It is sweet potato season
@GardenGerty (169530)
United States
November 20, 2023 7:47pm CST
Note, I did not say "yam" season--that is a different crop entirely.
Besides that, I totally dislike "candied yams" that involve lots of butter, brown sugar and marshmallows.
I like to take a small sweet potato and cook it until tender in the microwave. Just put butter on it. So tasty, yet tender.
I like them roasted as well.
Oh, and sweet potato fries are excellent.
Who needs a marshmallow on their vegetable?
20 people like this
22 responses
@DaddyEvil (174590)
• United States
21 Nov 23
I like sweet potatoes raw but don't like them cooked. I've tried sweet potato fries... you can have them, I'll pass.
5 people like this
@DaddyEvil (174590)
• United States
21 Nov 23
@Fleura Oh, yeah... they're quite good raw.
3 people like this
@much2say (57760)
• Los Angeles, California
21 Nov 23
My mom used to slice white sweet potatoes and toss them in the oven with butter and brown sugar. I could never eat the yams with marshmallows - way too sweet for me. For regular meals, we will sometimes do the sweet potato fries in the oven . . . with a bit of ginger powder and olive oil.
4 people like this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
That marshmallow thing haunts me. People do not realize how good they are as a savory dish.
3 people like this
@much2say (57760)
• Los Angeles, California
26 Nov 23
@GardenGerty It's like putting candy on a vegetable - kinda weird to me.
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
The way I understand it, what we call yams in the US are actually sweet potatoes, yam is a different family. I would not really know. For me the sweet potato is sweet enough with just some butter on it. Not sugary sweet, but healthy sweet.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
23 Nov 23
@rebelann So many things are naturally sweet.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
Hmmm. Pesto would taste yummy. Add Butternut squash to that list.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
23 Nov 23
@sallypup I grew them one year and had a really good crop.
1 person likes this
@sallypup (69212)
• Centralia, Washington
22 Nov 23
@GardenGerty We have a good sized butternut squash that we grew. It's going to be the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving meal.
2 people like this
@Missmwngi (12915)
• Nairobi, Kenya
21 Nov 23
Doesn't it take long in a microwave?
Here we boil them instead
You can also mash them with some other food types
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
I cook them about the same as a regular potato. Timing depends on how large they are and also how many watts your microwave has. I have been using fairly small ones. My sister's neighbor grew one once that was as big as an American football.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
I would hate to have a restricted diet. My friend has lots of things she cannot eat. Plain and simple is so good.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
23 Nov 23
@RubyHawk Chocolate always helps.
1 person likes this
@RubyHawk (99367)
• Atlanta, Georgia
23 Nov 23
@GardenGerty You do get used to it so it isn’t so bad after awhile. Now I can eat chocolate and cake so that makes up for a lot.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
The ones we get in the late spring and summer have been stored in cold storage, I think. The ones I have right now have thin skin and are really fresh. They are not as popular as regular potatoes.
2 people like this
@RebeccasFarm (91297)
• United States
21 Nov 23
Yeah I call them sweet potatoes not yams.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
We used to get them in cans when I was little, with a sweet syrup. They called them yams but what I read says even those are sweet potatoes.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
23 Nov 23
@RebeccasFarm To me that is more like a dessert.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (91297)
• United States
22 Nov 23
@GardenGerty I love the ones with marshmallows and brown sugar and butter
2 people like this
@FourWalls (86812)
• United States
21 Nov 23
To me, marshmallows don’t even have a taste, so why bother?
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
Marshmallows have their place, gluing other things together like Rice Krispie treats, but they do not belong on my sweet potatoes.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
You are right, they are very good that way.
1 person likes this
@wiLLmaH (8801)
• Singapore, Singapore
22 Nov 23
Your approach with a simple buttered sweet potato sounds delicious and straightforward. Sometimes, less is more, right? And sweet potato fries, oh, they're a game-changer! Have you ever tried experimenting to fry it wth brown sugar?
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
I have not done that with the brown sugar. I know when the cook them for "candied yams" they use brown sugar, butter and then marshmallow.
1 person likes this
@wiLLmaH (8801)
• Singapore, Singapore
23 Nov 23
@GardenGerty Kamote Cue (Deep Fried Caramelized Sweet Potato) is one of our desserts when we were young back in the Philippines. :) If you have time, you can try to cook it :)
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
I do not think we get real yams in the US but I could be wrong. It is a science thing.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112864)
• United States
25 Nov 23
@GardenGerty Hmm. Interesting. I guess it's like the difference between a yak and an ox. 
Actually, now that I think about it, a yak and an ox ARE different. Anywho... 
Actually, now that I think about it, a yak and an ox ARE different. Anywho... 
@TraveOnWorld (851)
• Georgia
21 Nov 23
Miss those, where we are now they are horrifyingly expensive so we do not buy them. I prefer the orange ones as the white ones first have to blanched else they fall apart in cooking.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
I have not tried the white ones. I like this time of year because they are plentiful and cost a little less.
@allknowing (153529)
• India
23 Nov 23
Sweet potato is my favourite tuber I eat it more because it is good for health
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
23 Nov 23
It is very healthy. It probably grows well for you where you live, too.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (135910)
• Marion, Ohio
21 Nov 23
I never was interested in sweet potatoes
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
When I found out I could have them not gunked up with a lot of sugar I became fond of them.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (135910)
• Marion, Ohio
22 Nov 23
@GardenGerty Mom never did add sugar to them
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (98072)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
21 Nov 23
I am not a fan of sweet potatoes but will eat them when roasted,
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
We use the term interchangeably here, but I think yams are native to South America.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
23 Nov 23
@JudyEv Someone else in this discussion mentioned the white ones. I have never had them.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382357)
• Rockingham, Australia
23 Nov 23
@GardenGerty When I was young, sweet potatoes had white flesh and a somewhat floury texture. Most nowadays seem to be pink-fleshed.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222623)
• United States
21 Nov 23
We like baked sweet potatoes; and that's what we'll be having with our Thanksgiving dinner. I eat mine plain; and hubs adds butter and brown sugar to his. Yuck! Have a great day.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
Butter and if I have to add something else it will be some savory spices.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169530)
• United States
22 Nov 23
You are right, good and good for you.
1 person likes this
