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Sweet Potatoes vs. Yams: Unraveling the Mystery

The terms “yam” and “sweet potato” are often used interchangeably, but they are distinct root vegetables. Sweet potatoes, native to the Americas, come in snow-white, purple, yellow, or familiar bright orange flesh. Yams are native to Africa and have starchy, dry flesh with rough, brown skin. True yams are rarely found in the United States. So why is there confusion between the two names? It stems from a historical practice of calling certain sweet potato varieties "yams" to differentiate them...

Recent Posts

Myths About Honey

A spoonful of wildflower honey on a warm biscuit, a dollop of clover honey in your tea, and a drizzle of blueberry honey in salad dressings are made possible because of honey bees. These hard-working...

For the Love of Stale Bread

Nothing is as delectable (and economical) as a no-waste kitchen. Did you buy a delicious loaf of bread at the market and not eat it all by the time it got a bit stale? Fear not, you can craft a full...

Roots to Stems – Using All Parts of Your Produce to Avoid Food Waste

Food waste is unfortunately prevalent in the US. Almost 40% of edible food products are thrown away every day. Wasted food is the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills and...

Medina Berry Farms: Family, food, & tradition in the Salinas Valley

We arrived at Medina Berry Farms on a gray, misty morning in Watsonville earlier this month, ready to learn and film the process of growing organic strawberries. We anticipated a long day of rain...