Post by macmex on Nov 28, 2020 13:16:55 GMT
I was 24 years old when I saw my first white sweet potato. Back then the supermarket only carried traditional orange colored sweet potatoes. I dropped in on the Warsaw (Indiana) Farmers' Market and came upon an older gentleman who was selling only sweet potatoes. He had two kinds and I almost didn't recognize them as sweet potatoes. One variety was white and another variety had beet red skin. I purchased some of each and was delighted with both.
This is not a photo of those specific sweet potatoes. I didn't carry a camera at the time.
The red variety was Red Wine Velvet, which went on to attain some fame in seed saving circles. The white variety was Southern Queen. One doesn't hear that much about Southern Queen. I no longer have that variety. At one point I lost Southern Queen, and unable to acquire it at the time, I replaced it with Brinkley White. Both varieties can be found at Sandhill Preservation Center.
For a while I was content to grow just three varieties of sweet potato. Always, I wanted Red Wine Velvet. It became my own family heirloom. I also, always wanted a white variety. Why? Well, it's hard to say. Flavor and texture are not much affected by color. I've had dry and I've had moist whites. Some whites, such as the red skinned "Morado" of Mexico and its twin, Grand Asia, are a bit drier than supermarket varieties, they seem not quite as sweet, yet their sweetness is subtle, delicate and addicting.
This is a photo of what two Grand Asia plants produced. Grand Asia is a personal favorite. I will not be without it.
Brinkley White and, if I recall correctly, Southern Queen are within the norm of American expectations, when it comes to moistness and sweetness. In fact, they may be sweeter than a supermarket type.
White Eclipse is a fairly rare variety; one which Gary Schaum, of Duck Creek Farms sent me, some years ago. It's extremely firm fleshed and, after curing, it's very sweet. It produces prodigious amounts of roots which keep quite well.
I have heard that over 100 years ago, the "traditional" sweet potato in the United States was white fleshed. I know this is still the case in Mexico. Hayman is the traditional sweet potato (white) grown near the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.
White sweet potatoes persist, and I can't quite explain why, but I myself gravitate to them. Try a white variety and see for yourself!
This is not a photo of those specific sweet potatoes. I didn't carry a camera at the time.
The red variety was Red Wine Velvet, which went on to attain some fame in seed saving circles. The white variety was Southern Queen. One doesn't hear that much about Southern Queen. I no longer have that variety. At one point I lost Southern Queen, and unable to acquire it at the time, I replaced it with Brinkley White. Both varieties can be found at Sandhill Preservation Center.
For a while I was content to grow just three varieties of sweet potato. Always, I wanted Red Wine Velvet. It became my own family heirloom. I also, always wanted a white variety. Why? Well, it's hard to say. Flavor and texture are not much affected by color. I've had dry and I've had moist whites. Some whites, such as the red skinned "Morado" of Mexico and its twin, Grand Asia, are a bit drier than supermarket varieties, they seem not quite as sweet, yet their sweetness is subtle, delicate and addicting.
This is a photo of what two Grand Asia plants produced. Grand Asia is a personal favorite. I will not be without it.
Brinkley White and, if I recall correctly, Southern Queen are within the norm of American expectations, when it comes to moistness and sweetness. In fact, they may be sweeter than a supermarket type.
White Eclipse is a fairly rare variety; one which Gary Schaum, of Duck Creek Farms sent me, some years ago. It's extremely firm fleshed and, after curing, it's very sweet. It produces prodigious amounts of roots which keep quite well.
I have heard that over 100 years ago, the "traditional" sweet potato in the United States was white fleshed. I know this is still the case in Mexico. Hayman is the traditional sweet potato (white) grown near the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.
White sweet potatoes persist, and I can't quite explain why, but I myself gravitate to them. Try a white variety and see for yourself!