Post by macmex on Jul 30, 2021 14:26:50 GMT
Beauregard is almost certainly the most common/popular sweet potato in North America. I can think of three reasons for this: 1) it's extremely productive 2) it's disease resistant and 3) Its color and shape are what consumers have come to expect from a sweet potato.
I don't grow Beauregard myself, but I have friends who do. The reason I don't grow it is that there is no way in the world that anyone could claim that this variety is in need of preservation, and preservation is one of my main purposes in growing what I do. The reason my friends grow it is that if one purchases sweet potato plants from a box store, 9 times out of 10, Beauregard is what is available.
Here's an article on Beauregard. Keep in mind that their photo is a stock photo and probably not Beauregard. Below, is a photo I took of Beauregard. Also, in regard to some comments made in the article: 1) I have never seen white grubs harm ANY sweet potato roots. 2) I have never had much of any disease problems with sweet potatoes. It's large scale commercial growers who have to deal with these issues, and I'm pretty sure that Beauregard was developed with their needs in mind.
A friend dropped by a couple of days ago and gave us about 15 lb of Beauregard sweet potatoes. You might think it humorous that I, who grow hundreds of pounds of sweet potatoes every year would happily accept such a gift, but hey, I think I'm down to under 20 lb of my own, and those are mainly rather dry, not so sweet varieties, like White Eclipse. So, when our friend offered, we said yes!
From Monday through Thursday of this week I've been having baked Beauregard sweet potato for my morning snack. That's Monday through Thursday... all eating on the SAME root. Today (Friday) I still have enough left that I could have had it again, but frankly, White Eclipse was sounding pretty good to me by this point. Beauregard is sweet. I'd describe the flavor almost like the old Basooka Bubble Gum, they sold when I was a kid, back in the 60s. There is definitely no need to add sugar to these roots, but I don't find them as satisfying as the varieties I grow. (Remember, taste is all about personal preference. Just because I don't prefer this variety doesn't mean that over a hundred million people are wrong in their enjoyment of it.) Still, this morning, as I was getting ready to leave for work, I came upon one of my boxes of White Eclipse and... decided to splurge and have one of those instead of Beauregard...
Notice the size of the roots in the photo? Beauregard is what I'd call an "early variety." It produced usable size roots very quickly. When left to keep producing for longer, those roots can become huge. Commercial producers and consumers definitely prefer smaller roots (about 1 lb each). They're easier to cook and to handle. These roots were probably what was left after a large bin of Beauregard had been picked over by shoppers. They left the largest roots.
Large roots take a bit longer to cook, but when cooked long enough they are never tough. They're still quite good. It's just that you may cook a single root and be lopping off pieces all week. (What a problem
)
Anyway, if you like Beauregard, go ahead and grow it! Just don't think that's all there is in sweet potatoes. The variety in sweet potato flavor, texture, moisture and color is amazing and little known outside of a few select gardeners. I would like to help more people discover what they can grow and enjoy.
I don't grow Beauregard myself, but I have friends who do. The reason I don't grow it is that there is no way in the world that anyone could claim that this variety is in need of preservation, and preservation is one of my main purposes in growing what I do. The reason my friends grow it is that if one purchases sweet potato plants from a box store, 9 times out of 10, Beauregard is what is available.
Here's an article on Beauregard. Keep in mind that their photo is a stock photo and probably not Beauregard. Below, is a photo I took of Beauregard. Also, in regard to some comments made in the article: 1) I have never seen white grubs harm ANY sweet potato roots. 2) I have never had much of any disease problems with sweet potatoes. It's large scale commercial growers who have to deal with these issues, and I'm pretty sure that Beauregard was developed with their needs in mind.
A friend dropped by a couple of days ago and gave us about 15 lb of Beauregard sweet potatoes. You might think it humorous that I, who grow hundreds of pounds of sweet potatoes every year would happily accept such a gift, but hey, I think I'm down to under 20 lb of my own, and those are mainly rather dry, not so sweet varieties, like White Eclipse. So, when our friend offered, we said yes!
From Monday through Thursday of this week I've been having baked Beauregard sweet potato for my morning snack. That's Monday through Thursday... all eating on the SAME root. Today (Friday) I still have enough left that I could have had it again, but frankly, White Eclipse was sounding pretty good to me by this point. Beauregard is sweet. I'd describe the flavor almost like the old Basooka Bubble Gum, they sold when I was a kid, back in the 60s. There is definitely no need to add sugar to these roots, but I don't find them as satisfying as the varieties I grow. (Remember, taste is all about personal preference. Just because I don't prefer this variety doesn't mean that over a hundred million people are wrong in their enjoyment of it.) Still, this morning, as I was getting ready to leave for work, I came upon one of my boxes of White Eclipse and... decided to splurge and have one of those instead of Beauregard...
Notice the size of the roots in the photo? Beauregard is what I'd call an "early variety." It produced usable size roots very quickly. When left to keep producing for longer, those roots can become huge. Commercial producers and consumers definitely prefer smaller roots (about 1 lb each). They're easier to cook and to handle. These roots were probably what was left after a large bin of Beauregard had been picked over by shoppers. They left the largest roots.
Large roots take a bit longer to cook, but when cooked long enough they are never tough. They're still quite good. It's just that you may cook a single root and be lopping off pieces all week. (What a problem
)Anyway, if you like Beauregard, go ahead and grow it! Just don't think that's all there is in sweet potatoes. The variety in sweet potato flavor, texture, moisture and color is amazing and little known outside of a few select gardeners. I would like to help more people discover what they can grow and enjoy.
