In today's video we discuss the health benefits of sweet potato leaves, and how you can grow them easily at home.
1. There are five main varieties of the sweet potato vegetable including Purple, Hannah, Garnet, Japanese and Jewel sweet potatoes.
2. The leaves from each type can be eaten and contain Vitamin B6, which has many positive effects on the body such as protecting the immune system, balancing hormones, treating kidney and heart disorders, skin conditions and emotional disorders.
3. They can be eaten raw in a salad, or alternatively steamed and added to delicious stir fries and cooked meals. 4. Sweet potato leaves have also been shown to help fight off cervical cancer in its early stages but more scientific research is required.
5. When selecting your leaves to eat, be sure to pick the smaller younger leaves first for these taste slightly sweeter and have a higher nutritional value.
6. I would recommend eating them as a substitute to lettuce for more variety in your diet
7. If you would like to grow sweet potato leaves, simply place a sweet potato of your choice in water. Cover only half of the potato in water. Leave it to sit for a few days and roots will begin to form, and leaves will grow from the top of the potato ready for eating.
8. These can then be planted in the ground to increase your crop, and will grow through all seasons, yet faster in the summer.
9. You could also introduce these leaves to a delicious soup. When cooked they resemble the consistency of spinach.
10. Did you know that sweet potatoes are in fact a root, otherwise known as stem tubers? They are so large because they store the nutrients for the entire plant, and can keep it alive through the winter and dry months.
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