Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes are not actually potatoes. In fact, they aren't even distant cousins. Potatoes are tubers from the solanaceae family. Their genus is solanum. Sweet potatoes are part of the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae). Their genus is ipomoea batatas. Sweet potatoes can be stored year round but here in North Carolina our main harvest runs between August and November. There are hundreds of different varieties. The most popular ones grown in North Carolina include the Covington, Beauregard, Hernandez, Jewel, Puerto Rico, Japanese, O'Henry and White Delight. Sweet potatoes are as American as apple pie, and even more so. Native Americans were already growing sweet potatoes when Columbus came to the shores in 1492. Sweet potatoes were grown in the South of the USA as long ago as 1648.