Sweet Potatoes

We were expecting a few freezing nights recently so I had to dig up all the sweet potatoes from the raised beds. I did a little reading on the internet to learn about how to deal with them. They can stay in the ground until a freeze but once it freezes they need to be dug up and stored.

I'm experimenting with them and washed some and left some with the dirt on them. Some were huge and some were thin roots. A few were cracked which I have learned is because they got too much water at some point. They are supposed to be "cured" for a couple of weeks in a warm, humid area which allows the skins to toughen. Then they should be stored in a cooler place until you need them.

I bought a recipe book from Homestead Heritage which has useful information plus lots of recipes for them.

I cut off all the big leaves first.

This left me with short vines so I could see what I was digging.

I used my hands and a trowel and fork to dig them up.

These were the various sizes.

With the dirt still on them

This was a huge one that I washed. It looked like a conch shell to me. (too much water)

Another large one

After "curing" them for a couple of weeks, I now have them laid out in the garage. (unwashed ones)

These are the washed ones laid out in the garage. I have them on some netting for air circulation.

The Homestead Heritage sweet potato recipe book