Yes, you can cut that sweet potato in half and save the rest for later! You can absolutely cut a large sweet potato in half–the unused half will heal itself right before your eyes.
Sweet potatoes, a member of the morning glory family of vines, are a warm-weather root crop that grow underground like white potatoes. At the time of harvest, sweet potatoes from one plant will range in size from very small (a couple inches) to very large (a foot or more). Traditionally, small to medium-sized sweet potatoes are most desirable for retail customers because large ones are often too big to eat at one meal.
Because of the special ability of sweet potatoes to heal themselves (in the right storage conditions), you can make use of large sweet potatoes that might take your family more than one meal to eat! This helps reduce waste in the food system, and it’s a fun experiment to try in your kitchen. Here are some pictures of the process:
Be sure that the sweet potato has good air circulation on your counter, especially around the open faced cut. Complete healing will take a few days or more.
Once healed, continue to store on your counter with good air circulation until use.
This healing property is the same property that allows sweet potatoes to be harvested with mechanical equipment. Any cuts or scars created during the harvesting process can be healed if the sweet potatoes are given the proper air circulation and storage temperature.
The best place to store sweet potatoes is always right on the counter with good air circulation.
