Sweet Potatoes
This member of the morning glory family originated in the Americas. Columbus observed their cultivation in the Caribbean during his fourth voyage; DeSoto found sweet potatoes in what became Louisiana; and the pilgrims feasted on them during the first Thanksgiving.
Early settlers grew sweet potatoes on raised ridges. The crop usually came from vines cut from older plants and was planted following corn in July. After the sweet potatoes were harvested, hogs often grazed over the fields. Farmers cured their sweet potato harvest in oblong pits lined and covered with corn stalks. Soil then covered the pit to protect the vegetables from rain and frost. An opening in the pit allowed some ventilation. The tuber was known as the staff of life during the Civil War, providing the main sustenance to civilians and soldiers alike—either baked, fried, roasted or served in pudding and pie. The state led the nation in sweet potato production from 1836 to 1936, at one time devoting more than 150,000 acres to the crop. Today Georgia is the seventh-largest sweet potato producer in acreage with 1,700 acres devoted to sweet potato production.
A tasty holiday tradition in pies, puddings and casseroles, sweet potatoes are also one of the most nutritionally complete foods available, packed with 15 essential vitamins and minerals, including twice the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin A. Sweet potatoes are low in sodium and high in thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin C, iron, potassium, calcium and fiber.
Two types of sweet potato are available in Georgia: the moist-flesh sweet potatoes which are soft and sweet when cooked; and the Jersey-type sweet potatoes, which have a dry, mealy flesh and stay firm when cooked.
The names sweet potatoes and yams are often used interchangeably. Yet, despite the fact that the two have resemblances in appearance and taste, they are from two different families. Yams aren’t grown in the United States but close to the Equator.
Sweet potatoes, available from late October through December, grow in all parts of the state, but primarily in South Georgia in the Tifton area, where they flourish in the hot, humid climate.
A Buyers Guide to Sweet Potatoes
When buying sweet potatoes, look for a firm, smooth potato, uniform in shape and color.
Select thick, chunky, medium-sized vegetables that taper at both ends.
Handle sweet potatoes gently to avoid bruising.
Georgia sweet potatoes range from pale yellow to dark orange-red, depending on the variety.
Avoid buying sweet potatoes that show signs of decay or blemishes.
Store sweet potatoes in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place.