When to harvest Sweet Potato?

[garden5]

OK, I'm no expert, but I'm going to say from what I've seen, you don't have a yam.

It's often hard to find solid information on them online, since they are so often confused with sweet potatoes.

First off, although yams come in a variety of shapes ans sizes, they usually have a think skin that looks almost like bark. And, although there are some small ones, they can grow very large, up to several feet in length.

Secondly, have a look at [url=https://www.google.com/images?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&biw=1366&bih=588&gbv=2&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=yam+plant&btnG=Search]these photos[/url].

Look at the top row of pics, you will see a few plants that look like tropical trees, with large, broad leaves. I suspect that these are true yams while the other leaves are merely those of sweet potatoes that were incorrectly labeled as yams.

To further support my hypothesis, [url=https://tungkinfoongsblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/elephant-ear-plant-alocasia-macrorrhiza.html]here[/url] is a site where the owner shows a plant that he says closely resembles a yam plant. It, too, has these broad, upright leaves.

What do you think?

[Troppofoodgardener]

Yams / sweet potato / taro... it's all a little confusing! It may be that what we in Australia refer to as a sweet potato may be different to what it's called in the States? Or maybe I'm growing a WHITE sweet potato?

I know what is called taro, and from the pictures I saw of the Elephant ear plant, that definitely isn't what I'm growing. When I cut open the alleged 'sweet potato' it didn't have the purplish fibres you see inside a taro, nor did it have thick brown skin.

Anyway, if interested, here is a link of other discussions on yam vs. sweet potato:

https://ask.metafilter.com/76604/Yams-vs-Sweet-Potatoes-Wheres-the-value

However, the vine from which I originally grew the plant came from a local gardening guru. (she has grown food in the tropics for many years, published a book and hosts a segment on a national gardening show) So I'll have to take her word for it! Thanks for all the help however everyone!

[garden5]

Yams / sweet potato / taro... it's all a little confusing! It may be that what we in Australia refer to as a sweet potato may be different to what it's called in the States? Or maybe I'm growing a WHITE sweet potato?

I know what is called taro, and from the pictures I saw of the Elephant ear plant, that definitely isn't what I'm growing. When I cut open the alleged 'sweet potato' it didn't have the purplish fibres you see inside a taro, nor did it have thick brown skin.

Anyway, if interested, here is a link of other discussions on yam vs. sweet potato:

https://ask.metafilter.com/76604/Yams-vs-Sweet-Potatoes-Wheres-the-value

However, the vine from which I originally grew the plant came from a local gardening guru. (she has grown food in the tropics for many years, published a book and hosts a segment on a national gardening show) So I'll have to take her word for it! Thanks for all the help however everyone!

Well, it sounds like you got it from a more then veritable source. I'll bet you have a special variety of sweet potato! If this lady is really into her gardening, then I'm sure she likes the "exotic" stuff.

Cook it up and let us know how it tastes. If you don't post back we'll all be able to agree that it was just some kind of poisonous plant that resembles a sweet potato. .

[Troppofoodgardener]

haven't cooked it up as yet or tasted it as I'm a bit unsure about the green patch on the tater. (look at pic)

I didn't get any answers on whether the GREEN parts of (any) potatoes are carcinogenic or harmful. Does anyone know/care?

[applestar]

Hmmm. IF what you have is indeed what we think of as "sweet potato" -- I.e. ipomoea -- then my GUESS is that greenness on the tuber (though I've never heard of that on an SP) is safe since sweet potato leaves and stems are edible, unlike the "Irish" potato in the solanacea family.

It's not a wild potato (Yamaimo) right?

[garden5]

You could also just cut the green patch away to be safe.

Apps, just when I think I've gotten the whole sweet potato/yam thing down, you throw something new at me :p......wouldn't have it any other way .

I don't think this is what Top has since he said he got the start from a very experienced gardener.

Well, I'm off to research it, anyway.

[applestar]

Here's a photo of ones grown in Okinawa and southern islands of Japan, a sub-group called "Daisho" or "Yamuimo" (or "Yamanmu" in Okinawa dialect according to the caption) which are not the long tubers that is commonly seen in the rest of Japan. These are very hairy!
[img]https://blog-okinawa.img.jugem.jp/20091004_939703.jpg[/img]
https://blog.okinawa.pya.jp/?eid=790088

Some Daisho varieties are purple inside:
[img]https://blog-okinawa.img.jugem.jp/20091004_939668_t.jpg[/img]
I want to try growing these purple ones. I believe Kitazawa seeds had seed potatoes last year but they would only ship within California.

I'm more familiar with the white-fleshed long-tubered or flat hand-shaped yamaimo, but I believe the fresh flesh tend to turn reddish brown when they are exposed to air and become oxidized.

[Troppofoodgardener]

Definitely isn't a "Yamaimo"... This potato is very pale and thin-skinned. Almost like a regular potato except it's an off-white colour.

