Latest / The Beanstalk : A Podcast for Gardeners / Episode 26 — Sweet Potatoes - Cozy, Comforting, and Perfect for Thanksgiving

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Episode 26 — Sweet Potatoes - Cozy, Comforting, and Perfect for Thanksgiving · The Beanstalk : A Podcast for Gardeners

• 0:28
  Welcome back to the Beanstalk, fellow beans.
• 0:31
  My name is John, and today we're talking about one of the
• 0:34
  coziest, most comforting, most holiday centered crops in the
• 0:38
  entire garden. Sweet potatoes.
• 0:43
  These gems aren't just good for Thanksgiving though, let's be
• 0:47
  honest, that's where they shine in all their buttery,
• 0:50
  marshmallow topped glory. They're also one of the most
• 0:54
  rewarding, forgiving, and surprisingly tough crops you can
• 0:59
  grow. If you've ever wanted a plant
• 1:02
  that thrives on heat, shrugs off tough soil, and pays you back
• 1:07
  with pounds of food, sweet potatoes are your friend.
• 1:13
  So grab a warm drink, settle in, and let's dig into the world of
• 1:17
  sweet potatoes. From slips and soil temps all
• 1:21
  the way to that mashed sweet potato dish that absolutely
• 1:25
  belongs on every holiday table. Why should we grow sweet
• 1:30
  potatoes? Sweet potatoes are the kind of
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  crops that gives more than it takes.
• 1:37
  If you're gardening in a warm summer climate, or even just a
• 1:40
  place with a halfway decent growing season, they reward you
• 1:44
  with big, beautiful tubers full of nutrients, color and flavor.
• 1:50
  They are heat lovers. Think July's sun as their happy
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  place. They store naturally for months.
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  A winter pantry hero. They're nutrient dense.
• 2:03
  They're a vitamin A powerhouse, and they're great space fillers.
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  They're the vine that takes its career seriously.
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  Plus, they're gorgeous. The vines alone could be
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  ornamentals, and if you ever cured your own sweet potatoes
• 2:20
  and tasted them after the sugars develop, you know exactly why
• 2:24
  growing your own beats store bought every time.
• 2:28
  How to grow sweet potatoes Sweet potatoes don't start from seeds,
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  they start from slips, those little shoots that come off of a
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  mature tuber. You can buy slips, or you can
• 2:45
  make them yourself from an organic sweet potato with a
• 2:49
  little patience, warm water and a sunny window sill.
• 2:54
  Here's the quick garden friendly version, starting your slips.
• 3:02
  You can root the slips in water or directly in soil, but either
• 3:06
  way, let them grow until they have several leaves and a nice
• 3:10
  tuft of roots. When they're about 6 inches
• 3:13
  tall, they're ready for the big leagues, outdoors, soil and
• 3:19
  location. Sweet potatoes thrive in loose,
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  warm, well drained soil. Think sandy loam if you've got
• 3:29
  it, or raised beds if you don't. If you garden in clay, get ahead
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  of things by loosening the soil deep down or building up a mound
• 3:39
  or bed to give them room. They want full sun and they'll
• 3:44
  absolutely sprawl if you let them.
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  So give them some space or let them become your living summer
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  mulch planting. Wait until your soil is warm.
• 3:58
  Like really warm sweet potatoes want soil that feels like beach
• 4:02
  sand that's been sitting in the sun?
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  Plant slips 12 to 18 inches apart, burying them deep enough
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  that at least a few nodes leaf junctions end up in the
• 4:16
  underground. Water them well at first, then
• 4:22
  let the vines take off. How to harvest sweet potatoes
• 4:31
  Harvest time feels like a treasure dig about 90 to 120
• 4:35
  days after planting. Once the leaves yellow or that
• 4:40
  first light frost hits, it's time to dig carefully.
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  Use a fork instead of a shovel so you don't stab the tubers.
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  Sweet potatoes scratch easily, and scratches reduce their
• 4:52
  storage life. Curing.
• 4:59
  This is where the magic happens. Cure them at warm, humid
• 5:04
  temperatures for 7 to 14 days. This develops the sweetness and
• 5:10
  toughens the skin, so they'll store all winter.
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  After curing, store them somewhere cool and dry and
• 5:18
  they're good for months. Common pests and problems Sweet
• 5:26
  potatoes are generally tough, but here are the usual suspects.
