40-plus years, I’d never heard such a thing! I rushed to tell my wife this groundbreaking news. Her reaction? Shock, surprise, and a touch of “how could you not know that?” I was flabbergasted. How could this crucial piece of information slip past me all these years?
A Humbling Revelation
Naturally, I had to know more. I asked around—friends, family, even the guy at the grocery store. Turns out, they all knew this little tidbit about onion and potato storage. Seriously, was I the only one left in the dark? I began to wonder: has everyone known this since the dawn of time? Is it some kind of ancient, unwritten rule that my family forgot to pass down?
The Science Behind It
Alright, let’s get to the root (pun intended) of this: is it true? And if so, why?
Yes, it’s true. Onions and potatoes shouldn’t be stored together. The reason lies in the gases they emit. Potatoes release moisture and a gas called ethylene as they ripen. Ethylene can cause onions to spoil faster. On the flip side, onions release sulfur compounds that can cause potatoes to sprout prematurely. It’s a veggie storage nightmare!
A Lightbulb Moment
Looking back, it all makes sense now. I’ve never seen onions and potatoes stored together in any household. Maybe it was an unspoken rule, or perhaps I just wasn’t paying attention. But why did no one ever tell me explicitly? I guess it’s one of those things you pick up along the way, like how to ride a bike or that you shouldn’t eat yellow snow.
Calling All Latecomers
Now, I’m curious—am I the only one who missed the memo on this? If you’ve never heard of this storage tip either, please, for my sanity, comment below. Let’s form a club of latecomers who just discovered this gem of information. We can exchange more “I thought everyone knew that” moments and laugh about our collective ignorance.
ChatGPT 40 and Beyond
And while we’re at it, let’s see how good this newly released ChatGPT 40 is at writing articles. Is it better than its predecessors? Only time will tell, but for now, I’m just grateful for its assistance in sharing this newfound knowledge with you all. Here’s to smarter storage and sprout-free potatoes!
