Hey everyone! It’s Zundadon, dadon!
It’s October now, don. It’s the season when the mornings are chilly and you can smell the earth from the fields, don.
So today, I’m gonna talk about how we went sweet potato digging, don 🍠
The three of us who went were Zundamon, Deltamon, and me, don. The same usual crew from our training camp, don.
Apparently, the places where you can go potato digging are open from around late September to November, don. We’re right in the middle of the season, don.
🍠 First, We Learned How to Dig, don
When we got to the field, we couldn’t just start digging right away, don. There’s a proper order to things, don.
These are the three tips we were taught, don.
- First, cut the vines… You have to remove the leaves and vines growing on top of the ground first, don. If you don’t, you won’t know where to dig, don.
- Dig around the stalk, not directly on top of it… If you go straight down from the top, your shovel will hit the potato, don.
- Finish by hand, don… Once the soil is loose, put down your tools and pull it out while clearing the dirt with your hands, don. If you rush and yank it, it’ll snap, don.
Basically, the trick is not to rush, don. For a guy like me whose specialty is full power, that’s the hardest kind of trick there is, don.
Deltamon: “Zundadon, we were just taught to dig ‘from the sides,’ you know.”
Me: “I was listening, don! My hands just moved on their own, don!”
😆 Check Out How the Three of Us Dug, don
Alright, now for the real thing, don. Everyone’s personalities really came out, don.
Zundamon started digging a hole with all his might right from the get-go and snapped his first potato in five minutes, don. He just stared at the broken cross-section, frozen for a bit, don.
Zundamon: “…This just means we can share it, nanoda!”
Me: “That’s not it, don. That was just an accident, don.”
Deltamon first placed her hands on the soil and started making some kind of calculation, don.
Deltamon: “Based on the moisture content of the soil, there should be a large specimen below. The excavation angle is…”
Me: “I think you can just dig now, don.”
And just as she calculated, she dug up a pretty impressive one, don. I was so jealous, don.
Right after that, though, she tripped on a vine at her feet and took a spectacular, muddy fall, don. Even future technology is no match for a vine, don.
And then there was me, don. I followed the tips properly and dug carefully from the sides, don.
And what came out was a total monster that I couldn’t even lift without using both hands, don!
The three of us all yelled “Whoaaaaa!”, don. No matter how many times you do it, having something like that suddenly pop out of the ground really gets your heart pounding, don.
🔥 Why Do Baked Sweet Potatoes Get So Sweet, don?
After digging, it was time for baked sweet potatoes in a corner of the field, don.
While we were waiting for them to cook, I asked something I’d always been curious about, don. “Why are baked sweet potatoes so sweet, don?”
Deltamon’s eyes lit up and she started explaining, don.
Deltamon: “An excellent question. The key is an enzyme called beta-amylase.”
Apparently, potatoes are packed with starch, don. And starch itself isn’t that sweet, don.
But when you heat it, this enzyme gets to work and converts the starch into a sweet sugar called maltose, don.
What’s more, this enzyme apparently has a perfect temperature for it to work, don.
Deltamon: “It becomes most active at around 60 to 70°C. And once it exceeds 75°C, it stops working.”
Me: “So, if you cook it over high heat all at once…”
Deltamon: “It will pass through the ideal temperature range before it can get sweet.”
In other words, it’s because you cook them slowly over a long time that they get that sweet, don. There was a good reason why those stone-baked potato vendors cook them so leisurely, don.
She also taught me that a potato that’s been stored for about a month is even sweeter than one that’s just been dug up, don.
It’s sweeter if you don’t rush. Potatoes are just like digging, don.
🍰 Deltamon’s Sweet Potato Dessert, don
After that, Deltamon also made us some sweet potato dessert with the fresh-dug potatoes, don.
She strained it, made it smooth, and browned it to perfection… That’s a professional pastry chef for you, don.
Deltamon: “My hourly wage of 44 yen was not enough to cover the cost of today’s ingredients. Therefore, I paid with my labor.”
Me: “You paid for it with the potatoes you dug, don!?”
Zundamon ate two baked sweet potatoes, and then three of the sweet potato desserts, don. He even ate the half of the one he broke earlier, don.
It was also interesting how completely different the sweetness was, don. The ones baked slowly in the bonfire were moist and gooey. The perfectly browned sweet potato dessert was crumbly and light, don.
It’s the same potato, but it becomes a totally different food depending on how you cook it, don.
🌴 We Have Potatoes in My Homeland, Too, don
One last thing, don.
I came from a southern country, don. And actually, we have potatoes in my homeland, too, don.
But this experience of everyone digging their hands into the dirt together and having fun was my first time since coming here, don.
The wind was chilly, my fingertips were black with dirt, and it even got under my nails. But the moment we dug one up, we all shouted with joy.
I never knew an autumn field could be such a fun place, don.
I’m definitely coming back here again next year, don.
💚 Today’s Summary, don
- For potato digging: cut the vines first, dig from the sides, and finish by hand, don
- Zundamon broke his first potato, and Deltamon tripped on a vine, don
- I dug up a monster so big I needed both hands to hold it, don
- Baked sweet potatoes are sweet thanks to an enzyme. It works best around 60-70°C and stops working above 75°C, don
- Cooking them slowly makes them sweet. Not rushing is the right way, don
You can read my profile on Zundadon’s page, and learn about the pastry genius on Deltamon’s page, don!
The autumn fields still have a lot to offer, don. I’m already thinking about what to go dig for next, don.
This was Zundadon, dadon~! 🌴💚