The sweet potato is a root vegetable. It can have large starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots and belongs to the morning glory family. The plant is a vine that produces heart-shaped leaves and medium flowers. The root is a long and tapered and has a smooth skin. It's colors range from beige, yellow, orange red, brown and purple. Potatoes with red or pink flesh are generally sweeter than white potatoes. I sprouted my own plants by placing the potatoes (ones I had chosen because I liked the way they tasted)under the kitchen sink until small leaves started to grow. As a backup, I bought some sprouts from a reputable company. However, the potatoes I sprouted seen to have done far better than the purchased plants. I covered the sprouted plants completely with soil, while I set the others out, per instructions of the seller. I the sprouted potatoes were stronger because they had to push their way through the the soil therefore, making them more resilient.
Sweet potatoes grown at the community garden.
A potato my daughter dug at the community garden.
The Nutritional Value of Sweet Potatoes.
The sweet potato consists of simple starches, and are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber and beta-carotene. The potato also has moderate contents of micronutrients-vitamins B5, vitamin B6, and manganese. The potato is listed as one of the ten best foods to eat. Actually listed as number one, ahead of broccoli #4, wild salmon #5, and leafy greens #10, by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
It's acknowledged that the potatoes with orange flesh have more beta-carotene than those with light-colored flesh.
Renown runner, Usain Bolt, credits eating sweet potatoes everyday for his magnificent speed. Maybe he's right. Even the leaves and shoots are edible, particularly in West African countries. However, it is the roots that are most important.
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I love growing and eating my own sweet potatoes. Not only did our family grow them, but I have raised them in small backyard gardens. I harvested a good crop this year at the community garden. I chose the plot there because it's larger, allowing the vines more space, and the unobstructed sunlight.
The sweet potato is a global food. It is eaten in several countries around the world such as Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Japan, Ethiopia, and Kenya. In Kenya, the Ministry of Agriculture has written a guide using the potato in recipes. It is being used in mashed forms, and flour from the dried tubers to replace wheat flour and sugar in cakes, bread, buns, cookies, etc. A juice drink has been developed and also a deep-fried snacks.
Some other countries that consume sweet potatoes: Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand, Japan, Ethiopia, Egypt, Peru, Papua, New Guinea, and Spain. The potato is eaten globally.
Unfortunately, certain pest love the sweet potatoes, as you can see from the photo above.
Below are photos of the prolific vines of the potato plant.
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