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  Wireworms. They leave little holes in the
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  tubers. Rotating crops and avoiding
• 5:39
  freshly broken sod helps. Deer and rabbits.
• 5:45
  They absolutely love the vines. A little fencing really goes a
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  long way here. Weeds early on, the vines will
• 5:57
  eventually smother most competition, but keep the young
• 6:00
  plants weeded until they take off.
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  Overall, they're one of the least fussy crops in the garden.
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  Companion planting tips Sweet potatoes appreciate neighbors
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  that help control pests or improve soil structure.
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  Good companions include Bush beans, thyme, oregano and
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  marigolds. Try to avoid planting them right
• 6:33
  next to squash or pumpkins. Those two will compete for space
• 6:38
  like siblings fighting over the last cookie seed saving tips, or
• 6:45
  rather slips. Sweet potatoes don't really
• 6:51
  produce garden friendly seeds. Instead, you save them by
• 6:56
  picking your best, healthiest tubers.
• 6:58
  At the end of the season, store a few of your nicest potatoes
• 7:03
  separately. These will become next year's
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  slip producers come spring. Let them sprout indoors, snap
• 7:11
  off those slips and grow a whole new patch.
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  It's a closed loop straight from your own garden.
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  The pros and cons of sweet potatoes Firstly, the pros.
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  They are incredibly productive, they have a great heat
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  tolerance, they store all winter, the vines are beautiful
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  and honestly you deal with very few pests with them.
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  And now for the cons. Sweet potatoes need a long, warm
• 7:52
  season. Tough soil will equal funny
• 7:56
  shaped sweet potatoes, and vines can take over.
• 8:00
  If you're not watching, we've arrived at the recipe Honey
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  glazed mashed sweet potatoes with Marshmallows.
• 8:13
  All right, this is where Thanksgiving really shows up.
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  This recipe gives you that Mashed potato texture with the
• 8:20
  warm holiday sweetness everyone expects from sweet potatoes.
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  It's nostalgic, delicious, and shockingly simple.
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  The ingredients 4 to 5 medium sweet potatoes, 3 to 4
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  tablespoons of butter, 2 to 3 tablespoons of honey, 1/4 cup of
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  brown sugar, one tablespoon of vanilla, half a teaspoon of
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  ginger, half a teaspoon of cinnamon, salt and pepper to
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  taste, half a cup of milk or cream, and mini marshmallows.
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  However many your heart says is right, here is the cooking
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  directions. Peel, cube and boil your sweet
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  potatoes until fork tender. Drain them and mash them while
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  warm with your butter, honey, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon,
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  salt and pepper. After mixing, add the milk and
• 9:39
  marshmallows to make them extra creamy.
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  Scoop into a casserole dish and spread evenly.
• 9:49
  Broil them for a few minutes, watching them closely.
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  You're just trying to bring the flavors together and soften up
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  the marshmallows. Serve warm and bask in applause.
• 10:04
  Some fun facts about sweet potatoes.
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  Sweet potatoes aren't potatoes at all.
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  They're closer to morning glories.
• 10:17
  Their leaves are edible and actually pretty tasty when
• 10:21
  sauteed. Purple sweet potatoes have more
• 10:26
  antioxidants than blueberries. In some cultures, sweet potatoes
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  are considered a symbol of prosperity.
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  And now for the garden nerd corner.
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  Let's get nerdy for a second. Sweet potatoes develop sweetness
• 10:48
  from enzymatic starch to sugar conversion, which really ramps
• 10:53
  up during curing. That's why freshly dug sweet
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  potatoes can taste almost bland, but after a week or two of
• 11:01
  curing? Totally different experience.
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  Also fun? The pigments in purple sweet
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  potatoes are anthocyanins, the same antioxidants found in red
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  cabbage, berries, and black rice.
• 11:19
  They're basically superheroes in tuber form.
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  Thanks again for hanging out with me on the Beanstalk.
• 11:27
  Sweet potatoes bring warmth, comfort, and a whole lot of
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  flavor to the garden and the kitchen, and I hope this episode
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  helps you grow your best crop yet and maybe even make a new
• 11:40
  family favorite Thanksgiving dish.
• 11:45
  If you haven't yet, check out our Facebook page for photos,
• 11:48
  updates, and a whole bunch of garden community goodness.
• 11:53
  And as always, keep growing, keep experimenting, and keep
• 11:57
  enjoying every bite of what you grow, from our patch to yours.
• 12:04
  Keep on climbing.