Our farmers grow a variety of sweet potatoes including Beauregard, Murasaki, Covington, and Scarlet. They love growing sweet potatoes because they are a crop they know well from back home. They thrive in our hot, humid summers, have edible greens, and produce nutritious, delicious tubers that store all winter. Their favorite variety is Murasaki (Japanese white fleshed).

Try cooking sweet potatoes is in their simplest form: poke a few holes in their skin and slide them into a 350 degree oven and roast until fully tender, all the way through. Slice one open while hot, melt a dollop of good butter on each half, sprinkle with salt and eat it with a spoon. Sweet potatoes are also great diced and then roasted---keep these in the fridge and add to salads and grain bowls all week. Roast sweet potatoes in wedges and serve them with loads of yogurt and cilantro chile sauce. On a chilly night, turn them into a main dish like these sweet potato fritters from Ottolenghi or sweet potato black bean casserole. 
 

STORAGE: Until you are ready to use them, remove your sweet potatoes from the plastic bag and store them in a cool, dark, dry place for maximum storage life.
 

RECIPE: Baked Ginger Sweet Potatoes from Chowhound

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup apricot preserves
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 1 medium orange)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger (from about 1 [3-inch] piece)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 4 pounds medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

Method:

• Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Place the preserves, orange juice, butter, ginger, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook until the butter and preserves are melted and smooth, about 6 minutes.
• Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl, drizzle with a third of the apricot mixture (about 1/2 cup), and, using your hands, toss to coat. Overlap the slices in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish (we like to alternate the direction of the rows, as shown in the photo). Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.
• Remove the baking dish from the oven and take off the foil. Drizzle with another third of the apricot mixture and bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Drizzle with the remaining third of the apricot mixture and bake uncovered until the sweet potatoes are tender and the glaze has thickened, about 10 minutes more. Transfer the dish to a wire rack and cool 10 minutes before serving.

RECIPE: Slow cooker Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potatoes adapted from Real Simple
(Serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients:

• red onion, chopped
• bell pepper, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• Dash of coriander, paprika, turmeric, oregano, and cayenne pepper
• Two or three handfuls of frozen corn (add more or less depending on your preference)
• 2 - 15 oz. cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup of water
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 15 oz. can pinto beans
• 15 oz. can black beans (you can use whatever type of beans you prefer)

Method:

• Sauté onion, pepper, and garlic in a skillet for 5-7min.
• Add the spices and cook for 1 minute more, stirring frequently. 
• Pour the contents of the skillet and the remaining ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4+ hours, or until the sweet potatoes are very soft.
• Use an immersion blender to lightly blend a portion of the chili to thicken it (or put a few cups of it into a food processor and blend until individual pieces of sweet potato are no longer visible. Stir this mixture back into the chili).
• Serve and enjoy! Stores well in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for several months!

MORE RECIPES:

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

Sweet Potato Chana Masala