Olin, yes we've always used supermarket produce without any repercussions. But a sweet potato 17 inches long...? What we can find are quite uniformly shaped, and measure no longer than 6 inches, whether sweets or yams. Wonder why...? When you say 'weighing 1 1/2 lb after curing for 2 weeks' -- does this mean that some of the moisture evaporates after harvesting? I do have one item worthy of publicity: my clematis is still blooming happily on the back banister, and it has been 30 degrees steadily for a whole week! What a pleasure ..... Penny . ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com