From Farm to Table: How Kalim-aw Sweet Potatoes Are Grown in Mindanao

Mindanao’s rich volcanic soil and tropical climate create the perfect backdrop for cultivating the buttery-sweet Kalim-aw sweet potato. Before this vibrant orange sweet potato lands on your plate, it embarks on a journey rooted in tradition, careful stewardship, and hands-on care.

Nurturing the Soil

Farmers begin by preparing fields with composted plant waste and mulch, practices that help the ground retain moisture and stay nutrient-rich. This approach builds healthy soil structure over time and sets the stage for strong, flavorful sweet potatoes.

Propagating Healthy Cuttings

Instead of seeds, Kalim-aw sweet potato cultivation uses vine cuttings called slips. Farmers select vigorous, disease-resistant slips and root them in shaded nurseries. Throughout this phase, they monitor for pests and fungal threats to ensure only the healthiest plants reach the field.

Growing Season Care

Once transplanted, each sweet potato plant receives steady attention. Regular weeding keeps competing plants at bay, while gentle hilling over the vines encourages more underground sweet potato development. Intercropping with legumes or cover crops helps replenish soil nutrients naturally and supports a balanced ecosystem.

Harvesting with Precision

When foliage begins to yellow and the soil cracks slightly around the sweet potatoes, harvest time arrives. Skilled hands dig carefully, lifting each sweet potato without bruising its delicate skin. Quality checks follow immediately—sweet potatoes are sorted by size and appearance, with imperfect ones reserved for local markets and home use.

Post-Harvest Handling

After harvest, the sweet potatoes undergo a gentle curing process in well-ventilated rooms. Curing allows minor wounds to heal and sugars to concentrate, deepening that signature sweetness and extending shelf life so every sweet potato stays firm and delicious from market to kitchen.

Bringing It Home

Local cooperatives coordinate timely transport, sending freshly cured Kalim-aw sweet potatoes to community markets and partnering retailers. Many sellers even trace their batches back to specific farms or barangays, so you know exactly where your sweet potatoes came from—and whose hard work made them possible.

By understanding this farm-to-table journey, you can savor each bite knowing it honors Mindanao’s land and the dedication of its farmers.

Mindanao Orange Kalim-Aw Kamote (Raw) 1 Kilo

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