HOMEGROWN SWEET POTATOES

It breaks my heart when I go to the garden section of a store only to find that the plants are being neglected and left for dead on the shelves. Back in the spring I stumbled upon some sweet potato plants that hadn't been watered and were drying out in the hot Florida sun. After already having previously purchased 3 tomato, 3 pepper, 1 okra, 1 zucchini, 1 cucumber, basil, oregano, cilantro, rosemary, lavendar and thyme plants and the pots to grow them in (I don't have an actual garden, but a little patio garden), Matt made me promise that I would put a stop to my newly formed obsession. This was partly due to the amount of money I had spent but more because our patio was slowly turning into a miniature jungle. Anyway, I had already made my way into the garden section... And in front of me were the helpless sweet potato plants that were limp from the lack of watering. How was I supposed to walk out of the store without taking one with me? So I purchased a dying plant for about three dollars, a large pot for fifteen dollars, two bags of organic soil for ten dollars and drove home excited to transfer my little plant into it's new home hoping that Matt would understand why I had to do what I had to do. Of course, like always, he did.
My sweet potato plant had become very large with curly vines and a few pretty purple flowers. As it got colder the leaves began to die and I knew it was about time for harvest. I wasn't really sure what to expect. Afterall, their home was just a pot.


I turned the pot upside down and to my surprise and extreme delight there were lots of potatoes protruding from the soil.






Because of the lack of space, some potatoes were tangled together but they were all healthy and good to eat. I think I must have harvested about five pounds of potatoes.






Matt cleaned, roasted and pureed the sweet potatoes which he then turned into a healthy delicious soup (recipe to come soon).


Sometimes you just never know what a little plant might do for you.