November 22, 2019
The sweet potato is among one of the most popular side dishes on the Thanksgiving dinner table, and as Tammi Arender tells us in this week’s Farm to Fork segment, the sweet spud isn’t just tasty: it’s a powerhouse of nutrients as well.
You may not know the sweet potato is actually considered a super food. This veggie is highly nutritious, with cancer fighting and anti-inflammatory nutrients. It’s also high in fiber and manganese.
But did you know that there’s a lot of research being done to develop even better tasting and more disease resistant sweet potatoes? The researchers at the LSU AgCenter Sweet Potato Research Station in Chase, Louisiana emphasizes eating quality and novel types of sweet potato varieties like the purple skinned- white flesh Japanese variety called Murasaki, and those specifically grown for french frying.
If you eat a sweet potato fry you are likely eating a Louisiana sweet potato. The largest french fry processing plant is in Delhi, Louisiana, he only one dedicated to sweet potato in the country. The LSU purple potato is being developed not only for eating but also for use in food and clothing dyes.
