I have compost piles all over the place. Everywhere the mule stands for more than an hour, in fact. I have "hot" piles and cooler piles. We usually send the kids outside with scraps from vegetables, and they usually throw them in the direction of the mule and the goats.

Anyway, potato peels will make potato plants. Carrot ends will grow into carrot plants. Tomato seeds will sprout, along with any squash or melon seeds.

This isn't the season to get much in the way of seeds, but if you have a largish pot and some good dirt, you may be able to keep a small "garden" going over the winter by using your vegetable kitchen scraps. Just in case.

Dried black eye peas, black turtle beans, and pinto beans will all grow and reproduce true to type. We've done this. They'll break through the ground one week sooner if you soak them in water for 24 hours before planting.

Sweet potato will grow indoors and make a lovely vine. I've never grown them for food, so I'm not sure if you can use that to start some in the garden.

I said they were stupid. I hate prepping. I hate it!

-- Anonymous, October 08, 2002

Answers

If it ain't dried and in an airtight container or canned by Mr. Heinz or whoever, I ain't gonna do it. I just can't keep up a garden any more. The tomatoes go by the wayside when the temp goes past 90 and I have too much left to do on the yard when it gets cooler. I wish I could, I really do, but I even let my strawberry plants go to the big compost heap in the skiy.

P.S. Aren't sweet potato vines poisonous or did I misremember?

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2002

potatoe leaves, and tomato leaves are poisonous
they're both in the nightshade family
but the sweet potatoe isn't

here's a link to a site with some info.....and a snip

Sweet potato is a true 'poor man's crop', with most of the production done on a small or subsistence level. It is well suited to survive infertile tropical soils and to produce for farmers without fertilizers, irrigation, machinery or improved propagation stock. Sweet potato is an excellent dual-purpose food crop because its leaves are nutritious and are widely eaten. Though often grown as an annual, sweet potatoes are a perennial vine that can produce edible tubers and leaves for up to six years without replanting in tropical climates. In a system where the both the leaves and tubers are well managed for good yield, sweet potatoes can probably produce more nutrients per acre than any other crop, including more calories per acre than cassava. They have one of the highest returns of nutrients, relative to the time and effort expended, of any crop.

end snip

i've never tried them myself.....but i was just about to try some
i've got a sweet potatoe growing out in the garden....and figured i'd give the leaves a try before the frost gets them
i'd been meaning to look it up again (the info about eating them).....cause i didn't want to "remember wrong" and end up eating something i shouldn't
LOL

i'll have someone post and let you know if i keel over
; )

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2002

Congocookbook.com

Sweet Potato Greens with Fish and Shrimp

from: Western Africa cooking method: boiling-simmering

This is another recipe for an African greens "sauce", flavored with fish and dried shrimp. This is called Sauce aux Feuilles de Patates Douces in French-speaking Western Africa.

What you need

* one cup cooking oil

* two to three pounds (or more) of sweet potato greens, or similar

* one onion, chopped

* one hot chile pepper, cleaned and chopped (or left whole) -- for a spicy hot dish, cut the chile pepper into small pieces; for a milder taste, leave it whole and remove it before serving

* one piece of dried, salted, or smoked fish (such as cod or herring), soaked in water and washed

* one tablespoon tomato paste

* one-half teaspoon baking soda

* one-half cup of dried shrimp or dried prawns (or a handfull of fresh shrimp or prawns)

* any fish, pan-fried and cut into pieces (optional)

* chicken, pan-fried and cut into pieces (optional)

* salt and black pepper to taste

What you do

* Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the greens, onion, pepper, dried fish, tomato paste, baking soda, and dried shrimp or prawns (if desired). Cook for fifteen minutes, stirring often.

* When greens are tender, add fresh shrimp or prawns, and fried fish or chicken. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve with Rice.

This dish can be varied by adding okra or green pepper along with the greens, or flavoring with ginger.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2002

Inedible yams serve other purposes such as to poison darts

I think they're talking about the ornamental sweet potato vine sold at plant shops. Better not get them confused!

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2002