Sweet Potatoes

There are many foods that we associate with certain holidays. In fact there are some foods that are only eaten during certain holiday seasons. When I was growing up the only way to purchase turkey meat was to buy the whole turkey and roast it. As a result we only had turkey for holidays. Mom would prepare turkey dinners on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. She would serve the same meal for all three holidays. She made the best meat stuffing as well as rich flavorful gravy. We would also have mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn and a green whipped gelatin salad. This was the only three times a year that mom would make the gelatin salad or sweet potatoes.

About fifteen years ago turkey became more readily available in many different cuts. Instead of only having whole turkeys you get purchase ground turkey, drumsticks, as well as turkey breasts. Today you can buy turkey bacon, sausage and marinated pieces. Turkey has become a common ingredient rather than a meat that is reserved only for special occasions.

I was an adult before I knew that you could purchase raw sweet potatoes. The only kind that we ever had at home was canned. I started looking for raw sweet potatoes after I tasted one baked and served with butter, just like white potatoes. I loved the rich sweet taste. When I asked for them in the grocery store I was told that they were located by the white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are different than yams. There are many varieties that are grown throughout the world; however they are usually sold locally where they are grown. The produce manager that was explaining this to me in the grocery store told me that sweet potatoes are the perfect food. They are very high in vitamins, minerals and iron. He said that if you could only have one food you should pick sweet potatoes because the greatest majority of your nutritional needs are in them.

I remember my mom opening the can of sweet potatoes and heating them in the oven with butter and marshmallows. I was never very fond of them, now I eat fresh ones at least once a week. I love the taste and they are very easy to prepare. They can be baked the same way that white potatoes are prepared or it can be cooked in the microwave or steamed. They do have a similar taste to squash. In the south it is common to be served sweet potato pie. It tastes similar to pumpkin pie, just a bit more dry. I am pleased that I found how versatile and nutritious the sweet potatoes are.