I had the same problem with curing my sweet potatoes - no convenient 80-85 degree area in October. My solution was to close the potatoes in my upstairs bathroom. The room stays fairly warm, but I added heat by running my dehydrator in the room. I was dehydrating the last tomatoes and peppers. To keep it at 85 degrees, I had to take the lid off occasionally. During warmer days, I did not have to run the dehydrator as the room stayed warm enough. I grew my potatoes staggered in a two foot row. The vines expanded about 1 - 1 1/2 feet on either side. I'd post a picture, but my home computer has been taken out by a virus. I'll try to post one once I have it back up and running again. Enjoy your sweet potatoes, Bellatrix

Not exactly a classic Turkey Day sweet potato recipe, but you might want to try it now that sweet potatoes are plentiful! Take care to keep your "fries" uniform in size. Small ones will burn before larger ones get done, otherwise. I like the seasonings in this recipe! Baked Sweet Potato Fries Recipe by Our Best Bites 1 lb peeled sweet potatoes cut into 1/4" match-sticks 2 T extra virgin olive oil 1/2 t cumin 1/2 t oregano 1/2 t coriander 1 t kosher salt 1 t parsley 1/8 tsp black pepper *you want 1lb sweet potatoes after they are peeled, sliced, etc. If you weigh them at the store make sure you have a little more than a pound to allow for the peeling, and tossing of small pieces. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl combine cumin, oregano, coriander, salt, parsley, and pepper. Place sweet potatoes in a pile directly on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Use hands to toss until all pieces are well coated. Sprinkle seasoning mixture on top and toss again with hands to coat. Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer so that pieces are not touching each other. Place pan in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Use a metal spatula to gently flip fries and then return pan to oven. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until fries are starting to lightly brown and crisp. Remove pan from oven and cool 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

I'm guessing, and it was mentioned, that it is your cutting blade. When we multi-task in the kitchen, we often have our best knives in use...so i picked up a cheap somewhat decent spare at the grocery...it was pretty crappy and soon had some small rust spots...and turned every potato, sweet potato, carrot that was sliced a creepy brown almost immediately. Took a while to figure out the reaction and why. A cheap metal reaction. I've not had a problem since. I have a second set of Henkel knives now and use the other bad one for garage and garden tasks. I do soak my sliced sweet potatoes for baked fries in a citric acid water bath and regular potatoes as well. (kept cool in the fridge, pat dry, and fridge for another hour or two)...removes some starch and bakes a bit more crisp. Try a ceramic or good stainless knife...my cheap knife says stainless but it is just a thin micro coating so cheap steel under that...slicing immediately reacts with the potato.

I was having Sweet Potato Fries at the Wayside Grill in Mount Shasta, CA which were served with a dip. I asked the waitress for the recipe and she said if I could guess one of the ingredients she would tell me. I guessed Mayo and she gave me the other one which was Honey... I mixed this together at home until I got the color and taste as described by smcanlis.