Tuesday 13 September 2011

Sauteed Sweet Potato Leaves

We are a busy household on any given day.  Our home has been bustling with back to school excitement, homeschooling, harvesting, canning, preserving and food dehydrating.  I feel a sense of urgency to prepare everything for those cold winter months.  From past experience, whenever we have had a long hot summer, the coming winter is expected to be intense with cold and snow.

I have been looking forward to harvesting my Sweet Potato Leaves.  I have almost had to tie my hands behind my back to refrain from peeking at the sweet potatoes that have been growing under the soil.  I know that it is not time for them yet, but I can hardly resist. 
Every morning I check each and every one of my vegetables to see how much they have grown from the previous day.
I have often thought that:
"If you want to learn patience, take up gardening"

I noticed that the Local Food Buying Club to which we belong, has Sweet Potato Leaves available for purchase.  Apparently, the leaves are considered to be a delicacy and some people grow sweet potatoes just to harvest the leaves.  I find that the leaves are very similar in size and shape to those on my Heavenly Blue Morning Glory Plant.  Here is a picture of the Sweet Potato Leaves in my garden:


Harvest the Leaves by snipping them off of the vine at the stem, leaving the vines intact.  It does not harm the plant.  Rinse leaves in cool water to remove any insects.  You can remove excess water by putting them through a salad spinner or blotting them with papertowel.

This evening, I made a wonderful side dish out of Sauteed Sweet Potato Leaves. 
I simply sauteed them in butter and garlic.  What a treat!  I was amazed to find that the leaves were similar in texture and taste to that of spinach, however milder in taste.

Feel free to experiment, you can add chopped and sauteed leaves to pasta dishes, omelettes and hot dips. 

No comments:

Post a Comment