Holy sweet potatoes, Batman!

[Ridgerunner]

The big one should be good. The problem I have with the really big ones is that they are very difficult to cut up. They are very hard so be careful with the knife.

There are several good ways to use them. One I have not seen mentioned is that you can make a sweet potato bread, a quick bread similar to zucchini bread. I find the sweet potato bread is a little moister than the zucchini. I'll boil up the big ones that are too large to make a meal and freeze premeasured amounts (2 cups) so I can use them in the sweet potato bread recipe or just thaw and heat for a quick veggie for supper.

This shows some of mine this year. The red one is a Beauregard and the white ones are O'henry's.

 

[simple life]

I also make a sweet potatoe casserole, boiled then mashed and topped with a mixture of melted butter, brown sugar and crushed pineapple.
Its so popular at my family gatherings that I have to make two of them at all the family holidays.

 

[curly_kate]

I'll boil up the big ones that are too large to make a meal and freeze premeasured amounts (2 cups) so I can use them in the sweet potato bread recipe or just thaw and heat for a quick veggie for supper.

Do you mash them up, or just freeze them as cubes? Also, anyone know if you can can them with a pressure or water bath canner?

 

[simple life]

I would be leery of canning potatoes. I guess it could be done but you gotta be careful with this type of stuff.
I would freeze them if anything, then you can prepare them any way you like when you defrost them.

 

[4grandbabies]

I dont know about canning, because they keep pretty good as if if you have a cellar . I feel doubtful about canning... check with your county extension agent.
If you precook some and mash, put a few in small bags to freeze and add a few tablespoons to things your kids will eat.. to give them the extra vit a.. a little wont be noticable in spaghetti sauce, or brownies, ,maybe mix a little in their hamburger meat before cooking...

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do you mash them up, or just freeze them as cubes? Also, anyone know if you can can them with a pressure or water bath canner?

I mash them before I freeze them. The recipe I use for the quick bread calls for 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes. I'd think they would freeze just as well as cubes. Should be your personal choice.

My yellow Ball Canning Book (copyright 2006) says to pressure can cubed, not mashed, sweet potatoes. Boil or steam the sweet potatoes 15 to 20 minutes, until the skin comes off easily. The potato interior will still be fairly firm. Cut into cubes. Fill jars and ladle in boiling water, leaving 1" of head space, and process for 65 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.

4grandbabies is right. They do store really well if you can get the right conditions. Mine lasted well into this summer from last fall. Never let them freeze, keep them in the dark, they need low humidity, and 50 to 60 degrees is about right. Mom used to store hers in a closet off the kitchen, but that was before she had central heat. It stayed fairly cool. I kept mine in an insulated storeroom that I never let freeze. They say don't wash the dirt off them as you will bruise the skin, but I wash them gently, let them dry and heal (where you break them off the roots needs to heal), then store them in boxes or storage crates.

 

[curly_kate]

The reason I was thinking of canning them is that some have some nicks from my digging them up. I didn't know if they would keep very well. ALso, I've read that I need to keep them at about 80 deg to cure them. Any suggestions on how to do that in early fall in the midwest?

 

[4grandbabies]

I have never raised enough to have to store them, however, my mother in law used to have a wooden crate sitting behing the wood cookstove, which was what she mostly cooked on(and canned on) ,and they stayed warm there.. it worked for her, know that most people dont have a wood cookstove these days, but perhaps a wood heating stove, it they were spread out on something behind it, and you use it to knock the morning chill???

 

[vfem]

Oh hooray... what a haul!!! I would go with sweet potato french fries... my daughter loves them with fish sticks.

 

[injunjoe]

Nice tators there!
I must agree with Ron you do have a nice rack!