According to experts, the potato is the second-most consumed food in the US. Just imagine, the average person eats 135 pounds of this vegetable every year. And thatโs not counting all the potato lovers in other parts of the world.
But when COVID-19 hit, a lot of people were forced to leave their homes to quarantine with either family or friends. Although some of them only had to stay away for a short time, others were gone for months. Without much time to prepare, the majority of people grabbed what they could and headed out the door.
That meant a lot of things were left behind, including foodโฆspecifically potatoes. Do you know what happens to potatoes? They sprout. And as youโll see from these 30 photos, they often take on a life of their own.
1. Itโs kind of like wall art
If you missed it, these are potato sprouts making their way up the wall. Either this homeowner was horrified or they discovered a new method of changing the appearance of their kitchen. Who knows, they might be onto something.
2. Mr. Potato Head
Hey, with a little creativity, your child could have a blast with this. Okay, probably not. But if you added some googly eyes and a cherry tomato nose, youโd have to admit it looks a lot like the real deal. This is a great way to save money on buying toys.
3. Who knew
Weโve probably all seen sprouting potatoes but these look as though theyโre on steroids. Until we saw this, we had no idea they could grow so tall. Thatโs pretty impressive.
4. Not surprising
From the looks of it, this sweet potato was left in a dark place way before the pandemic started. Come to find out, the homeowner stumbled upon it one year after buying it. So, now you know what to expect if you donโt clean out your pantry for a very long time.
5. Yesโฆthatโs a potato
If you werenโt told, you might think this was some kind of strange sea creature. It appears to have a small head and tiny little tentacles. Itโs kind of cute in an odd way. What name would you give it?
6. Sprouts or cobwebs
Imagine coming home, opening your cupboard, and finding this. Thereโs a good chance youโd jump back in fear. After all, it looks a lot like a big spiderweb at first glance. Fortunately, itโs only a bag of potatoes that someone forgot about. Whewโฆthatโs a relief.
7. Such pretty coralโฆ
โฆoh wait, thatโs a potato. You have to admit it has a nice color and would look great sitting o the bottom of an aquarium. The only problemโฆwe donโt think the fish would be too keen on the idea.
8. Making a statement
Since most of these photos are ordinary potatoes, it looks as though this sweet potato wanted to make sure it was noticed. And with those pinkish, tall sprouts, thereโs no way to avoid staring at it. Mission accomplished.
9. Very strange
Is it just us or can you hear eerie music playing while you look at this photo? Shoot, a good producer could use this as a prop for their next sci-fi movie and no one would have a clue itโs a potato.
10. Positive and negative
The negative is this person wonโt be able to enjoy the microwavable dinner they bought. The positive is the company that makes this specific product uses real potatoes. This could be a great marketing strategyโฆor not.
11. Independent little suckers
Noโฆthey couldnโt work as a team to make their way out of the bag. Instead, these potatoes wanted to show their independence. So, they each went their own way and this was the result.
12. Big entanglement
If the cable guy saw this before the homeowner had time to explain, heโd probably jump in his truck and drive away as fast as he could. Who wants to mess with a tangled-up cable like that? If he only knew.
13. A for effort
We have to give this sweet potato some credit. While it mightโve sprouted like others, at least it grew pretty purpleโฆwhatever those things are. Itโs kind of attractive in a unique sort of way.
14. Nightmare worthy
We have no idea what kind of potato this isโฆor was. And to be frank, we donโt want to know. This is the kind of thing that causes people to have nightmares. Just looking at the photo is scary.
15. Showoff
Not only did these potatoes grow some beautiful purple-pink sprouts but they grew a lot of them. Personally, we think they were simply trying to showoff to all the other potatoes.
16. Thatโs kind of cool
At first, it looks somewhat like a frog or turtle. You can sort of see a tiny head, arms, and legs. But upon closer inspection, you realize itโs a potato with an unusual sprout.
17. Tasty treat
While this bucket of potatoes might not be the prettiest thing to look at, at least the sprouts taste good. If you donโt believe us, just ask this kitty. Then again, maybe heโs getting a whiff of the popcorn that used to be in the container.
18. Just imagine
According to these homeowners, they were only away from the house for three weeks when they came back to find this. You can imagine what the potato wouldโve looked like if theyโd been gone any longer than that.
