July 9, 2017
While I would have loved to grown all of my food this year I have not, mother nature allowed to much rain and some of my crops died. Since I am okay money wise ( still working full time) I am buying a little from the farmers market and home canning or freezing, while I prefer home canning since it cost money/ power to run a deep freezer.
As I mentioned in my last article I bought a box of sweet potatoes, a 20 pound box and the freezer is low of sweet potatoes, Plus this year since I have the pressure canner I home canned more than I froze.
Read more here : Farmers Market And Gardening
First I always wash and sterilize my jars and get the lid and rings ready before I do anything. Next I make sure I have hot water waiting in the pressure canner.
How to home can sweet potatoes :
Make light syrup using 2 1/4 cups sugar and 5 1/4 water = 6 1/2 cups, set aside on low heat.
Peel the sweet potatoes and rinse in cold water. Cube sweet potatoes in medium size chunks.
In a large cooking pot fill 1/2 full with water, bring to a boil. Add sweet potatoes and bring back to a boil, boil 10 minutes.
Remove sweet potatoes from boiling water using a slotted spoon, put directly into pint jars. Fill jars with the light syrup, wipe the rim of jars with a clean damp cloth and apply lids.
Put 7 filled pint jars into the pressure canner and process for 65 minutes.
That is how to home can sweet potatoes in light syrup.
How to freeze mashed sweet potatoes :
I have learned that you always, I mean always cook th sweet potatoes first. Why? When you cook a potato that has not been Pre-cooked its grainy / woody texture that is not any good.
For Mashed sweet potatoes - Peel and cube sweet potatoes as small as you can cube them, put them into a large cooking pot and just barely cover them with water, boil till soft, there should not be much water left, cook till most all is gone, stirring often.
Remove from heat and pour into a stainer and back into the cooking pot. Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, mix well.
Allow to cool completely.
Make appropriate size meals and spoon into a freezer bag, label and freeze. Enjoy sweet potatoes for six months or more.
Just thaw in the freezer bag when ready to eat, season as you like.
Freezing whole sweet potatoes :
Wash the sweet potatoes to get rid of any dirt. Bake sweet potatoes till done.
Cool completely.
Fill freezer bags with the sweet potatoes and freeze. its that simple, when you want a baked sweet potatoes take out what you need and reseal the rest.
Sweet potato pie
To make sweet potato pie filling just remove a quart freezer bag of mashed sweet potatoes, thaw.
Add 2 eggs, 1/4 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of vanilla flavor. Mix well.
Pour into a 9 inch pie crust and bake for about 45 minutes or till golden brown around the edges.
That is how I use sweet potatoes as a stock up for the homestead.
By Andria Perry
Photos By Andria Perry
This is a great food article Andria. I have not freezed or home canned sweet potatoes. I think I should as I seldom see them in the supermarket unless I go to the Asian shop which is very far from where I live here in Germany. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the compliment, yes I would too so that you cut costs on travel.
DeleteThanks Andria, I'll definitely being filling my freezer!
ReplyDeleteYou`re welcome, yes its so easy.
DeleteI really need to can some things...I need to get a pressure canner and jars which can withstand the heat as many cannot here. It is not something which is widely done here :)
ReplyDeleteSince we can order anything online its easy to get started. I bought a presto Pressure canner and I use ball canning jar. I am not sure how cheap it is to live there but here food is one of the main costs of living.
DeleteNot a huge sweet potatoe fan, but I do the sweet potatoe pie!
ReplyDeleteSee, there is always one thing about a sweet potato someone likes.
DeleteNot everything can be delivered here a lot of companies can't or won't deliver to Thailand...Food is cheap here if it is local grown but if it is imported then it is very expensive so much of what we eat I make because I can't buy it here or it is way to expensive or I make it because it is better with less nasties I am really trying hard to cut out processed foods : But I will chck online I may be lucky..one problem have is because Thais don't pickle or heat jars most are not heat proof I found that out the hard way.I do what I can though and save jars :)
ReplyDeleteI understand. Seems our fresh foods, grown local costs more and the shipped is cheaper. I would love to get away from all processed foods but its hard, right now with Tony sick I let him eat whatever he wants good or bad for him.
DeleteI think that is the right thing to do when someone is sick ..they say a little of what you fancy does you good. Or local produce is cheaper here than imported and there is a huge difference in price. When you get time maybe you can do me a guest post for my log on canning ...Let me know :)
DeleteThat pie looks great
ReplyDeleteThanks, they are a favorite during the holidays
DeletePie sounds yummy
ReplyDeletePie is always yummy, any pie!
DeleteI can't get the sweet potatoes as cheap as you do but they are readily available year round.
ReplyDeleteYes seems they are here as well but certain times of the year they cost a lot more than other times.
DeleteI like mine baked and then add butter....or I fry them with my white potatoes.
ReplyDeleteIn the Philippines, sweet potato is the staple food of the poor (me). �� We have other root crops too in our backyard.
ReplyDelete