Description:
The sweet potato has yellow or orange flesh, and its thin skin may either be white, yellow, orange, red or purple. Sometimes this root vegetable will be shaped like a potato, being short and blocky with rounded ends, while other times it will be longer with tapered ends. There is often much confusion between sweet potatoes and yams; the moist-fleshed, orange-coloured root vegetable that is often called a "yam" is actually a sweet potato.
How to select:
Select sound, firm roots. Handle them carefully to prevent bruising.
Use:
Sweet potato is always eaten cooked as a vegetable or as a basis for a dessert. There are several varieties of sweet potato like the "Virginia" with yellow flesh and the pink Malaga variety (used to make jams). The young leaves of the plants are prepared like spinach and are edible .
How to store:
Store in a dry, unrefrigerated bin kept at 55-60 degrees F. DO NOT REFRIGERATE; temperatures below 55 degrees F. will result in a hard core and an undesirable taste when cooked. Most sweet potato dishes freeze well.
Health benefits:
Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A. They are also a very good source of vitamin C and manganese. In addition, sweet potatoes are a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron.
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