Sweet potatoes and yam
Many of us think sweet potatoes and yams are one and the same. While there is some rationale for the confusion they are indeed two different species.
Yams – like potatoes – are a tuber.
Sweet potatoes are roots and part of the Morning Glory family that grow on trailing vines and root at the nodes.
Yams have less sugar and more starch than sweet potatoes. They’re native to Africa and Asia. And… Louisiana decided to call the orange-fleshed sweet potatoes they grow yams to distinguish them from white-fleshed variety grown elsewhere.
Sweet potatoes are native to the more tropical areas of South America. They were favored by the French and Spanish who brought them Louisiana.
Sweet potatoes are grown from “slips” or sprouts. Plant them about an inch apart and two inches deep. Maturation time is 90-120 days. They need warmth – preferring soil temperature between 70 and 80 degrees F.
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Lzyjo said:
Very interesting post! Thanks for clearing up the confusion, I never knew the difference.