Now that you have harvested your sweetpotatoes, you may be tempted to rush right into the kitchen and prepare them, but there’s actually one more important step. Sweetpotatoes need to be cured to reach their full sweetness. The process of curing allows the starches to convert to natural sugars and develop that yummy sweetness we associate with sweetpotatoes. Curing also allows any scars from the harvest to heal and toughen up the skins to improve storage life. There’s really no rush to use up your sweetpotatoes, they can be stored for 6 months or more. 

The first thing you will want to do after harvest is gently brush off any remaining soil, but do not wash them. The optimal conditions for curing sweetpotatoes are a temperature of 85F, and 80-90% humidity with good ventilation for 4-14 days. These conditions are easily achieved in a greenhouse, but may be more difficult at home or school. Here are a few alternative curing methods that are suitable for small scale production.

1. Milk crate: Place a single layer of sweetpotatoes on the bottom of a milk crate. Use wooden dowels or sticks through the holes in the sides of the crate to build a base for a second layer a few inches above the first. Place another layer of sweetpotatoes on the sticks. Cover with a damp towel and place in a warm, dry, shady place outside or in a garage. This setup allows good airflow, and provides a moist warm environment.
2. Burlap bag: Place sweetpotatoes in a single layer inside a burlap bag. Place a moist towel on top of the burlap bag and place in a warm, dry, shady place outside.
3. Plastic bag: Poke several holes in a plastic grocery bag. Place a single layer of sweetpotatoes in the bag and tie shut. Place in a sunny window or warm, dry, shady place outside.

Once cured, sweetpotatoes should be stored in a cool dry place with good ventilation.