Sweet potato greens? Those bags full of spade- and oak leaf-shaped leaves at your local farmers market might be new to you, but they'd look mighty familiar to someone from Africa or Southeast Asia. There, where the sweet potato is a very important crop, all parts of the plant are eaten, leaves included.
Here in Atlanta, we owe Judith Winfrey a vote of thanks for the emergence of sweet potato leaves as a summer crop. "I was a naysayer," said Joe Reynolds, Winfrey's partner in Love is Love Farm at Gaia Gardens near Decatur.
"Judith was adamant that we needed a summer green to harvest," Reynolds said, "and I told her we could do it as long as she took responsibility for letting our customers know what to do with them."
That was the summer of 2008. Winfrey printed fliers. Reynolds picked 20 bags of greens, and to his surprise, they sold so well that sweet potato greens have become a summer staple of the couple's offerings at the East Atlanta Village Farmers Market and in their community-supported agriculture boxes.
From that small start, other farmers have picked up the idea, and you can find sweet potato greens at most every local market.
It's a wonderful win for Reynolds, who enjoys finding a use for every part of the plant.
"Sweet potatoes are a perfect crop for us. They love our hot climate," Reynolds said. "Before you know it, the plants have swallowed the whole field, producing a verdant field of green."
The leaves are thin and tender, so tender that they need only a light steaming to eat. They're fairly perishable, so plan to eat them within a day or two of bringing them home.
"We should harvest the stems, they're super sugary sweet," Reynolds said. Will that be the next new vegetable at your local farmers market?
At local farmers markets
Cooking demos:
6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23. Chef Seth Freedman of Forage and Flame. East Atlanta Village Farmer's Market, Atlanta. www.farmeav.com
9:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 25. Chef Mary Moore from Cook's Warehouse working with okra. Morningside Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.morningsidemarket.com
10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 25. Chef Jason Paolini of Restaurant Eugene. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
11:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 26. Chef Nick Rutherford of Porter Beer Bar. Grant Park Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.grantparkmarket.org
For sale
Vegetables and fruit: African squash, apples, arugula, Asian greens, beets, blackberries, blueberries, cabbage, cantaloupe and specialty melons, carrots, chard, corn, cucumbers, dandelion, eggplant, fennel, field peas, figs, garlic, ginger, green and yellow beans, green onions, herbs, kale, lettuce, long beans, Malabar spinach, muscadine grapes, mushrooms, okra, onions, pea shoots, peaches, pears, peppers, pole beans, potatoes, spaghetti squash, spinach, tomatoes, turnips, watermelon, yellow squash, zucchini
From local reports
Sweet Potato Greens Gomae
Hands on: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4
Chef Joe Truex of Watershed on Peachtree created this recipe when he saw sweet potato greens for the first time at the Grant Park Farmers Market. He's a fan of tender greens and gave them a try.
For this recipe, he adapted a Japanese spinach dish called gomae. Bonito flakes are available at natural food stores. If you can't find them, don't let that stop you from trying this recipe. The combination of Asian flavors and nuts with the greens is a nice change from traditional American preparations.
2 tablespoons ground pecans
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons water
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated with microplane or grater
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 bunch sweet potato greens (about 1/4 pound)
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoons bonito flakes
In the bowl of a food processor or using a mortar and pestle, make dressing by combining pecans, sesame oil, water, ginger, soy sauce and sesame seeds. Puree until smooth. Pour puree into medium bowl and set aside.
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Have a large bowl of ice water ready. Drop greens into boiling water and cook for 10 seconds or just until wilted. Immediately move greens to ice water. As soon as greens cool, about 1 minute, remove to colander and squeeze to remove remaining water. Add greens to dressing and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper and divide between serving plates. Garnish with bonito flakes and serve.
Per serving: 97 calories (percent of calories from fat, 83), 1 gram protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 9 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 89 milligrams sodium.
