Some people say the ordinary "Irish" potato is poisonous when the skin is green, and they are at least partly correct. A potato develops a green skin if the potato tuber grows so close to the surface of the soil that it is exposed to light. An alkaloid called solanine develops under this condition and may be present in toxic amounts. Eating such a potato raw may be dangerous. However, cooking breaks down the solanine molecules and makes the potato as edible and tasty as any other.

The so-called Irish potato is of interest to us historically. Its real country of origin is only part of the story. Check your local library to find out about this potato and its relatives. Are all related organisms edible? Where did this group of plants develop? Why is it called the Irish potato?

Check the Internet for further information and details that will help answer this question. The type of fungus responsible for this infection is still with us and is found world wide and still causing great losses in many plants other than potatoes.