Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Goliath of the veggie world?

Recently, while weeding in one of my veggie gardens, I found this little sweet potato ( kumera) peeping up out of the ground...so I dug it up. 
It wasn't very big so I made sure I bought another one from the supermarket...

And then a few days later DsD1 brought us a sweet potato from the veggie garden of the cattle property in Wandoan, where she lives...
It's huge!

I couldn't cut it, so I had to get some help from DH...

Now lots of vegetables would be rather 'woody' if left to grow so big before harvesting...but not these sweet potatoes! I love this vegetable...cooked any way, but my absolute favourite is baked in the oven, either in chunks or chips. And so most nights we have been having this favourite of mine to accompany dinner. 😉. Despite eating it most nights, we aren't even halfway through it yet! Lol. It's still just a bit big to fit into the crispers of the fridge...so it's up top. But I have plans to make a batch of soup, some sweet potato fritters, vegetable curry and a few other ideas, so it won't be taking up fridge space for much longer. 

Meanwhile my sweet potato crop is nearing harvest time. And for the first time in my experience, the possums have been eating the sweet potato leaves...just a little nibble at first...
The leaves must be delicious! 
I will be putting some mesh over this bed. Not to stop the possums nibbling the leaves but rather to stop the bush turkeys from digging up the sweet potatoes...yep, it's almost THAT time again! Lol
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12 comments:

  1. LinJuly 19, 2016 at 8:03 AM

    You have made me really hungry Maria! I love sweet potato too. xx

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  2. AnonymousJuly 19, 2016 at 4:56 PM

    Hi Maria wow thats huge ,i am like you and love sweet potato,i love sweet potato chips i cut them up spray with olive oil and sprinkle Tuscan seasoning over them and then bake the chips in the oven ,oh my mouth is watering thinking about them,such a great vegie that can be used in so many ways.
    Gee i am glad we dont have to worry about bush turkeys here,hope you have a lovely day my friend xx

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  3. DorothyJuly 19, 2016 at 7:41 PM

    Wow .. That is a HUGE sweet potato !!!! Never seen anything like it. Just as well you like the vegetable. I've never tried the sweet potato chips but apparently they're much more healthy than ordinary chips. Good for weight loss so they say. I like chips a bit on the crisp side so am wondering if the sweet potato ones can be done a bit crispy? Hope you're not drowning up there. Rain here is causing my landscaper lots of headaches. He's at the paving stage and is needs to be dry for that apparently. He has put black plastic down all along my driveway area so I guess that's the next step. Xox

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  4. SusanJuly 19, 2016 at 9:06 PM

    That is huge... I love sweet potato too - in a lamb Moroccan flavoured dish maybe.

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  5. margaretJuly 19, 2016 at 10:42 PM

    what a biggie! Have not tried roasting them usually mash and really like them mashed with a bit or ordinary potato added

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  6. Carol- Beads and BirdsJuly 20, 2016 at 3:49 AM

    I LOVE sweet potatoes. That one is HUGE!! The only one in the family that shares my love of them is my youngest grandson. I have a large one on the counter right now that I think I'll make into chips...or fries. It should be around 95 today so I don't think I'll start the oven.
    xx, Carol

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  7. KimJuly 20, 2016 at 4:29 AM

    Oh my goodness, that sweet potato is the mother of all sweet potatoes! Wish we could grow them down but it is a wee bit cold. I like the sound of all those dishes you are going to cook with it; they sound delicious!

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  8. CarolynJuly 20, 2016 at 5:26 AM

    What a giant! Interesting that the sweet potatoes most readily available these days are the orange ones. Growing up we always grew the ones with white flesh and purple skin. Regardless of the colour, they are yummy.

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  9. diane bJuly 20, 2016 at 10:50 PM

    Thats a monster and how good it is inside. Don't the wallabies, possums and turkeys drive you mad when trying to establish a veggy patch. I gave up in the end.

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  10. AnonymousJuly 23, 2016 at 5:55 PM

    I have NEVER seen one so big! I wouldn't even have imagined they could grow so large! Wow. It will take a while to eat all that. I like them, too. Most often I bake them and just eat them with some butter, sometimes with brown sugar. My mother made candied sweet potatoes. Oh, my gosh they were good! She always had a plant growing on top of the refrigerator with the leaves hanging down - just in a canning jar of water, with toothpicks poked in the side to keep it upright. I've had them a few times, too. They are lush plants. I'm not surprised the possums were eating the leaves!

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  11. Janine @ Rainbow HareJuly 24, 2016 at 12:32 AM

    That is an amazing sweet potato!

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  12. angelaJuly 24, 2016 at 2:15 AM

    That is one huge sweet potato. Would feed a family for a week!

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