If you've ever eaten a freshly picked sweet potato, you'll know the result can be disappointing: lots of starch and little flavor. To reach their full potential, sweet potatoes should be left to rest in a warm and humid environment for between 4 and 14 days. During this time, the starches will turn into sugars, any cuts on the surface will heal, the peel will become thicker and seal the natural moisture of the pulp. Sweet potatoes should be stored at a temperature of 29 ° C with a humidity of 80-90%. You can easily create these environmental conditions with a few simple tricks to ensure a delicious result.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Making the Sweet Potatoes
Step 1. Clean the potatoes by removing the larger pieces of earth or clay
After you have grown and harvested the sweet potatoes, remove the larger pieces of earth, clay or mud, either with your bare hands or with the help of a rag. Resist the temptation to wash them - even if sweet potatoes should be stored in a humid environment, excess moisture could cause them to rot.
- If the potatoes are wet from rain or because the soil has recently been watered, be sure to dry them thoroughly before moving them to where you intend to store them.
- Do not worry about cleaning them thoroughly, you can remove the residual earth at the end of the curing period, when the skin has become thicker.
Step 2. Tear off the roots hanging from the tuber
Detach the roots and any sprouts from the potatoes, even if this will cause tears. During the curing phase, a new layer of peel will be created that will make them perfect again.
If needed, use the knife to separate the sweet potatoes, even if a large portion of the pulp is exposed. During the curing phase, a new layer of peel will form. Just try to minimize the section of the cut
Step 3. Immediately transfer the potatoes to the place where you want to store them
The resting phase must begin within hours of harvesting. Even a delay of only 12 hours between the time the sweet potatoes are harvested and the start of the resting phase can negatively affect the regeneration process.
Part 2 of 3: Storing Sweet Potatoes in a Warm, Humid Environment
Step 1. Store potatoes in a greenhouse if possible
If you have access to a greenhouse, you can put sweet potatoes in a remote corner and store them easily. Place them in a box covered with a damp towel and store them inside the greenhouse.
If you want, you can use a cooler to create moisture instead of a box
Step 2. Store potatoes in a plastic bag near a sunny window if you don't have access to a greenhouse
If you live in the city, you can create the right environmental conditions within the walls of your home. Make a few holes in a plastic bag and fill it with the sweet potatoes taking care to arrange them in a single layer. Close the bag and place it next to a window so that the potatoes can be exposed to the sun for several hours a day.
If it's cold or drafts come in through the windows, during the night or when the sun isn't shining, cover the bag with a blanket or towel
Step 3. If you prefer, you can store the potatoes in a heated storage room
Put them in a box or bucket and lock them in the closet, cabinet or closet. You must be able to add a bucket full of water (to increase the humidity) and a heater set at a temperature of 29 ° C. Monitor the temperature with a thermometer to make sure the ambient conditions are ideal.
Unless it's a heater designed for use in a humid environment, be careful not to get it wet
Step 4. If there are few sweet potatoes, you can consider storing them in the oven
In this case you will need to install a 40-watt light bulb in the oven and place a pan filled with water on the lowest shelf. The sweet potatoes will be distributed in another pan and placed on the highest shelf of the oven. Turn on the light (but leave the oven off) and close the door almost completely, just a crack should remain. After a few hours, check the temperature inside the oven with a thermometer to make sure it is around 29 ° C.
- If the temperature inside the oven is too high, open the door a little more. If it's too low, try closing it completely or installing a more powerful bulb.
- Since the potatoes need to rest for 4-14 days, you will need to use an oven that you don't need to cook on a daily basis.
- If the oven door doesn't stay ajar, try using a metal spatula to keep it slightly open.
Part 3 of 3: Complete the Sweet Potato Curing Process
Step 1. Check the potatoes after 4-5 days
To find out if the resting phase is over and it is time to move on to maturing, check that they are slightly moist and noticeably firmer. If they are still soft, let them rest for a couple more days and then check again. If the temperature and humidity are not at an ideal level, you may have to wait a couple of weeks for the potatoes to be ready for curing.
If some potatoes have remained soft while others have hardened, it means that they have not been stored in the best conditions. Throw them away to prevent them from rotting the whole crop
Step 2. Move on to the curing phase
Now the potatoes will have to rest in the dark, at a temperature of 13 ° C, for 6-8 weeks. Remove them from the warm, humid place and transfer them to a box or wooden box without a lid. Separate them with straw or wrap them individually in newsprint. Store the box in a dark and cold place, for example in the basement or cellar. Let the sweet potatoes sit for another 6-8 weeks to finish the curing process.
- If you don't have a cellar or basement where you can store sweet potatoes, you can try storing them under the bed.
- If you can't wait to taste the potatoes, you can skip the curing phase and eat them at the end of the resting period in the warm and humid place. However, you have to keep in mind that the longer they stay cold and dark, the sweeter they will become.
Step 3. Once cured, you can store sweet potatoes in a cold place for up to 12 months
If you have let them mature, they can last up to a year, as long as they are stored at a temperature between 13 and 16 ° C. Store them in a box or wooden crate that ensures good air circulation and store them in a place with a humidity of about 75-85%.
- You can store potatoes in the same place (cold and dark) where you left them to mature, for example in the cellar, in the basement or even under the bed.
- Do not put sweet potatoes in the refrigerator as low temperatures can easily damage them.
