Purple sweet potatoes are gaining attention as a new addition to traditional Thanksgiving meals, according to experts and growers in California. While most sweet potatoes served during the holiday are yellow or orange, purple varieties are now being featured on more dining tables.
“There’s a lot of interest in the purple sweet potato,” said Scott Stoddard, University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Merced County. “It’s creating buzz, something new to talk about.”
Most sweet potatoes found in West Coast grocery stores for Thanksgiving come from clones of mother plants propagated at UC Davis Foundation Plant Service, selected by Stoddard.
In recent years, California has seen an increase in the cultivation of purple sweet potatoes. Five years ago, only a few growers were experimenting with these varieties; now about 1,000 acres are dedicated to purple sweet potatoes in the state. Stoddard noted that at least six varieties are currently grown but said that growers often keep their specific plantings confidential due to competition.
“Right now, it’s the wild, Wild West,” he explained. “Nobody will tell you what they’re growing. It’s like, ‘my purple is better than your purple.’”
Two well-known varieties with both purple skin and flesh—Stokes Purple and Ben Yagi—are owned by a company. Other experimental types include Purple Rayne (unpatented), Purple Majesty, Purple Splendor and Regal Purple.
“Eventually we’ll settle on one or two varieties,” Stoddard said.
Okinawan sweet potatoes from Hawaii have not proven viable for large-scale production in California due to low yields.
“The purple/purple [varieties with purple skin and purple flesh] trend started with Stokes,” said Stoddard.
Jeremy Fookes, director of sales for A.V. Thomas Produce Company—which owns Stokes Purple and Ben Yagi—said introducing these less common colors required educating retailers because the drier flesh of some varieties requires longer cooking times compared to orange-fleshed types.
“The first couple of years were a challenge,” said Fookes, who began growing five acres of purple varieties in 2012. “Stokes has to be cooked longer in order to make it moister inside, otherwise it can be chalky or pasty if you don’t cook it long enough.”
To help market their products, A.V. Thomas Produce partnered with Frieda’s Specialty Produce in Anaheim.
Interest increased further after the 2023 Netflix documentary “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones” highlighted health benefits associated with anthocyanin found in purple sweet potatoes. Following this exposure, demand grew significantly for their produce; A.V. Thomas Produce now grows over 500 acres organically and supplies both national grocers and international markets including shipments to the Middle East.
California produces about one-quarter of all U.S.-grown sweet potatoes but faced challenges after disruptions caused by COVID-19 impacted supply chains starting in 2020. The majority (85%) of California-grown sweet potatoes are sold fresh while others go into processed foods such as fries or baby food. After an initial surge in demand for products like sweet potato fries during the pandemic period subsided unexpectedly and prices stagnated while input costs rose due to labor shortages and increased regulation.
“Every sweet potato is touched by a hand,” Stoddard said. “Sweet potatoes are dug out by a machine harvester but individually placed by hand into bins. Later those bins are brought out of storage then packed by hand into a box that goes to the store.”
The main growing regions include Merced, Stanislaus and Kern counties; acreage dropped from over 21,000 acres five years ago down to about 18,000 as some farmers switched crops amid industry pressures leading four packing sheds to close statewide.
Stoddard has been working since joining UC Agriculture and Natural Resources as a vegetable crops advisor for Merced County in 2002 on finding improved red-skinned varieties resistant to pests such as root knot nematodes—a problem affecting existing popular variety Diane—and offering better storage qualities.
“Diane yields well but it is susceptible to root knot nematodes and does not store well,” he explained.
Despite releasing Burgundy (2014) as an alternative based on promising test results it did not perform consistently for commercial growers: “It was not successful as it didn’t yield for anybody even though my field plot data said otherwise,” he lamented.
A newer red-skinned variety called Vermillion was released in 2021; it’s now grown on roughly 10%–15% of local acreage but opinions among growers remain mixed regarding its yield potential versus storability benefits: “Some growers really like it because it stores well… So my quest continues!” said Stoddard.
Since there are no local breeders specializing exclusively in this crop within California itself collaboration occurs with Louisiana State University breeder Don La Bonte whose program provides dozens of candidate lines annually for evaluation under local conditions before commercial release—a process taking up seven years per variety according to Stoddard who selects based on traits like shape color flavor yield pest resistance storability among others noting regional differences can affect outcomes significantly between states or countries where adopted internationally including Canada Netherlands Portugal Spain Egypt Australia New Zealand after formal release such as Bellevue which comprises around fifteen percent statewide acreage today along with other top orange-flesh types Diane Vermillion making up two-thirds total output alongside white-flesh Murasaki Bonita cultivars favored regionally too
“We’re moving away from orange flesh varieties,” he added regarding future directions emphasizing how unique niche opportunities exist especially around organic production where fewer pesticides may be needed compared elsewhere: “We’re about the only production area that can grow organics profitably… We frequently don’t have use insecticides.” Instead dry fallowing helps manage soil-borne pests naturally through alternating cropping cycles
On preparation methods Fookes recommended against microwaving suggesting instead low-and-slow baking techniques: “While Ben Yagi Purples cook like other moist flesh varieties—the Stokes Purple should be cooked low and slow… You only get caramelization through low heat slow baking process whether foil-wrapped barbecue pan oven.”
