Dried Sweet Potatoes on a Snowy Day / 100g / Yuki no Hi-sha / Women Farmers Japan

Dried Sweet Potatoes That “Taste Like Sweet Potatoes”

Sweet potatoes are a crop that reflects the character of the land. Minerals born from heavy snowfall, and umami concentrated by the temperature fluctuations of summer nights. This harsh yet beautiful environment of heavy snowfall has produced the rich, deep flavor of these sweet potatoes.

In 2013, we began making dried sweet potatoes with just 10 kg of sweet potatoes. Today, a group of 13 farmers—ranging from their 30s to 88 years old—cultivate them with joy while maintaining strict standards for flavor.

① Because sweet potatoes are so particular about the soil, we carefully select our fields

The flavor of sweet potatoes is greatly influenced by the inherent properties of the soil. We carefully select and cultivate them based on our own records of soil surveys, elevation, soil texture, and other factors. 

② About 2 months of curing after harvest

Freshly dug sweet potatoes contain a lot of moisture and aren’t very sweet. After harvest, we let them mature slowly in the cold just before the snow falls, and only process those that reach a sugar content of 16 degrees or higher. 

③ Cultivated Without Pesticides, Using Abundant Organic Matter

We prioritize nurturing the soil, drawing out its inherent power while valuing harmony with nature.

Whole-dried sweet potatoes with a texture similar to yokan. These whole-dried sweet potatoes—made by drying the sweet potatoes whole rather than slicing them—require careful peeling of thin, melt-in-your-mouth steamed sweet potatoes, followed by a three-day drying process. Because this method is labor-intensive and time-consuming, they are considered a rare variety of dried sweet potato that is not commonly found on the market.

■ Yuki no Hisya

“Yuki no Hisya” is a premium brand of dried sweet potatoes. It was born out of a moment of salvation: on a snowy day, a mentor in agriculture called out to me, “Would you like some tea?” The fields, which contain mineral-rich meltwater from heavy snowfall, produce a miraculous product that imparts a rich umami flavor to the sweet potatoes.By adjusting the steaming and drying processes to the day’s weather and the condition of the sweet potatoes, our artisans make subtle adjustments to pursue a new and unique texture.