How to Can Sweet Potatoes the Easy Way
Sweet potatoes are very easy to can, and you can keep them in your stockpile for a long time if you follow the right guidelines. This is a great way to load up on a delicious source of carbohydrates along with a long-list of other nutrients. Take a look at the steps below, and see how easy it is to process a batch for long-term storage.
Getting Started
The first step is to choose ready-to-eat potatoes that look healthy and in good condition. Wash the sweet potatoes, but leave the skins intact. Put in a stockpot and either steam or boil them for around 10-15 minutes to soften them up. Remove from heat and drain the water. Start boiling a fresh batch of water in a clean stockpot while you allow the potatoes to cool before handling them and peeling off the skins. You should also prepare the pressure canner and start warming up the water as you work through the next couple of steps.
Once the potatoes have been skinned, cut them into cubes that are around an inch or so. Place the cubes into heated and sterile mason jars, and fill them until an inch of headspace remains. Don’t press down or compact the cubes. Take the boiling water and carefully pour it into each jar until the water rises to about ½ inch of headspace. Give the jar a gentle tap or shake to help the potato cubes settle and release any excess air. Add water or more cubes as necessary, and make sure that the final water level is well-above the sweet potatoes.
Processing the Sweet Potatoes
Wipe down the rims of each jar with a damp cloth or paper towel in order to remove any residue before attaching the lid assemblies. Tighten the lids and place the jars into the pressure canner. Allow the canner to vent for 10 minutes before closing the vent holes and attaching the gauges. This will remove any excess air and raise the internal temperature. This is important in order to kill bacteria and other microorganisms that can otherwise cause your supply to go rancid during storage.
Once 10 minutes have passed, seal everything up and wait for the pressure to equalize. You want to process the jars at at least 10PSI, adjusting for altitude. Start counting the processing time after the canner is pressurized. Process the sweet potatoes for 90 minutes if they are in quart jars. Process them for 65 minutes if they are in pints.
When the time is up, turn off the heat and vent the canner until the pressure returns to zero. Open the canner, remove the jars and place them on the counter or cooling rack. Allow them to cool until reaching room temperature before inspecting the seals and condition of the jars. Re-process any defective ones by using new jars or lid assemblies. Label and date the good jars before storing them in a cool, dark place until ready to eat.
Try this recipe out for yourself, and see how easy it is to create a robust supply of sweet potatoes for long-term storage. Just make sure to rotate your product so that you consume older items first to avoid spoilage. You can expect the potatoes to have a shelf life of at least a year, but you should try to consume them sooner in order to enjoy their peak flavor and nutritional content.
