Sweet Potatoes: Slips Into Potting Soil

Well ... this being my first effort at growing sweet potatoes, I have been relying on youtube videos and other blogs to figure out what to do.

I purchased the sweet potato "seeds" at a seed exchange in order to grow slips. The slips are basically sprouts from the seed potato that get removed and are then rooted in water.  I had the luck of running into the person I bought the seed potatoes from at a recent gardening seminar (I plan to share info on that and other seminars in other posts).  She suggested it was better for me to transplant the slips into potting soil at this point as it would be easier for the final transplant into the garden space.

And that is what I did this weekend.   For some ...

But just in case, I kept some of the slips in water.

And I also have more slips growing from the original seed potatoes ... just in case.  Because I have no idea what I'm doing.   :)    But whatever I'm doing seems to be going pretty well!

Seedling Update

I started a batch (batch?) of seedlings on March 5, so this is almost three weeks later.  Many of the tomatoes and peppers (the majority of the seeds) were successful but not all.  Although I have always found hot peppers to be the easiest to grow, I think the seeds I am using are just a bit old (2012).   Otherwise, most of what I planted are well on their way.

And, YAY, I managed to get a 72% successful germination on those pricey Xanthi peppers (8 seedlings from the 11 seeds).

Xanthi seedlings

Another batch of 72 peat pellets have been started.  The peppers are a second seeding due to poor results from the first seeding.  The broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts are a regular indoor start and will be planted out later in May or June.  New this year for me is starting the kale (2 types), chard and kohlrabi from seed as these would normally be direct sowed.  I also have plenty of the same seed that I will direct sow as these indoor starts are just an experiment (the outdoor sowing has always worked fine).  I am just looking to get an earlier harvest.

Six pellets each of the following were started today:

1. Jalapeno M Strain (the previous jalapenos haven't germinated well)
2. Cowhorn hot peppers (same as jalapeno)
3. Ancho peppers (same as jalapeno - what the heck, these weren't old seeds!) 
4. Tiara cabbage
5. Snow crown cauliflower
6. Gypsy broccoli
7. Jade brussels sprouts
8. Di ciccio broccoli
9. Nero di Toscano kale
10. Kohlrabi
11. Ruby red chard
12. Scarlet kale

And more from the March 5th start includes this Italian lettuce leaf blend ... Sugar Ray decided to get into it a bit so it's a bit mangled on the right side.  I also have a similar container full of shallots that are doing quite well (not very photogenic tonight).

And how about those sweet potato slips?  These were placed into jars of water on March 6 so here they are at day 18 ...

This one in particular is doing well ... looks like a pretty bonsai tree.

We've had a last (I hope) kick of winter this week with about 4 inches of snow over the past several days (today was more about freezing rain).  But the coming Easter weekend shows some promising warm weather and I look forward to getting some work done outside!

Spicy Black Bean, Kale and Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash (served with Poached Egg)

This awesome one-pan breakfast dish is actually a failed version of something else.  I was trying to make baked or fried patties - not so much as a burger patty, but similar to a zucchini fritter.  I was inspired by one recipe that used black beans that had been pre-baked with spices; my plan was to use this drier ingredient to replace the usual bread crumbs as a binder.  But it turned out too dry to form a patty ... even with an egg added.

So what the heck, I just fried it up and served it with a poached egg.  Oh, so gooooood!  To keep it extra healthy, I drizzled on some full-fat yogurt instead of sour cream.  If you aren't used to a lot of vegetarian fare, this might seem really boring, but it is so delicious and spicy!

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, roasted with spices (see below for details)
1/4 cup red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 fresh jalapeno, finely diced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped kale
1 1/2 cups grated sweet potato
1 egg, beaten (optional)

Roasted black beans:  Drain and rinse a can of black beans and pat dry with paper towels.  Toss with 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne and 1/2 tsp salt.  Bake at 400 degrees F for about 30 minutes, checking and stirring every 10 minutes.  Check more often in the last 10 minutes to be sure they don't burn!




The hash: Saute the onion, garlic and jalapeno in 1 Tbsp olive oil for a minute then add the cumin and salt.  Continue to cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add chopped kale and cook 4-5 minutes until the kale wilts.  Break up the roasted beans with your fingers and add them to the pan along with the grated sweet potato and beaten egg.  Stir to mix the ingredients well and cook about 10 minutes to cook the sweet potato through.






Serve with poached egg.  Awesome with sour cream (or yogurt) and salsa.