Stardew Valley is the mammoth effort made by the sole creator, ConcernedApe. Players can farm, fish, and create friendships to their hearts' content. Within the relaxing atmosphere, there are a couple of requirements and fetch quests that can need items that elude some players due to their inconvenient spawn rates or seasonal appearance.
This guide will focus on the elusive Snow Yam - what it is, how to find it, and what players can do with it in Stardew Valley. The question of where to find a Stardew Valley Snow Yam is easy to answer as there are numerous means of acquiring this winter root -- not to be confused with the Winter Root, that is.
Updated April 25, 2023 by Erik Petrovich: The Snow Yam Stardew Valley players can find -- called the frozen yam by some -- is one of the most useful things for a farmer in the last season of the year. During Winter, normal crops can't grow, and most spend their time in the mines, building friendships, and doing anything but farming. Because the Stardew Snow Yam is used to make unique seeds that can only be grown in Winter, it's one of the most sought-after items for players who want to make more money in their first year. There are a few other reasons to go after a Snow Yam, too, like for Tailoring and gifting, but only for certain residents.
What Are Snow Yams?
Stardew Valley Snow Yams are one of the game's many forageable items within Stardew Valley. Alongside the Winter Root, the Crystal Fruit, the Holly, and the Crocus, it's one of the few players can only find in winter. When the farmer eats one, without being added to any recipes or buffs, they restore a measly 30 health and 13 energy, but players aren't exactly wondering where to find these Winter yams for normal consumption.
Snow Yams aren't grown from seeds like normal crops at Pierre's, as they fall under the Forageables category of produce. Instead, players must search around the forests and mountains of Pelican Town to find them laying on the ground, like other forageable items in earlier seasons. However, they can also be grown from Winter Seeds, a craftable bunch of seeds that are one of the game's only sources of farming XP in the Winter.
How to Get a Snow Yam in Stardew Valley
There are a handful of different ways to procure one of these pesky tubers. The only way to find them in the ground is to use the hoe tool, which unearths them particularly often at Artifact Spots where worms pop out of the ground. Only the hoe works, bombs or any other tool will not procure a Snow Yam. These frozen yams can be found by tilling up dirt outside of the farm area, too, as any tillable land has a 4% chance of spawning a Snow Yam. Creating a Gold or Iridium Hoe can help with this, as they can cover a larger area when charged up.
Will Snow Yams appear in the Mines in Stardew Valley? Yes, but only at certain levels -- perhaps predictably, it's mostly found in the cold areas of the Mines (not the Skull Cave or Volcano dungeon). By tilling soil from level 41 to 79 of the Mines, players can find Snow Yams relatively reliably, and floors can be reset for an even better harvest.
Snow Yams can also be grown with Winter Seeds, which can produce one of four Winter forageable items. This is the only time that they will grow/spawn above ground. When the seeds are fully grown they will be visible amongst the other unique crops grown only from the Winter Seeds. A bunch of Winter Seeds can be obtained by completing the Winter Foraging Bundle, and they can also be crafted.
What To Do With Stardew Valley Snow Yams
There are four main uses for the Snow Yam Stardew Valley offers the farmer: Winter Seeds, tailoring, fulfilling requests, and as a gift for certain townsfolk. Most importantly, it's used in the Community Center, and is vital to progress the Crafts Room. One Snow Yam, alongside a Winter Root, Crystal Fruit, and Crocus, will complete the Winter Foraging Bundle and reward a stack of 30 Winter Seeds.
Winter Seeds themselves are the only way to make money in the Winter from farming, and upon reaching Foraging level 7, players can begin to craft them. The recipe is the same as the Community Center bundle -- a Snow Yam, a Winter Root, a Crystal Fruit, and a Crocus -- which yields 10 Winter Seeds when combined.
Linus, Leah, and Harvey are the only townspeople who like this gift, which when given will grant +45 friendship with them. That equals about a fifth of a heart, but beware - Maru absolutely hates it. It's a mixed bag whether other Pelican Town residents are Neutral (+20) or Dislike (-20) towards the Stardew Snow Yam as a gift. Sometimes, a request will pop up outside Pierre's for one, which gives a bit of G and +150 Friendship with the person who posted it.
The last use for the Stardew Valley Snow Yam is in Tailoring. Either at Emily's house or with one's own sewing machine, players can combine a Snow Yam with a Cloth to create a light blue shirt with a white stripe and slight collar -- maybe not the best garb for the wintertime.
Stardew Valley is available for Android, iOS, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation Vita and PS4, and Xbox One.