Sweet potatoes can last for several months when stored properly, but you need to follow proper storage procedures carefully in order to prevent them from bruising or spoiling. Here's what you need to know about storing sweet potatoes at both room temperature and freezing temperatures.
1. Use fresh, fat sweet potatoes. Newly harvested sweet potatoes with the roots still attached are the best option to use.
Plump sweet potatoes store just as well as skinny ones, and they have more usable "meat" to consume.
If harvesting the sweet potatoes yourself, use a spade fork to dig 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) beneath the soil in order to get all the roots up. Handle them carefully since sweet potatoes tend to bruise easily, and shake off excess dirt but do not wash the roots.
2. Cure the sweet potatoes for 1 to 2 weeks. Keep the roots in a room or other location that reaches between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (24 and 27 degrees Celsius) with relative humidity of 90 to 95 percent.
The sweet potatoes need to cure for at least 7 days, but they can be kept there for as many as 14 days.
The curing process creates a second skin that forms over scratches and bruises, allowing the sweet potatoes to last longer in storage.
Use a small electric fan in the area to keep the air circulating. This helps to prevent rotting and molding.
Monitor the temperature and humidity regularly to make sure that the sweet potatoes are sitting in the conditions needed for proper curing.
For best results, keep the sweet potatoes from touching each other as they cure.
3. Discard bruised sweet potatoes. After the sweet potatoes have finished curing, throw away any that appear bruised, rotting, or moldy.
Bruised sweet potatoes have not cured correctly, so they will not last as long as the other sweet potatoes and may even cause the other sweet potatoes to spoil faster.
4. Wrap each one in newspaper. Individually wrap the sweet potatoes in sheets of newsprint or in brown paper bags.
Newspaper and brown paper bags are both fairly breathable, providing just enough air circulation to prevent the sweet potatoes from rotting too quickly.
5. Pack the sweet potatoes in a box or basket. Store the individually-wrapped sweet potatoes in a cardboard box, wooden box, or wooden basket.
Do not use an airtight storage container.
Place an apple in the box.The apple will help prevent the sweet potatoes from budding.
6. Store in a cool, dark location. Keep the sweet potatoes in an area that is consistently between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit (13 and 16 degrees Celsius).
For best results, store the sweet potatoes in a basement or root cellar. If neither option is available to you, store them in a dark, cool, and well-ventilated cupboard or pantry away from strong heat sources.
Do not use a refrigerator.
Monitor the temperature frequently to make sure that it does not fall below or rise above this range.
Stored in this manner, the sweet potatoes can last up to 6 months. Remove them from storage gently to prevent bruising.
Plump sweet potatoes store just as well as skinny ones, and they have more usable "meat" to consume.
If harvesting the sweet potatoes yourself, use a spade fork to dig 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) beneath the soil in order to get all the roots up. Handle them carefully since sweet potatoes tend to bruise easily, and shake off excess dirt but do not wash the roots.
2. Cure the sweet potatoes for 1 to 2 weeks. Keep the roots in a room or other location that reaches between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (24 and 27 degrees Celsius) with relative humidity of 90 to 95 percent.
The sweet potatoes need to cure for at least 7 days, but they can be kept there for as many as 14 days.
The curing process creates a second skin that forms over scratches and bruises, allowing the sweet potatoes to last longer in storage.
Use a small electric fan in the area to keep the air circulating. This helps to prevent rotting and molding.
Monitor the temperature and humidity regularly to make sure that the sweet potatoes are sitting in the conditions needed for proper curing.
For best results, keep the sweet potatoes from touching each other as they cure.
3. Discard bruised sweet potatoes. After the sweet potatoes have finished curing, throw away any that appear bruised, rotting, or moldy.
Bruised sweet potatoes have not cured correctly, so they will not last as long as the other sweet potatoes and may even cause the other sweet potatoes to spoil faster.
4. Wrap each one in newspaper. Individually wrap the sweet potatoes in sheets of newsprint or in brown paper bags.
Newspaper and brown paper bags are both fairly breathable, providing just enough air circulation to prevent the sweet potatoes from rotting too quickly.
5. Pack the sweet potatoes in a box or basket. Store the individually-wrapped sweet potatoes in a cardboard box, wooden box, or wooden basket.
Do not use an airtight storage container.
Place an apple in the box.The apple will help prevent the sweet potatoes from budding.
6. Store in a cool, dark location. Keep the sweet potatoes in an area that is consistently between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit (13 and 16 degrees Celsius).
For best results, store the sweet potatoes in a basement or root cellar. If neither option is available to you, store them in a dark, cool, and well-ventilated cupboard or pantry away from strong heat sources.
Do not use a refrigerator.
Monitor the temperature frequently to make sure that it does not fall below or rise above this range.
Stored in this manner, the sweet potatoes can last up to 6 months. Remove them from storage gently to prevent bruising.
