It was a muddy day, and I merely wanted to check on these sweet potatoes. If you grow anything that needs to be dug up, you know the excitement can be likened to a pirate finding booty. I found Gold (or red-orange to be more accurate)!!
To fully appreciate my bounty, one has to remember that I'm just a humble little backyard gardener. The first year, I got a few fingerlings. To be honest, they were really more like fat roots than actual sweet potatoes - another crop that my daughter would yell, "Mom! You're wasting it" upon catching me peeling the tiny potatoes. Not this time though. I think there were a few factors that made this year's harvest successful:
- I didn't play around with different varieties and just focused on a variety of sweet potato that has proven to do well in my area (Georgia Jet).
- I dug in lots of compost prior to planting and planted in hills about 18 inches high.
- I kept the area mulched and weeded.
- They were planted in a sunnier location than usual.
- They were planted in my "magic garden". I can't go into the details here, mainly because it's still a mystery to me, but the little side yard garden has special powers and grows perfect lettuce, large garlic bulbs, many luffa gourds, edemame, whatever I put in it.
I really should have dug these sweet potatoes on a drier day. Perhaps I wouldn't have experienced this casualty.
Off to research some recipes!
And speaking of buried treasure, check out this root a farmer in China found...
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/blog.asp?id=50633
16 comments:
I so want a magic garden. Maybe it would grow the things I have trouble with.
I Loove sweet potatoes! love your photos and posts! Awesome that you are enjoying your magical garden..yay..aren't they the best kind? !!keep in mind..you also may be magical too! Happy garden magic.
The root in that link is grotesque! And a little too excited!
Keep weaving those spells in your magic garden!
Ohmigosh, that root in China is hilarious!
Wendy,
What the heck did you put in this magic garden soil? Is is illegal?
JK.
I hope you enjoy the fruits of your labors.
sweet potatoes = good vitamins.
Rosey
Wow, those are big boys, my mouth is watering!
Just what is in that magic soil? LOL
Your sweet potatoes look divine! I bet they were tasty. Yum!
Those will be soooooo delicious and extra great cuz you grew them yourself! As for the Chinese Gardener...How weird is that? I would have been afraid when I unearthed that fellow. Nature does the strangest things. Have a great day!
we partially cook sweet potatoes, then dice them and saute in a little oil as an alternative to hash browns for breakfast. add a sprinkle of salt and there you have it: sweet, salty, crunchy outside, soft inside. I want some now.
Love to know more about your magic garden. I hope you have found a good recipe to cook this lovely sweet potatoes. Else, just boil it till cooked and eat it just like that. They really taste great :-D oh, congrats on progressing from those fingerlings harvest to these fatsos ha ha... Enjoy the fruit of your labour!
Ricki, I will definitley try that recipe. I certainly can't be eating sweet casseroles every day for the next month!
Kiki, if you could see all my garden failures, it would confirm that I am not magic! :)
At the sake of ruining the magic, I think it might be that the soil is looser since it's closer to the house and has probably been backfilled as opposed to untouched clay like the rest of my yard. There are also no maple roots in this area like there are in the rest of the yard. I think it's all the sunniest spot, so...probably like the soil most of you already have, but that's probably the extent of the magic! As for Greenish Thumb standards (I'm working with clay, shade, roots)- pretty magical!
Wendy,
Sweet potatoe fries!! Baked, even better! I even microwave them for a snack. Sweet potatoes...the best food on earth :)
Now I'm hungry...what else is new?!
Wow! Those are really impressive! I can't wait to try some version of potatoes, if for nothing more than the fun of digging them. Great job!
Lucky You
Three Words: Sweet Potato Pie!
Wendy, you certainly have a bountiful harvest this time. Cheers to you, dear. The root in that link is very unusual looking. I can't believe that it is real. Now back to the sweet potatoes. We can make 'tong shui' here, i.e. sweet potato boiled in sugar syrup with a little bit of ginger. Perhaps your mum knows how to make it. Another desert is 'Bo Bo Cha Cha', a Malaysian favourite. The picture and recipe can be obtained from this link: http://www.mywoklife.com/2009/11/bo-bo-cha-cha-asian-dessert-recipe.html
ooooh, I'm going to try all these things - the fries, the sweet potato pie, and the bo bo cha cha. Problem is...and I hate to admit this...I'm getting sick of sweet potatoes already! I made a huge casserole and ate it all by myself every day this week!
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