sweet potato leaves

[sdnapier]

Anyone growing sweet potatoes for the leaves? And if so, do you freeze them?

[COWS]

The dratted deer like them. Ask me how I know.

COWS

[Jennifer L.]

I'll be darned, had no idea you could eat them!

[farmrbrown]

I don't know either, but heck, I'll try anything once, lol.

Would it be for medicinal reasons possibly, or for food or seasoning?

[FCLady]

We feed the leaves to the rabbits and eat the "sweet" part.

[NEfarmgirl]

This is the first year we have gotten them to grow since the rabbits haven't touched them. I didn't know you could eat the leaves; we won't get any since the grasshoppers have nibbled on them.

[karenp]

I doubt you could freeze them. They don't seem to be good for very long after picking

[sdnapier]

I first discovered you could eat them when I was in an international grocery store. They are very popular in Africa. I use them in stir fry and they are good. Haven't tried them in a salad but don't see why they wouldn't work. I do blanch some and they are in the freezer now. Will see how they turn out.

[Cygnet]

If I had more than I could use, I would be tempted to stick the stems in jars of water and put them in a sunny window. They'll stay alive nearly indefinitely in water, and will eventually put out roots, similar to the way a philodendron grows.

I bet you could grow greens well into winter that way. And they're so pretty, they'd make a good houseplant.

ETA: They are very good in soup, or just steamed with a pat of butter, like spinach. I had a friend who was Chinese who taught me about them.

[Nyxchik]

I love them thinly sliced on a sandwich like spinach or lettuce. Really yummy with tuna/chicken salad and such. I was told they are very high in nutrients but haven't researched it myself. ~nyx

[buffalocreek]

We eat them nearly every day in season. Steamed with tomatoes, onion and garlic with a little soy sauce. Better than spinach. I think thinning the end leaves promotes more growth.

[motdaugrnds]

I've always heard the potato leaves are poison...Is this the "Irish" potato leaves that are poison?

[buffalocreek]

If sweet potato leaves are poison, color me dead.

[Cygnet]

Originally Posted by motdaugrnds

I've always heard the potato leaves are poison...Is this the "Irish" potato leaves that are poison?

Irish potato leaves are dangerously toxic.

Sweet potato leaves are perfectly edible. They're not even closely related. Sweet potatoes are a good green for the hot summer months as they don't bolt, they require minimal water, and they're attractive enough to grow in a flower bed.

[motdaugrnds]

Thanks Cygnet, that is real good to know.

[gapeach]

Are the leaves that you grow from a sweet potato the same as the sweet potato plants you buy at a nursery or garden shop, both green and purple? I have some that I bought and I was wondering if you could divide a plant?

[alwaysready]

I first ate sweet potato leaves in the Philippines 30 years age they taste like any other type of greens to me. The are also used in salads google Kamote recipes.

[Bellyman]

Originally Posted by gapeach

Are the leaves that you grow from a sweet potato the same as the sweet potato plants you buy at a nursery or garden shop, both green and purple? I have some that I bought and I was wondering if you could divide a plant?

There are numerous varieties of sweet potatoes, some grown primarily for their lush foliage and some grown primarily for their edible tubers.

To my knowledge, both ornamental and food varieties have edible tops and edible roots. But the varieties grown primarily for ornamental purposes may not have the size, flavor or texture that you might desire from the varieties you would grow to primarily eat the tubers.