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Post by handmaid on Oct 26, 2020 23:21:26 GMT -6
Need some insight. I harvested our sweet potatoes 10/16. The soil was muddy from the rains, and the raised bed was more clay than anything. Last year after harvesting, I placed them in a cheap greenhouse contraption I bought from Aldis. Zipped them up in there and left them in the sun for the solar heat and humidity for curing. It worked so well we are still eating from last hear's crop. So this year I decided to do the same thing. However the temps never really rose, and from the muddy harvesting conditions the sweet potatoes had some crusty mud/dried dirt on them. Fast forward to today. Temps are dropping today for the next few days. So we brought everything to finish curing in the basement. Before I set them out, I started rubbing the crusty dirt off them, and it did rub the sweet potato skin off in some areas. My original plan was to let them sit out for a day or two, and then put them in cardboard boxes and newspaper for winter storage. But now that some of the skin came off, it looks like the skin never really "cured" like last year; I dont know if I should let them quasi-cure in the basement via some creative process or just go ahead and box them up for the winter. What do yout think? From your experience, where do I go from here?
I guess the other option is to can them. But I do like crops that are low maintenance, so that would be my last resort.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2020 9:45:23 GMT -6
Need some insight. I harvested our sweet potatoes 10/16. The soil was muddy from the rains, and the raised bed was more clay than anything. Last year after harvesting, I placed them in a cheap greenhouse contraption I bought from Aldis. Zipped them up in there and left them in the sun for the solar heat and humidity for curing. It worked so well we are still eating from last hear's crop. So this year I decided to do the same thing. However the temps never really rose, and from the muddy harvesting conditions the sweet potatoes had some crusty mud/dried dirt on them. Fast forward to today. Temps are dropping today for the next few days. So we brought everything to finish curing in the basement. Before I set them out, I started rubbing the crusty dirt off them, and it did rub the sweet potato skin off in some areas. My original plan was to let them sit out for a day or two, and then put them in cardboard boxes and newspaper for winter storage. But now that some of the skin came off, it looks like the skin never really "cured" like last year; I dont know if I should let them quasi-cure in the basement via some creative process or just go ahead and box them up for the winter. What do yout think? From your experience, where do I go from here? I guess the other option is to can them. But I do like crops that are low maintenance, so that would be my last resort. Wipe off as much dirt as possible, use skinned ones first, maybe pre-baked yam patties and freeze. Vinegar wiped over the cleaned skins will help them keep. Maybe place on tarp or newspaper to finish drying. Lime dust, while spread out, will also keep rotting under control. Box when comfortable.
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Post by jonathco on Dec 18, 2020 12:29:10 GMT -6
I just commented on another post about this. I live in Michigan, and sadly, by the time you harvest sweet potatoes, there is simply not much sun left, given our short growing season. I had to rig up a tarp contraption in the garage with an electric heater to cure mine. It was a ton of work!
This was my (and last) year growing sweet potatoes, but I noticed that the skins on some varieties is very soft and easily rubs off before curing. Like toodles said, simply use up the ones that have damaged skin first. Sweet potatoes are fine to use fresh for at least several weeks without curing them - after a few weeks, if not cured, they do start getting starchy. Good luck!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2020 14:15:43 GMT -6
I just commented on another post about this. I live in Michigan, and sadly, by the time you harvest sweet potatoes, there is simply not much sun left, given our short growing season. I had to rig up a tarp contraption in the garage with an electric heater to cure mine. It was a ton of work! This was my (and last) year growing sweet potatoes, but I noticed that the skins on some varieties is very soft and easily rubs off before curing. Like toodles said, simply use up the ones that have damaged skin first. Sweet potatoes are fine to use fresh for at least several weeks without curing them - after a few weeks, if not cured, they do start getting starchy. Good luck! I just recently baked off what was not rotting in my purchased box of sweet potatoes from local farmers. Ended up with 5 -2 cup containers after I pureed in blender and then frozen. We also had baked sweet potatoes that night with dry pinto beans cooked with the smoked ham bone and leftover bits of ham. 2 cups sweet potatoes will produce 2 sweet potato pies or breads from a recipe.
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