Although raw sweet potatoes keep well for months in a cool, dark place, the Beasleys like to can them so they are cooked and ready for use in recipes like sweet potato waffles, cornbread, or homemade crescent rolls. Sandra’s daughter Ruth loves to make rolls on the spur of the moment, so these jars enable her to do just that. The family usually cans sweet potatoes in pint jars, which are just the right size to add to recipes.
MAKES: about 4 pint jars or two 1-quart jars
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 to 6 pounds sweet potatoes
- Boiling water
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Using a soft scrub brush, thoroughly scrub the sweet potatoes, then rinse well and dry.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into ½-inch cubes. You can also cut the potatoes into spears or other desired shapes.
- Pack the sweet potatoes into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Ladle the boiling water into the jars, covering the sweet potatoes and maintaining the 1-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles. If necessary, add more liquid to maintain the headspace. Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean, damp paper towel. Apply hot lids and screw bands.
- Process pint jars for 65 minutes and quart jars for 90 minutes at 11 pounds of pressure in a dial-gauge pressure canner or at 10 pounds of pressure in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.
- After the processing time is complete, remove the canner from the heat. Let the pressure return to zero before removing the jars from the canner. Let cool for 12 to 24 hours. Check the seals and remove the screw bands. Store jars in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year.
TIP:
- Sweet potatoes have enough natural sweetness that there’s no need to add syrup, sugar, or salt to the jars. Leaving these out also makes the sweet potatoes more versatile for use in recipes.
