Heart of the Home

SCRUMPTIOUS SWEET POTATOES—

naturally sweet and versatile

Sweet potatoes’ versatility in both savory and sweet dishes is appreciated by home chefs. Sweet potatoes can be baked, mashed, fried or turned into pies, and they are one of the tastiest and most versatile vegetables in the pantry.

They’re also superfoods. Rich in a multitude of vitamins and minerals, they contain vitamins A, C and B6, as well as iron and potassium. Low in carbohydrate and fat content and high in fiber, they’re filling while giving the body what it needs. In fact, sweet potatoes are consistently rated as one of the healthiest vegetables people can eat!

Despite their name, sweet potatoes are a root vegetable and not related to standard white potatoes, which are tubers. They’re also genetically different from another tuber: yams.

In season October through March, a good sweet potato is firm and has smooth skin. Avoid any with cracks, soft spots or blemishes. Sweet potatoes have a decent shelf life and can be stored in a cool, dark place for three to five weeks.

Sweet Potatoes and Apples

INGREDIENTS

nonstick cooking spray 3 sweet potatoes 3 apples ¼ cup raisins ⅓ cup orange or pineapple juice 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350°. Spray an 8” baking dish with cooking spray. Wash sweet potatoes, and cut in half lengthwise. Cut in half again, and then slice. Add sweet potatoes to the baking dish. Wash apples. Leaving the skin on, cut the apples in half through the core. Then cut each piece in half again until you have

four quarters. Cut out the seeds, core, and cut into thin slices. Add to the baking dish, and sprinkle raisins on top. In a separate bowl, mix juice and brown sugar together until sugar dissolves, and pour over the potatoes and apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for another 10 minutes until potatoes are tender and cooked through.

—Recipe adapted from Virginia Cooperative Extension

Pork Roast with Sweet Potatoes, Pears and Rosemary

INGREDIENTS

3½-pound bone-in pork loin center roast, excess fat trimmed to a thin layer 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary, plus more for serving (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary) salt and ground black pepper 2½ pounds (6 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut lengthwise into sixths 3 firm, ripe Bosc pears, cut lengthwise into quarters and cored

12-ounce bottle hard cider or apple juice

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 450°. Rub pork with oil. In a small bowl, combine rosemary, ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, and rub over pork. In a large, flameproof roasting pan, place pork bone-side-down. Roast for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350°, and roast for another 15 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and pears to the pan, stirring gently to coat with pan juices. Spread as evenly as possible around the roast, and season with salt and pepper. Roast, occasionally stirring the sweet potato mixture, until an instant-read food thermometer inserted in the center of the roast reads 145° and the potatoes and pears are tender, about 1 hour. Transfer pork to a carving board. With the oven turned off, transfer the sweet potato mixture to an ovenproof bowl, tent with aluminum foil, and keep warm in the oven. Let the pork stand for 10 to 15 minutes. In the meantime, heat the roasting pan over high heat. Add cider, and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits in the pan with a wooden spoon. Boil until cider is reduced to ¾ cup, about 5 minutes. Pour into a sauceboat. Carve the pork, and transfer it to a serving platter. Surround it with the sweet potato mixture, drizzle it with 3 tablespoons of the cider sauce, then sprinkle with rosemary. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.

Pears and rosemary give this pork and sweet potato dish an added touch of flavor.

—Recipe adapted from the National Pork Board

Beef Pot Roast with Cider Gravy and Maple Sweet Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons olive oil 3- to 3½-pound boneless beef shoulder roast 1½ teaspoons salt ¾ teaspoon pepper, divided 1 cup chopped onion 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 1 cup unsalted beef broth ¾ cup apple cider 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cut crosswise into 1- to 1½-inch pieces 2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger 2 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons brandy or water

DIRECTIONS

In a stockpot over medium heat, heat oil. Place beef roast in stockpot, and brown evenly. Remove the roast, pour off the drippings, and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add onion and thyme to stockpot and cook, stirring 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add broth and cider, and increase heat to medium-high. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until browned bits attached to the stockpot are dissolved. Return roast to the stockpot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover tightly, and simmer 2½ hours. Add sweet potatoes and garlic to stockpot, cover, and continue simmering for 30 minutes or until sweet potatoes and pot roast are fork-tender. Remove the roast, and keep it warm. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sweet potatoes and garlic, and place them into a large bowl, leaving the liquid in the stockpot. Add syrup, ginger, remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper to the sweet potatoes. Beat until the sweet potatoes and garlic are mashed and smooth. Keep them warm. Skim the fat from the cooking liquid, and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook, and stir 1 minute or until thickened. Carve the roast into slices; serve with mashed sweet potatoes and gravy.

—Recipe adapted from Beef Checkoff

IN MEMORIUM

Marvin Lewis Everett

Southampton County

Marvin L. Everett Sr., a past member of the board of directors for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, died Aug. 16.

Mr. Everett, who was 91, served on the VFBF board from 1990 to 2007. He also was a past president of Southampton County Farm Bureau, and a member of the VFBF Peanut Advisory Committee from 2009 to 2016.

“Virginia Farm Bureau was very dear to him,” said his son and VFBF board member M.L. Everett Jr. “He met so many people throughout the state in his association with Farm Bureau. Dad always told me that in his travels he felt like there was a Farm Bureau member just around the corner who could help him if he ever needed anything.”

A local farmer and advocate for agriculture, Mr. Everett and his wife helped start Everett Trucking Inc., and Everett Farms Inc., where he grew peanuts, cotton, soybeans, pumpkins and other crops before his son, M.L., and grandson, Lewis, inherited the operation.

He also was a founding member of The Peanut Coalition, The American Agricultural Movement and the Va.-Carolina Peanut Co-op.

“He never hesitated to meet a fellow farmer and discuss farming issues,” M.L. Everett said. “Collectively with other farmers, he’d try to make a difference. Whether it was legislation in Washington, D.C., at the General Assembly on the state level, or county agriculture issues, he was always there at the negotiating table trying to help strengthen agriculture for the next generation.” EVERETT Mr. Everett also was a veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served one and a half years in Korea. He was awarded several honors and a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation. Outside of agriculture, he was known for being active in his community. He was the oldest member of Joyner United Methodist Church, which he served in numerous capacities, and he was a past president and a charter member of Joyner-Gray-Yale Ruritan Club; Zone Governor-Holland District Ruritan National; and past master of Courtland Masonic Lodge #85. Mr. Everett is survived by his wife, Betty; two children; four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and two nieces.

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