The Shadow
SURRY (VR) — For those seeking out local foods, it’s harvest time for pumpkins, winter squash and sweet potatoes.
“I’m going to start digging my sweet potatoes the first of the month,” said Clifton Slade, owner of Slade Farms in Surry County.
Slade grows three varieties of sweet potato on eight acres—the classic orange Beauregard, the white O’Henry and the deep red Carolina Ruby. He reported that, despite some dry weather, temperatures have been ideal for this year’s growing season.
“I wish I could get a rain before we (start harvesting),” he said. “I’ve got a good crop set under there, and if we got a rain today, I would have an even better crop come picking time … but my potential is wonderful, and I’ve got no complaints.”
Slade sells his sweet potatoes at the farm, online and at the nearby Sycamore Springs Farmers Market. He added that he enjoys growing them because they’re a relatively low-maintenance crop without many pest problems. They also don’t require special storage conditions.
“They’re great for a small farmer,” he commented.
About 60 miles away at Flanagan Farm in Virginia Beach, Roy Flanagan grows 2 acres of Covington sweet potatoes. He said large rainfalls interspersed with dry spells have made the season “a little bit of a roller coaster.”
Flanagan, who also is a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent, explained that because sweet potatoes can tolerate dry weather, most growers didn’t irrigate their crop and just relied on “what Mother Nature gave us.”
He went on to note that he and other area growers are anticipating an average crop this year. Like him, most growers raise the Covington variety, and harvest typically starts in late September and continues into October. Consumer sales and demand peak closer to the holidays, beginning around Thanksgiving.
After sweet potatoes are harvested, they’re cured in an area with high humidity and temperatures around 85-90 degrees for 7 to 10 days, depending on the variety. This process increases the sugar content and thickens the skin, reducing the potential for bruising and making them easier to handle.
After curing, “sweet potatoes can hold for 8 to 10 months,” Flanagan said. “Keeping them at 60 degrees and in a cool, dry space would be ideal” for storage.
