Tuesday’s Cupful: White Sweet Potatoes

Nothing bland about this beauty
Have you seen or tasted a white sweet potato? We recommend slicing and frying these sweet potatoes to give your kids a healthier batch of “normal colored” French fries. They’ll notice the sweeter taste only after they bite into one. All sweet potatoes originated in Central and South America. The orange sweet potato was introduced in the U.S. in the mid 1900s as a “yam.” Christopher Columbus and other explorers are credited with spreading sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) to Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world. If you’re looking for white sweet potatoes, look for light brown or light yellow skin with flesh that’s pale yellow to off-white. Also, look for tapered edges and oblong shaped body that’s common to all sweet potatoes. Generally, white sweet potatoes tend to be lower in sweetness compared to orange or deep yellow varieties. They’re in season from November through December; however, supermarkets carry sweet potatoes all year long. Sweet potatoes are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and beta carotene.