John Myers
The sweet potato, which originated in America, has now also conquered European cuisine. In this country, it can even be grown in the garden. It doesn’t matter if your crop yield was higher than planned, or if your appetite in the supermarket was bigger than your stomach. We’ll tell you how to store sweet potatoes properly.
Differences from ordinary potatoes
Not only do they differ from their namesakes in terms of appearance and taste, but botanically, sweet potatoes are not potatoes. In truth, it is a morning glory plant. This does not matter for the enjoyment, but this property makes a difference when it comes to storage. Because sweet potatoes contain more water, their shelf life is shorter than that of regular potatoes. In the right place, they can still be enjoyed for several weeks.
The right place
You can safely store sweet potatoes at room temperature. It is only important that the humidity is not too low. Otherwise, the tubers will dry out.
Ideally, however, you should store them in a cardboard box or wooden crate in the basement. Temperatures around 15°C extend the shelf life compared to room temperatures.
Pay attention to what?
Before storing, you should inspect each sweet potato for rot. Only keep undamaged copies. Otherwise, you risk that rotting will spread to intact tubers during storage. Minor damage to the skin is not a problem. Before you store your sweet potatoes in the cellar, store them for about a week at 24°C to 27°C with a humidity of 90% to 95%. By placing a fan next to it, a protective film forms over the damage.
Then wrap each sweet potato individually in newspaper and place them in a box or crate for storage. There is also an apple that prevents renewed germination. Check each sweet potato regularly for mold growth.
Tip: It is not necessary to wash the sweet potatoes before putting them away for storage.
Make sweet potatoes last longer
Sweet potatoes are also great for freezing. You can even store frozen sweet potatoes for a whole year. How to prepare the tubers:
- Clean tubers under running water
- cook with the shell
- let cool down
- wrap individually in aluminum foil
- fill into freezer bags and freeze
Tip: Small children love mashed sweet potatoes. By pureeing the tubers and freezing them in ice cube molds, you always have healthy baby food in stock.
