Guide

Fruit and Vegetable Guide

Sweet potatoes

Autumn, Winter

Description: In addition to the commonly seen orange, these tubers can have yellow, white, or even purple flesh. Although sweet potatoes are sometimes referred to as yams, true yams are quite different, with very thick skin and starchy flesh.

Selection: Choose firm, unblemished sweet potatoes.

Storage and handling: Store in a dark, cool (55-58F / 13-15C), well-ventilated place, wrapped individually in newspaper, for a month or more. Before cooking, scrub sweet potatoes with a brush in a bowl of cold water and peel if desired.

Preparation: Boil whole unpeeled sweet potatoes 35-45 minutes. To preserve nutrients, peel, if desired, after cooking. Microwave whole sweet potatoes, pricked with a fork, about 8 minutes. Microwave chunks, covered, about 5 minutes. Bake whole unpeeled sweet potatoes, rubbed with a little oil if desired, at 350F / 180C, 45-50 minutes.

Serving suggestions: Cooked sweet potatoes take well to sweet spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg. Mash cooked sweet potatoes and serve seasoned with butter, salt and pepper; or mixed with applesauce, butter, and sweet spices; or topped with chopped nuts and baked. Great paired with black beans (SIS, p. 259).

Nutrients (when cooked): Vitamins A, B6, C, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin; potassium; alpha- and beta-carotene antioxidants; fiber.

1 lb raw = 3 cups sliced or chopped
1 lb cooked = 1-1 1⁄4 cups puréed

The Fruit and Vegetable Guide is reproduced here with permission of Herald Press, publisher of Simply in Season.


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