The curing process helps to encourage the natural changes which produce sugars in this root crop.
Sweet potato curing box.
Traditional methods recommend storing sweet potatoes in sand but you can also use a box or perforated.
For example you are able to cure sweet potatoes in a small closet.
Ideally 80 to 85 degrees fahrenheit with 80 to 90 percent.
Curing sweet potatoes requires a warm humid environment for a period of four days to two weeks.
Top of a two piece box sized to hold approximately 40 pounds of sweet potatoes.
Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature in the room and ensure you have ideal curing conditions.
If you cut or bruise sweet potatoes when you dig them up they ll release a sticky milky juice that will dry in a few hours.
10 pound sweet potato box.
In order to cure sweet potatoes it is important to know what conditions are required.
You must make no mistakes so be careful when curing them.
It is important to let these cure or heal.
During the curing process the starches in the tuber turn into sugar intensifying the buttery sweet flavor and texture of the potato.
Once the curing process has been finished the sweet potatoes are ready to be packed for long term storage.
Conditions for curing sweet potatoes.
The process for harvesting curing and storing sweet potatoes sounds complicated and time consuming but really it s simple once you get the hang of it.
When sweet potatoes are dug they usually have some abrasions and cuts.
Select a variety of sweet potato that is ideal for growing in containers.
Add a bucket full of water to increase humidity and a space heater set to 85 f 29 c.
As you now know sweet potatoes can be cured in several ways and one of them is curing in a small space.
Growing sweet potatoes can require a lot of space however with the use of containers and compact varieties any gardener is able to grow their own.
The taste of these homegrown sweet orange gems that say thanksgiving will be all you need to convince yourself to grow them year after year.
That is an over simplification though.
This is so the curing process can finish.
After the curing process is done then you store your sweet potatoes in an area that is kept around 55 60 f for about 6 8 more weeks.
Once this is done then you ll store your sweet potatoes in a root cellar basement closet or anywhere else that is dark cold and dry.
One piece box sized to hold approximately 10 pounds of sweet potatoes.
Put your sweet potatoes in a box or bucket and place it in a small space such as a pantry or closet.
