November is Sweet Potato Awareness Month

November is a month known for Thanksgiving. Did you know it is also Sweet Potato Awareness month?

Sweet Potato Casserole

Be aware of these important facts about Sweet Potatoes:
Sweet Potatoes are not yams. Sweet potatoes are often confused with yams. A few distinctions: yams are not grown in the United States so they are rarely found in stores. Yams likely originated in West Africa and sweet potatoes in Central America. While sweet potatoes have smooth, delicate skin, yams tend to have rough, thick skin. Despite their name, not only are they not yams, sweet potatoes are not really potatoes. Potatoes are members of the Solanaceae family, which also includes tomatoes, red peppers, and eggplant, while sweet potatoes belong to the morning-glory family (Convolvulaceae). And unlike the potato—which is a tuber, or thickened stem—the sweet potato is a storage root.”

Sweet Potato Awareness Month is not National Sweet Potato Month, which is February and should not be confused with any Sweet Potato Day that might be proclaimed.

Sweet potatoes are very good to eat. Sweet potatoes are nutritious. They are a healthy source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins A, B6, thiamine and C. George Washington was thought to have farmed sweet potatoes on his farm in Virginia in the 1700’s. He was probably aware that sweet potatoes offer 200 percent of the USDA recommended allowance of Vitamin A, no fat and full of antioxidants, nearly 50 percent of the recommended allowance for vitamin C and over 400 percent of the recommended daily allowance of beta-carotene. They help fight heart disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma. 

Sweet Potato Biscuits and Genuine Smithfield Ham Slices

With all of this new information in hand, you should be able to impress your friends and families over a Thanksgiving feast. Fortunately, we have available delicious Sweet Potato Biscuits with or without Genuine Smithfield Ham Slices and Sweet Potato Casserole deliciousto raise everyones's potato awareness.