How do I store harvested sweet potatoes?
Written by
Julia Anderson
Reviewed by
Prof. Martin Thorne, Ph.D.Curing sweet potatoes at 80-85°F with 90% humidity for 10-14 days turns starchy tubers into sweet delicacies as it fills in wounds and converts the tuber's starches to sugars. (I prefer a small room with a space heater and humidifier!) Best to lay your harvest in single layers with a little space between each. Properly cured, sweet potatoes have at least double the shelf life, and the flavor is fantastic!
Preparation
- Gently brush off soil without washing tubers
- Sort by size for even curing
- Discard damaged or bruised specimens
- Allow surface drying for 2 hours before curing
Environment Setup
- Maintain 80-85°F (27-29°C) consistently
- Use humidifier for 85-90% humidity
- Ensure good air circulation with fans
- Monitor with digital hygrometer
Duration & Testing
- Cure for 10 days minimum
- Extend to 14 days for thicker-skinned varieties
- Test sweetness by cooking sample tubers
- Check for healed wounds and toughened skin
Store cured tubers in ventillated containers, such as wooden crates or mesh bags; I line mine with newspaper to help hold moisture. Never use plastic bags or airtight containers. Maintain a storage temperature of 55° to 60° F. Store purple varieties in slightly more humid conditions. I keep damp towels near them.
Once a month, inspect those sweet potatoes for spoilage, and prepare to cull out any that have begun to sprout or show signs of softening. I lost an entire harvest one year because I failed to make one quick trip to the basement. Store away from light and cool. "Moist-flesh" types, such as Covington, will keep satisfactorily for six to ten months; "dry-flesh" types (Bonita, for instance) will keep for four to six months. Never refrigerate uncooked tubers.
Soak a slightly shriveled tuber for half an hour before cooking, and it may be rescued. I have saved many in this way. Do not eat the sprouted tubers, but set them out again. Your cured crop will give you something during the winter, and you can have home-raised sweet potatoes all year long if properly kept.
Read the full article: How to Grow Sweet Potatoes Successfully
