Mother Earth News, my favoritest magazine besides the almighty Oprah, has an article this month about growing sweet potatoes. And I did a double take when I read that you should NOT eat your sweet potatoes after you harvest them for at least a few months. Wha - ??? But I was going to be all smug-like and serve them at Thanksgiving!
If you can keep your potatoes at 80 degrees for a week after harvesting, they will "cure" - grow a second protective outer skin, and this way you can safely store them for a few months until they're ready to eat, without risk of rotting. Have you ever gotten a sweet potato from the store, cut into it, and there is this weird dried-out spongy-looking center? That is the result of un-cured potatoes. Potatoes when they are harvested and cured are a living tuber, and will be right up until you cook them. Un-cured potatoes die, and when you see that weird center, that is rot happening from the inside out. Yuck. Freshly harvested sweet potatoes aren't that sweet, and are pretty starchy - you have to give them time to finish sweetening. The article states the earliest you should think about eating them is December. (insert sad face)
Speaking of yuck, it will be at least 100 degrees here on Friday. Our Earth is heating up, no doubt. I've resolved to go even more crunchy because of this - I need to be better about planning wash days to coordinate hanging out wash, I need to break out the bike more, and I really need to get on installing our second rain barrel. Our barrel has been dry going on a week now - I'm hoping the thunderstorms in our forecast are a real possibility.
Mooch is headed down to the beach with her grandparents on Wednesday, and staying over for two nights. Butterbean is convinced she's going too - I'm not looking forward to the minute she realizes she's stuck at home with boring Mama and Daddy. And she's going to miss her sister - lookit these two
*Photos courtesy our weekly living room dance party*
And my new addiction is Moon To Moon - she's giving me the inspiration I need to feather my nest a bit more!
Be well
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"I've resolved to go even more crunchy because of this"....Lol! Crunchy. I have only recently discovered this term and I heart it. I like my peanut butter creamy but I like my people crunchy. ;)
ReplyDeleteMan they are cute!
ReplyDeleteAnd I soooo want to get more and more and more crunchy, but I am so completely out of time, it's killing me. I NEED rain barrels. And a clothesline. And STUFF. But, alas. I work way too effing much. And I'm really starting to resent it. I'm bitter today.
Also, your girls are sooooo cute. I need a dance party.
And I love Mother Earth News.
I have two rain barrels and two composters. Because we haven't had a good rain since I can't remember both our barrels are almost dry. We just got a call from the water company saying we are on a odd/even schedule for watering. I'm going to use the rest of the barrel water for the veggies and hope my flowers and herbs can fend for themselves. I think from now on I'm sticking with flowers that can handle this ridiculous heat. My herbs are actually doing great, it's the flowers. Gonna do some research then plan accordingly.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much on the sweet potato news. You are a little well of information!
ReplyDeleteWeekly living room dance party? Too festive! Look at those sweet, beautiful little girls. OMG! They are precious and obviously such happy children. What a wonderful home they are being raised in. Hugs to you, sweetie!