Harvest of sweet potatoes in North Carolina starts around Labor Day. “This year’s crop looks promising with higher supplies and better quality than last year,” says Ronnie Mercer with Wayne Bailey, Inc. “This year we have about 5,000 acres in the field and hope to get a lot of acres through the curing process.” Because of limited supplies last year, there was not always time to have the potatoes cured. As a result, some were sold fresh from harvest.
Curing process
“Ideally, all our sweet potatoes go through the curing process right after harvest to improve the flavor and give the potato its sweet taste,” said Mercer. After harvest, the potatoes are brought into a curing room with a temperature of 97⁰F and a humidity of 97 percent. They stay in that room for five to seven days. Then, the temperature is brought down to 57⁰F as soon as possible. This puts the potatoes in a dormant stage. The room is being exhausted to get the high levels of carbon dioxide out. “The longer the potatoes stay in the dormant stage, the sweeter they become.”
Steak houses have driven consumption
Mercer notices a drastic uptake in consumption levels. “Everyone is becoming health conscious,” he says. Sweet potatoes used to be consumed with Thanksgiving and Christmas, but due to steakhouses promoting them and offering more versatility, they have become a year-round consumption item. “Even for Labor Day, we see a peak in demand. Europe is also coming on strong,” adds Mercer. Wayne Bailey’s potatoes are sold in most US states as well as Canada and Europe.
The company’s potatoes are sold in 3 lb. and 5 lb. mesh bags as well as in a 40 lb. cartons. In addition, 10 lb. gift bags are available for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. A few years ago, the steamer bag with microwaveable potatoes was introduced. It’s a bag that contains 4-5 potatoes that are triple washed and ready to eat.
