Odd question - How can I make a potato rot quickly?

[Cindy in C-ville]

For a week on the Great Potato Famine, I want to show the kids what a rotten potato looks like, and if they would dare to open the ziploc bag that is holding it, what it smells like. How can I get a potato to go from fresh to rotten in one week?

 

TIA!

 

:) Cindy

[beaners]

Could you freeze it for a day or two then set it in a warm spot? Would that work?

[Annie]

In my experience, the organic ones rot a lot more quickly.

[Tap]

ask at a grocery store to see if they have any already rotten ones.

[Spock]

For reasons I have never known, potatoes seem to rot more quickly if stored close to onions (the reason I store my onions in the refrigerator instead of the pantry shelf near the potatoes).

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

For reasons I have never known, potatoes seem to rot more quickly if stored close to onions (the reason I store my onions in the refrigerator instead of the pantry shelf near the potatoes).

 

Is the reverse true, as well? I store my potatoes and onions right next to each other, and it's my onions that seem to mold quickly :glare:

[FairProspects]

Do you have an organic farm you can get one from? I ask because potatoes are sprayed with Bud Nip which makes it nearly impossible for them to rot or sprout. That's why they make the "dirty dozen" list for pesticide veggies (well that and that they grow under the ground so they absorb more pesticides).

 

Here is a short video that describes the differences well from a child's science experiment:

http://videosift.com/video/Creepy-chemicals-on-your-food

[Chris in VA]

You could try making an organic potato wet and setting it with an apple (apple gives off "ripening" gases) in a plastic bag. Put it in a really warm place in your house.