One of the first changes to my diet will be to add sweet potatoes to the weekly menu. Also, as I develop my repertoire, friends and relatives will be getting sweet potatoes as gifts! Have you been naughty or nice? Naughty, you get a bag of tubers. Healthy, but probably not on your list to Santa. If you have been nice you may get a box of handmade camotes, maybe even flavored with Poblano pepper.

Sweet potatoes were an important part of the diet in the United States for most of its history, especially in the Southeast. From the middle of the 20th century, however, they have become less popular. The average per capita consumption of sweet potatoes in the United States is only about 1.5-2 kg (4 lbs) per year, down from 13 kg (31 lb) in 1920. Southerner Kent Wrench writes: "The Sweet Potato became associated with hard times in the minds of our ancestors and when they became affluent enough to change their menu, the potato was served less often."

Sweet potato varieties with dark orange flesh have more beta carotene than those with light colored flesh and their increased cultivation is being encouraged in Africa where Vitamin A deficiency is a serious health problem. HarvestPlus, the International Potato Center, and African partners have successfully introduced "biofortified" sweet potatoes packed with vitamin A, giving children hope for a healthy future. This food is low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin B6 and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

"Dulces" or sweets, are very popular in Mexico. The camote is a candy made of sweet potato and fruit flavoring. It is the signature goodie in Puebla. The candy shops on Candy Street, the nickname given to Avenue 6 Oriente in old town Puebla, must be seen to be believed. Bees, attracted to the sugar, buzz the windows, the candy counters and probably leave with you and your purchases; all part of the shopping experience! Though some Mexican Mercado have stalls specializing in sweets, more typically confections in the market area are sold from sidewalk vendors. Maybe a little table will be set up at a street corner, or perhaps a boy will be circulating with a tray of goodies strapped around his neck.

Sweet potatoes: Use them in soups, casseroles, puddings, baked goods, or as a substitute for white potatoes in your favorite recipes. They make a nice addition to stir-fries; cut them into thin sticks so that they will cook quickly. Also, get on my "list" and you may receive some very unique "dulces".

You may enjoy reading: The "Vice President of Cake" politely declined.

Also, may I recommend for your enjoyment: The Food Bank recently got a letter from a key vendor.

I am by no means ready to die! So, with that fact established, let's begin at the beginning: See links for all the Genesis posts to date: Genesis Through My Eyes

In my not too distant past, if I were to see a street person, a bum, sleeping in a door front or on a park bench, I would have kept my distance and perhaps shrugged my shoulders.: He had the "smarts" to ask someone where to go, I didn't

Come back often to see what these piglets are discussing. Pork may be on the menu. Menu changes frequently.

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