For Sweeter Sweet Potatoes - they have to be cured

Last year was he first time I ever grew sweet potatoes (Beauregard was the variety). Well, if you count kindergarten when we put them in glasses of water to watch them sprout then it would be the second time. Needless to say I don't know much about sweet potatoes other than the fact that they are ridiculously easy to grow and they taste great. Last fall our grandchildren and children had a great time digging the sweet potatoes I had planted. It was like a treasure hunt. They hung in the shed for awhile because we had other family activities and come December they tasted great.

They were so good I planted more this spring. We just dug them up and Diane baked a couple immediately. Yuk. They did not taste sweet. I could not figure out why these did not taste as good as last year. We gave some to some friends. Same story. So I started Googling to find the answer. Well here it is, straight from a Louisiana Ag Specialist.

After the roots are dug, they should be cured to heal the cuts and trigger development of the sugar-creating enzymes, the LSU AgCenter horticulturist explains. Cure by storing in a warm, humid room for five to 10 days. A temperature of 80 F to 85 F and a relative humidity of 80 percent to 90 percent are ideal. These exact conditions will be hard to establish around the home, so select a room or building that comes close to these conditions.

Amazing. I had no idea that sweet potatoes are not sweet when first dug. Last year's delay in eating is what made them great. I have a bag in the shed. I'll wait a week or so and then try them. Can't wait to find out the results.