Every year around the First Frost, the sweet potatoes that served as the year's staple food had to be processed. Most were sliced and sun-dried for storage, while a smaller portion was kept in a cellar for the winter.
Under normal, good weather conditions, the freshly sliced sweet potatoes could dry in about a week. The biggest fear was getting a string of overcast days when they were only half-dry.
It had rained the day before yesterday, but thankfully, her family's sweet potato slices were already quite dry and had been gathered in time, so they didn't get rained on and grow mold.
And so, with the rare luck of two bright, sunny days, the fields and roadsides were covered with white expanses of sweet potato slices. Some were freshly cut and not yet fully dry, while others were ready to be collected today.
