We ♥ Local Sweet Potatoes
Vermont winters are the perfect time to get creative in the kitchen. While local produce is not quite as abundant in February as it is in the summer and fall, we’re proud to offer a wide variety of local and made in Vermont products all winter long. Each year, we host a We ♥ Local Recipe Contest where we feature a specific ingredient that’s available this time of year. For this year’s contest we’ve chosen the mighty sweet potato!
Right now, you can find sweet potatoes from Burnt Rock Farm, Full Moon Farm, and Laughing Child Farm in our Produce department as well as in featured in dishes on our hot and cold bar. When we visited Burnt Rock Farm on a staff farm tour this past summer, Justin brought us to their fields where we were able to witness the very beginnings of the lovely sweet potatoes we now have on our shelves!
This past fall, at our Crop Mob at Intervale Community Farm, a group of Member Workers helped to harvest over 7, 500 pounds of sweet potatoes! While our volunteers were rewarded with sweet potatoes to take home, we were reminded that they would need to cure for at least two weeks in order to help them reach their best flavor, sweetness, and texture. After harvest (usually sometime in the fall), the sweet potatoes are stored at high heat/high humidity for a few days before moving to winter storage where they are kept in wooden bulk bins at optimal temperature.
Fast forward to today and the local sweet potatoes that our hard working farmers harvested this past fall are ready and primed for adding to your favorite recipes. Check out some of our favorites below for inspiration and share yours between now and February 11th. We’ll choose the top 3 recipes to sample at both stores and the Winter Farmers’ Market where our community members will vote for their favorite!
Sweet Potato Inspiration:
Gluten Free Sweet Potato Muffins
Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges with Jalapeno Sour Cream
Voting Schedule:
- Friday, February 22: Voting & Sampling Top 3 Recipes Downtown & South End 11am-1pm
- Saturday, February 23: Voting & Sampling Top 3 Recipes at Winter Farmers Market 10am-2pm