Sweet Potatoes are this week’s Fresh Pick of the Week from the valley’s Certified Farmers’ Markets. Most farms have one or more varieties of Sweet Potatoes in their booths, so there are plenty to choose from at the markets. Their skin ranges in color from light tan to orange to dark red, and their flesh is similarly varied, ranging from a creamy white to dark orange. Although the taste of all varieties is similar, the relative sweetness and consistency of the flesh varies considerably between the different varieties.
Sweet Potatoes originated, and were originally domesticated, in the Americas, mostly in Central America and South America, but today, they are produced throughout the world. China produces more Sweet Potatoes than any other country, and North Carolina produces more Sweet Potatoes than any other State.
Did you know: Sweet Potatoes are only distantly related to potatoes, and are not even part of the nightshade family (which includes potatoes, egg plants, tomatoes and deadly nightshade). Instead, they belong to the same family as the Morning Glory. It is also important to note that Sweet Potatoes are not Yams, even though the orange Sweet Potato variety is often incorrectly labeled as a Yam.
Price: $ 2.00 a pound.