19. Need to clean better
Only after cleaning in the back of a kitchen cabinet was this discovered. Hopefully, the individual will be more thorough the next time they decide to clean. Itโs just a suggestion.
20. Growing legs
If you look at this just right, it appears as though this sweet potato decided to grow legs. Now that we think about it, it has a very similar appearance to a lobster. But we doubt it tastes anything like one.
21. A bunch of weedsโฆ
โฆor so it appears. In reality, this is a box of potatoes the homeowner forgot about for a year. If they could plant those things, theyโd end up with a great potato crop.
22. A song comes to mind
When looking at this photo, one particular song comes to mind. You know, the Eric Carmen song, โAll by Myself?โ Well, itโs trueโฆnone of the others felt the need to sprout.
23. Forgotten
Yepโฆthis is what happens when you forget about a bag of potatoes for more than a year. We just canโt figure out how people forget about potatoes. Especially since theyโre the number two food consumed in the US.
24. Nice lunch
Rather than this individual leaving their home because of the coronavirus, they simply forgot theyโd taken a potato to work for lunch. We seriously hope they didnโt eat it. Thatโd be gross and possibly land them in the ER.
25. Party time
You just canโt trust a bag of potatoes. You leave them under the sink without supervision and the next thing you know, theyโre having a sprout party. Please tell us they stayed out of the cheese balls.
26. Beautiful arrangement
You know, with a touch of greenery and the right colored bow, this could almost pass as a high-dollar floral arrangement. The operative word here is โalmost.โ
27. In hiding
These potatoes were down in a cellar for so long that they shriveled up to the point of becoming invisible. The only thing you can see are all the sprouts. Are we sure there were potatoes?
28. This is creepy
If I saw a bag like that in my kitchen cupboard, Iโd probably freak out. For one thing, you can barely tell what it is. But thereโs also a good chance that bag doesnโt smell very good. Then, you have to consider those โfingersโ on the ends of the sproutsโฆwhat are they for?
29. Itโs aliveโฆ
โฆor at least you might think it is if you saw that thing on your kitchen floor. It could be a really big spider or some kind of alien creature. Who knows? Just get out of there fast before it eats you alive.
30. Keep turning
If you donโt rotate your potatoes every few days, this is what you can expect to see. This vegetable picks a side to sprout on and nothing you say will change its mind. Stubborn little thing.
31. Taking over
This forgotten bag of potatoes has started to take over. The sprouts have grown so long, theyโre already wrapping around the broom. This person better act quickly or who knows what could happen.
32. Looks like an octopus
Placing a potato by the window to try to get it to sprout is kind of fun. But when it transforms into an octopus type creature, no oneโs laughing.
33. Small but mighty
This potato might be pint-sized but donโt say that to its face. By the looks of it, this little guy has already proven he might be small but heโs capable of accomplishing big things.
34. Attack of the potato
These potatoes appear to be on the attack. Just look how theyโre grabbing this guyโs arm. Okay, maybe thatโs a little dramatic but they still look like theyโre up to no good.
35. Attention seeker
This person shared how they reached into their pantry for something and having forgotten about the potato, got the scare of their life. Yeah, grabbing hold of this without realizing itโs a potato would do that.
36. The โFish Potatoโ
If you havenโt heard, thereโs a new type of exotic fish. It looks a lot like a potato with fish-like sprouts. Okay, youโre not buying it. Youโre right, itโs a potato with fish-like sprouts.
37. Gorgeous centerpiece
Itโd be kind of funny to make this sprouting potato the focal point of a dining room centerpiece. Then, wait to see how many people compliment the arrangement.
38. Two possibilities
The sprouts on these potatoes are almost perfectly symmetrical. Maybe this individual could use it as a television antenna. Or perhaps they could mount it on their wall as a trophy. A third optionโฆthey could toss it in the trash.
39. Oh my
Thereโs not really anything we can say about these potatoes. So, you can just let your imagination run wild. Weโre standing by the rule, โif you canโt say something nice then donโt say anything at all.โ
40. Itโll be fine
Just toss it with some other vegetables, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper, and dinner is served. Weโre kidding. Unfortunately, thereโs no hope for this potato. Itโs seen far better days.