Canning is the best way to preserve food for future use. In this case, canning potatoes is the most commonly used means to keep potatoes for long-term storage at home. Canning your potatoes will make them shelf-stable and prevent them from worsening. The canning process involves placing the sweet potatoes in a jar and heating them to a temperature that destroys microorganisms, which may be a health hazard.
When you want to can sweet potatoes, boil or steam them for 15 to 20 minutes before peeling and slicing them. Fill a steamer bucket to about seven quarters full in the bottom of your large gallon or stockpot.
When the sweet potatoes are steamed, allow them to cool so you can handle them when peeling, and then chop them to the size they will fit into your canning jar. Allow water to simmer at a low temperature in the bottom of your pressure canner along the trivet.
At this point, separate the saucepan, mix the sugar into the water, and boil again. Allow it to complete its process before allowing the total pressure, which will vary depending on altitude and whether you use a weighted or dial gauge pressure scanner. Lastly, set the table below for altitude adjustments for canning sweet potatoes.
Can Sweet Potatoes Be Raw Packed for Canning?
No. It’s not recommended to pack raw sweet potatoes for canning. It would be best to boil them to remove the air within the tissues. Boiling will help them retain their size; they will not expand in the canning jar.
On the other hand, you cannot can raw potatoes. If you were wondering whether it’s possible to can raw potatoes, then the answer is no.
Cooking sweet potatoes first helps to drive off the air within their tissues, preventing them from expanding and breaking into pieces in the jar. Cooking sweet potatoes before canning will result in finished canned foods that hold together better and are of better quality.
Do You Have to Pressure Can Sweet Potatoes?
Yes, you have to pressure can sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are low-acid foods and need to be canned with a pressure canner, which will provide a high amount of heat that is necessary to kill germs and bacteria, which generally cause botulism.
Do I Have to Blanch Sweet Potatoes Before Canning?
Yes, you will have to blanch sweet potatoes before canning. Blanching sweet potatoes will help you save time.
When you want a quick preparation of potatoes for the freezer, you can blanch them, but you need to be careful when you add your potatoes to a large jar of boiling water and allow them to cool for about 2–5 minutes.
Do You Add Salt When Canning Sweet Potatoes?
Yes. You can add half a teaspoon of salt when canning sweet potatoes. Salt will help them add some flavour and will not impact the canning process. Salt is also recommended for food preservation, mostly at home.
A type of salt typically used when canning is pickling salt; it is mainly used since it dissolves easily.
How to Can Sweet Potatoes without a Pressure Cooker
It is possible to can sweet potatoes without a pressure cooker.
Here are the steps to follow:
1. You will need to bring a stockpot or jar of water to boil.
2. Wash and scrub the potatoes, peel and cube them into pieces.
3. Blanch the slices for around 10 minutes, and then remove them.
4. Pack the jars into a headspace line with cooled pieces of potato and pour the hot water into the headspace line.
5. Finally, store them in a dark, cool place.
Maybe you are wondering how long to pressure can sweet potatoes. Well, it takes about 90 minutes for quarts and about 65 minutes for pints.
When the canning time ends, turn off the heat and allow the to cool at room temperature.
How to Can Sweet Potatoes in a Pressure Canner
To can sweet potatoes in a pressure canner, you will be required to provide the high amount of heat necessary to kill all bacteria that may cause botulism.
The best pressure canner is the Presto 16 quarter pressure canner, but you can also use Mirror and All-American canners.
How to can sweet potatoes with brown sugar? At the same time, you can also use brown sugar to can sweet potatoes, but it may have a different flavour than expected. Although it is not recommended to use sugar in canning, it helps preserve the product’s firm texture and helps maintain its colour.
How to Can Sweet Potatoes in a Water Bath
Here are some steps to be followed if you want to can sweet potatoes in a water bath:
1. First bring the water bath with water to boil.
2. Wash the potatoes and scrub them, peel and cube into 1-2 pieces.
3. Blanch sweet potato cube for about 10, and remove them to cool.
4. Finally, you are ready to can your potatoes with a water bath. You can use this process on ball-canning sweet potatoes.
Dry Canning for Sweet Potatoes
Some people use dry canning for sweet potatoes, but it’s not recommended to dry pack sweet potatoes because it has not been researched and may cause spoiled food or cause a potential illness to the user if consumed.
You cannot know the exact temperature required to kill all germs when using an untested method of food preservation, so be cautious when preserving food.
You can use ball canning sweet potatoes since all potatoes are low-acid foods that can be canned directly at home using a pressure canner.
Note that a pressure canner generally provides a higher amount of heat than is required to kill bacteria and germs, which can affect the user or consumer.
