Superfoods like sweet potatoes are great to add to your dehydrated food stockpile. It is crucial to steam blanch the potatoes before drying them if you are using them for long-term storage. If you want to do chips, then it is okay to slice and dry them without blanching, but their shelf-life is much shorter.

  1. Start by washing and peeling your sweet potatoes. The potatoes featured in these images are purple sweets and classic Centennial orange.
  2. Slice into a 1/8 or a 1/4 inch slices carefully using a mandolin. Since I am only doing two trays, I hand-sliced them and will eyeball them to put the similarly cut slices on a tray together. Blanch or steam the slices. I love using my steamer which will gently steam the yams.
  3. Plunge them into ice water, drain the water and then pat dry.
  1. Arrange the slices on trays and remember to allow air flow by not letting them touch. I am trying some slices cut thicker to see if they will dry or cause case-hardening. (I learned that by trial and error!)
  2. Dry at 125 degrees F for 7-12 hours or until they are brittle. Make sure to check them every couple of hours as the weather conditions play a role in how quickly your trays will dry.
  1. Store the treasures in a cool, dark, dry place. Remember to date and rotate packages.

Hope you will try drying some sweet potatoes this fall. Have a peaceful day! Anne May