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Candied Sweet Potatoes

Source of Recipe

From "Beginner's Guide to Canning" by Diane Devereaux


Recipe Introduction

"Candied yams are a traditional side dish in many homes around the holidays. Take the prep work out of your holiday meal by having a ready-made jar waiting on your pantry shelf. To serve, simply heat through and top with chopped pecans. You may also heat and mash 2 quarts: Fill a 9-by-9-inch glass baking dish, top with marshmallows, and bake at 350° F until the marshmallows are golden brown."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 4 cups water
â—¦ 4 cups packed light or dark brown sugar
â—¦ 1 cup (2 sticks) butter (optional)
â—¦ 1 cup maple syrup
â—¦ 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
â—¦ 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
â—¦ 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
â—¦ 2 teaspoons ground ginger
â—¦ 12 pounds sweet potatoes (20 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (16 cups)


Recipe

This recipe is raw packed, then covered with hot liquid, so have clean jars resting in hot water.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, combine the water, brown sugar, butter (if using), maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and melt the butter. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 minute. Turn off the heat but keep the pot resting on the stovetop.

Place the hot jars on a cutting board. Tightly raw pack the cubed sweet potatoes into the jars, leaving a 1-inch headspace. Using a funnel, ladle the hot syrup over the sweet potatoes keeping the 1-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles and add additional syrup if necessary to maintain the 1-inch headspace. Wipe the rim of each jar with a warm washcloth dipped in distilled white vinegar. Place a lid and ring on each jar and hand-tighten.

Fill the pressure canner with 3 quarts of water and add 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar. Place the jars in the pressure canner, lock the pressure canner lid, and bring to a boil over high heat. Let the canner vent for 10 minutes. Close the vent and continue heating to achieve 11 PSI for a dial gauge and 10 PSI for a weighted gauge. Process quarts for 90 minutes and pints for 65 minutes.

After the processing time has been reached, turn off the heat. Allow the pressure in the canner to reach zero on its own, which usually takes about 30 minutes. Safely remove the canner lid and allow the jars to sit for 10 minutes inside the canner before removing.

Makes 4 quarts or 8 pints