These Sweet Potato Recipes Are Making Us So Excited for Fall (2024)

FAQs

Is sweet potato a fall food? ›

Sweet Potatoes. Fall is the perfect time to change up your potato game and swap your usual white potatoes for sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes are a healthy root vegetable chock full of antioxidants that protect your cells from damage. Plus, the nutrients in sweet potatoes are excellent for your gut, eyes, immune system, and more.

But the white potato is no match for the sweet potato in nutritional value. Loaded with vitamins (A, C, B1, B2, B3 and B6) and minerals (copper, manganese, phosphorus and potassium), sweet potatoes rival any superfood at a fraction of the cost.

According to an article from Saveur Magazine documented by the Library of Congress, the first recipe of mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows dates to 1917, when "marketers of Angelus Marshmallows hired Janet McKenzie Hill, founder of the Boston Cooking School Magazine, to develop recipes for a booklet designed to ...

First, give it a squeeze. It'll be firm if it's fresh, and mushy if it's not. Other signs to check for are discoloration, shriveled skin, black or brown spots, and suspicious odors. And if your sweet potato is moldy or leaking juices, it's definitely over the hill.

Just one sweet potato gives you 102% of the vitamin A you need each day. This helps keep your eyes healthy as well as your immune system, your body's defense against germs. It's also good for your reproductive system and organs like your heart and kidneys.

If you enjoy sweet potatoes, you can absolutely enjoy them daily. However, eating multiple sweet potatoes every day could cause a harmless condition called carotenodermia, where your skin turns yellow-orange. You may also want to be cautious about your sweet potato intake if you have a history of kidney stones.

Sweet potato intolerance

However, sweet potato contains a type of sugar called mannitol that can cause stomach pain, trigger bloating, and diarrhoea. Frequent symptoms after eating sweet potato might suggest that you are intolerant to foods that contain mannitol.

Native Americans were already growing sweet potatoes when Columbus arrived on America's shores in 1492. The sweet potato is not a potato, not even a distant cousin. Potatoes are tubers; sweet potatoes are roots. Sweet potatoes have been growing in the South since as early as 1648.

Are sweet potatoes healthy yes or no? ›

They're high in fiber and antioxidants, which protect your body from free radical damage and promote a healthy gut and brain. They're also incredibly rich in beta carotene, which is converted to vitamin A to support good vision and your immune system.

Sweet potatoes are often touted as being healthier than white potatoes, but in reality, both types can be highly nutritious. While regular and sweet potatoes are comparable in their calorie, protein, and carb content, white potatoes provide more potassium, whereas sweet potatoes are incredibly high in vitamin A.

China is the world's biggest producer and consumer of sweetpotato, where it is used for food, animal feed, and processing (as food, starch, and other products).

In Brazil, the sweet potato is called batata doce. In Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Central America, and the Philippines, the sweet potato is known as camote (alternatively spelled kamote in the Philippines), derived from the Nahuatl word camotli.

Sweet potato skins are rich in oxalates. This means that if you are high risk of kidney stones, you may need to limit your consumption. In rare cases, excessive consumption of vitamin A can lead to vitamin A toxicity.

Sweet potatoes are typically harvested in late August to early November. They're available in stores year-round, but are most flavorful in late fall and winter months.

Load your bag with the top fall foods: apples, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, dates, kale, pears, pomegranate, pumpkin, squash, and sweet potatoes. Always eat the peel of soft-skinned fruits and veggies to get the most nutrients. And choose organic produce whenever possible!

Sweet potatoes are a fall crop because they take 100-150 days to mature. They are planted in the spring and harvested late August to early November.

But I think of potatoes as having two seasons here — one is August into early September for a late fall or early winter harvest, and the other is February for a late spring harvest.