and more rain .. poo I'm over the rain I want sunshine and 72 degrees please !!
Oktoberfest 2009 Cherry & Beth
I was really surprised that so many of you have never seen Air potatoes.
Mary Delle asked for a little more information so I went straight to
The Georgia Gardner ~
Mr. Walter Reeves . I was surprised to learn that he says you can eat the air potatoes.
I had been told that it was poisonous and if you
Google you will see that even the University of Florida says parts of the plant are poisonous .
Personally ~ I' m more of a big fat Irish tator covered in butter, sour cream & chives or how about a Sweet tator fried or baked with a little honey butter and my all time favorite tiny new potato any way you want to cook them... yummy ... now that's the kinda tator girl I am .. lol
here's a little info from Mr Reeves
Air Potato
Q: I have a problem with a lovely but horribly invasive vine that grows little potatoes on its stem. It sprouts and spreads like a demon - nearly taking over a 3 acre lot! What is it and what can I do about it?
A: Most folks afflicted with this pest call it “Tater Vine” or “Air Potato”. It is actually a variety of yam, scientifically identified as
Dioscorea bulbifera. The glossy green leaves are certainly ornamental but the vine’s intrusive nature has placed it very near the top of Florida’s Invasive Plant list. I don’t know why it is not a worse pest here but we can all be thankful for small favors.
Like kudzu, air potato has a large starchy root. The root stores plenty of energy for re-sprouting if the leaves are cut off. A systemic weed killer like glyphosate (Roundup) or triclopyr (Brush Killer, Brush-B-Gon) would give you fair results immediately but you’ll need to re-apply the herbicide every time the leaves reappear. This will be quite a chore on a three acre landscape. You will have to protect other plants from the chemical spray but I think this is the best choice you have.
MORE INFORMATION
Air Potato
Air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) is another non-native, invasive vine in Florida. Covered with large handsome leaves, it can quickly grow 60-70 feet in length, which is long enough to overtop (and shade-out) tall trees. A member of the yam family (Dioscoreaceae), air potato produces large numbers of aerial tubers, potato-like growths attached to the stems. These grow into new plants.
Dioscorea species are cultivated for their edible underground tubers in West Africa where they are important commodities. Uncultivated forms (as in Florida) however are reported to be bitter and even poisonous. Dioscorea varieties, containing the steroid diosgenin, are a principal material used in the manufacture of birth-control pills. Air potato is believed to have been introduced into Florida as an ornamental and a food plant in about 1905. By the early 1970s it was already recognized as a pest plant throughout the state.
Q: Can air potato ‘taters be eaten?
A: A search of the Internet revealed that they are eaten, steamed or boiled, in Hawaii and Panama but no notes on preparation were found. A few weeks ago, a reader sent in his recipe for cooking the ‘taters with rice, which seems safe enough in small quantities. Eat them if you must..... and while you enjoy them, remember that kudzu can be a dining delight as well.
Q: I have been growing for several years the “air potato” plant you wrote about recently. I grow mine on a fence so the bulblets don’t spread throughout the neighborhood. The tiny “potatoes” are edible and quite good if put into rice near the end of the cooking process (about five minutes seems fine). It is important to harvest as many of the bulblets as possible to reduce the number of additional plants next year.
A: Bon Appetit!
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Hope everyone has big plans for a fun weekend !!!
Oh and isn't Beth a cute looking little Bavarian .. lol
One more thing ~ Good morning daddy I love you with all heart ..
P.S. don't forget you are going to be frying me up some sweet tators tomorrow night !! and a big hug to cousin Donna glad you are enjoy my blog
hugs and happy weekend ya'll, Cherry
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