I STILL haven't eaten it yet... got way too much other produce to munch through at the moment

Another gardening friend said it's a "white" sweet potato. Maybe I'll have to contact the local gardening guru who gave me the vine and settle it once and for all!

[garden5]

Definitely isn't a "Yamaimo"... This potato is very pale and thin-skinned. Almost like a regular potato except it's an off-white colour.

I STILL haven't eaten it yet... got way too much other produce to munch through at the moment

Another gardening friend said it's a "white" sweet potato. Maybe I'll have to contact the local gardening guru who gave me the vine and settle it once and for all!

That's exactly what I was thinking about suggesting! I think that may be the best, most definitive option. Perhaps you could show her the potato or email her a pic?

Until then, [url=https://www.google.com/images?q=white+sweet+potato&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=LyHITKC9FoL-8AbR6InJDw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&ved=0CCwQsAQwAQ&biw=1366&bih=588]here[/url] are some pics of white sweet potatoes .

[thanrose]

Troppo, the green part of Solanum tuberosum, or Irish type white potato, the ubiquitous one of mash and chips and bakes, has the bitter principle solanine in it. You can eat tiny bits of it, such as on the edge of a potato chip or crisp and recognize the bitter flavor without any harm.

There are two other things sometimes called sweet potato. One is Ipomea batatas and is the sweet potato of Southern US fame, with variable foliage, sometimes ornamentally colored, and sprawling vines. The flesh of the tuber is generally orange or yellow. The skin of the tuber will be orangey- to garnet brown in most varieties. There will be a milky exudate when you dig or cut the skin. That cures in a few weeks of storage dependent on your climate. The boniato I referred to from Florida and Cuba is a white fleshed Ipomea batatas that is drier fleshed, not as sweet, and white to creamy flesh of the tuber with a golden or beige skin. It can look rather like a general baking potato of Solanum tuberosum with smooth skin. I think your expert would have given you this one, Ipomea batatas, and it is the boniato variety with the white flesh. Also possible that it is kumara, the Maori name for I. batatas which can come in gold or orange skinned tubers.

The other is the yam or llame or name (with a tilde over the n) that is sometimes confused with Ipomea batatas. Yam/name/llame is Dioscorea spp, several of which are eaten throughout the world. If you have this genus Dioscorea esculenta and Dioscorea trifida are possibilities. I'm still thinking your expert was dead on calling it sweet potato, and that it is an Ipomea batatas.

I've intentionally grown both Ipomea spp. and Dioscorea spp. in the past, but the latter only as nonedible curiosity. That genus has several invasive species in my part of the world.

Also I'm pretty sure that the green part of the tuber is not poisonous or a problem, given that it is Ipomea.

[Troppofoodgardener]

That's exactly what I was thinking about suggesting! I think that may be the best, most definitive option. Perhaps you could show her the potato or email her a pic?

Until then, [url=https://www.google.com/images?q=white+sweet+potato&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=LyHITKC9FoL-8AbR6InJDw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&ved=0CCwQsAQwAQ&biw=1366&bih=588]here[/url] are some pics of white sweet potatoes .

Pics #2 and #5 look VERY similar to the type of sweet potato I have. And I finally ate the darn thing (without the green bits)! It does taste sweeter than regular potatoes, and has a somewhat denser texture. It's basically like eating an orangey-pink coloured sweet potato. Maybe a bit less sweet? Or it could have just been my imagination...

Cheers for the input as well thanrose yes, the plant has sprawling vines and it also climbs. Has the milky substance when stems are cut.

I have also emailed said gardening expert and and will hopefully hear from her soon. We will then be able to confirm once and for all if it's the Ipomea batatas or not!!

[garden5]

I kind of saw the resemblance to yours in a few of the photos as well.

Looking at the pictures of the plant that you posted, it does look like a traditional sweet potato plant. I'll be you've got a white one .

I'll be waiting for the update .

[Troppofoodgardener]

Well I received an email response from the local tropical gardening expert.

She says:

"It is just a cultivar of the normal white sweet potato - called Oenpelli White."

Apparently it was produced by the local agricultural department in the '80s to grow in tropical climates such as ours in the north of Australia.

Oenpelli (now more commonly known as Gunbalanya) is an Aboriginal community on the eastern border of World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park at the base of the Arnhem Land Escarpment.

I have also looked up some info surrounding sweet potatoes grown in Australia (and other parts of the world), apparently there are three varieties according to the article below:

https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1664919.htm

Also according to the local expert, the best way to harvest this potato is to look for a thickened stem going into the ground, which will indicate a growing tuber.

Off I go to do more harvesting then!

[thanrose]

Cool, thanks for the update. Let us know how you like them.

[garden5]

The mystery is solved !

Glad to hear what you have is something edible. Let us know how they taste when you have some.

Here's wishing you a great harvest.