Vardaman Sweet Potato Vines

Last November, I put in an order with my truck driving brother.

He had some good luck getting loads out of Mississippi bringing back  Sweet Potatoes to the Midwest for our holiday celebrations back in 2010.

I thought maybe he might be able to do the same again for the 2011 Season ...I was extremely pleased when I found out he would get that chance.
 The fare was very tasty!

We tried a recipe by Paula Deen called
"Sweet Potato Bake".

Our daughter, Tamara, was the Chef and she used her top of the line culinary hobby skills to  please all of our palates on Thanksgiving.

The day before Thanksgiving last year my kitchen was transformed into an assembly line. One dish after another found their ingredients mixed and ready to bake Thursday morning, or baked ready to enjoy after the main course.

I have to add another recipe that was was new to us, but definitely one that I made over and over for Hubby and myself...it happens to belong to a blogging friend of mine, out of Mississippi. I thought,"Well goodness! How blessed am I to get sweet potatoes out of Mississippi and then to get the recipe from a Southern Lady Deer Huntress out of Vicksburg, Mississippi?!?" Did you click the link?? Did you find out who I'm talking about??? Please click all three and you will see who shared their recipe with me!


  Southern Lady's Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

3 large sweet potatoes cooked, drained, and mashed up. Will make approximately 2-1/2 to 3 cups.
 Add the following ingredients to potatoes while they are still hot.

1 stick margarine or butter 
2 cups sugar
1 cup milk 3 eggs (beaten)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
Place in uncooked pie shells. Will make 3 thin pies or 2 large ones. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.

For a crisp pie shell, bake for the first 10 minutes at 425 degrees and then turn back to 350 degrees for remaining 40 minutes

The Start of Something Big

This year I am growing a few of my own Vardaman sweet potatoes  - vines started from the sprouts of one of the potatoes you see up at the top. Planting a couple of the potatoes to get shoots, eventually taking the shoots off,I placed them in water to root.  Choosing a couple of them, they were stuck in a BIG pot of soil-less mix.

The experiment now is to see how many pounds I might get 110 days from planting. 

                                                                           The only problem so far is an animal keeps digging the plants out looking for grubs and some little chewing insects riddling a few of the leaves. 

Since the weather has been extremely hot, I  have needed to check on keeping the mix hydrated.

I am pleased with vine development, but I always get impatient and find myself scratching at the ground line to see if anything is growing, other than foliage. 

Talking to myself ,I work at reminding me of the benefits of Patience!

Should my venture produce at least three large sweet potatoes, I will have the ingredients from Mississippi again for a delight from the south-enough to use the recipe of my blogging friend the Southern Lady Deer Huntress...

Vardaman, MS Sweet Potatoes

The Thanksgiving Holiday starts the seasons for bringing out the best of our recipes to put festive touches to the abundant fare we share with family and friends.

My brother on a short stop over this past summer

I put in a request to my brother to get on the Vardaman Sweet Potato loop for his truck driving business in hopes he would bring me some of those delectable goodies from the South back to this Northern Lady.

A weekand a half ago he came running past making a connection with Hubby before he blew on by to his next drop off an hour away.

He was able to get his route headed back this way to join us for a family Thanksgiving this year.

Being a gardener I have grown sweet potatoes, but this year I didn't get my plants put in the ground so my next best option, go directly to the source...

For a time I had 80 pounds of the orange sweets taking up space just off the kitchen waiting to find their way into one of those special recipes I spoke of earlier.


One of the 40 lbs. boxes remains for me to try out homemade  sweet potato fries, sweet potato pies,casseroles etc...etc...etc...

Sweet Potato Bake

Wednesday, we weighed out 3 1/2 pounds for my daughter Tamara to boil up and mash for one of her
"Paula Deen" recipes to put on the Thanksgiving Day menu.

This one is called Sweet Potato Bake;a different spin compared to how we usually serve them. Traditionally, it is brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon with mini-marshmellows browned on top about ten minutes before serving.


There is a Southern Lady from Vicksburg,MS, whose recipe for her famous Sweet Potato Pie I would like to share with you.

Marian  from Marian's Hunting Stories etc..etc..etc... sent her recipe my way. Now is really a good time to pull it out to add to the Holiday table.With all kinds of get togethers yet to take place by the  New Year I know I will be able to offer a tasty treat for dessert.

                                                     "Marian's Sweet Potato Pie" 
 

3 large sweet potatoes cooked, drained, and mashed up. Will make approximately 2-1/2 to 3 cups. Add the following ingredients to potatoes while they are still hot.

1 stick margarine or butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
3 eggs (beaten)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Place in uncooked pie shells. Will make 3 thin pies or 2 large ones. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.

For a crisp pie shell, bake for the first 10 minutes at 425 degrees and then turn back to 350 degrees for remaining 40 minutes

 I hope all my American family and friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving ! Time to prepare for Christ - mas...