Fresh Sweet Potatoes from Ancheng

Fresh Sweet Potatoes from Ancheng

　　High-quality fresh sweet potatoes are rich in starch, soluble sugars, amino acids, dietary fiber, and minerals. They are particularly high in beta-carotene, vitamins B1, B2, C, and E, mucoprotein, dehydroepiandrosterone, and are considered a near-physiological alkaline food, helping to neutralize the acidity of physiological acid-forming foods such as rice, flour, fish, and meat. Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty wrote in *Compendium of Materia Medica* that sweet potatoes have the effects of “replenishing deficiency, boosting energy, strengthening the spleen and stomach, and nourishing kidney yin.” According to scientific research, sweet potatoes also offer anti-cancer benefits. Japanese cancer experts have found that among all vegetables, sweet potatoes rank first in anti-cancer properties. The fresh sweet potatoes produced in Ancheng Township—the top red sweet potato-producing township in the province and by the fresh sweet potato production base of the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences—are pollution-free green foods cultivated using special techniques. They are ideal green foods for children’s growth, elderly health care, and cancer prevention, and also make a uniquely flavorful gift. There are many ways to enjoy fresh sweet potatoes: they can be steamed, roasted, fried, or boiled, resulting in delicious treats such as steamed sweet potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, and fried sweet potatoes. There are twelve main varieties, including the Japanese Yellow Sweet Potato, which was introduced by the Science Association in 2001, yielding 6,000–8,000 pounds per mu. The tubers are pear-shaped, with smooth yellow skin and orange-red flesh, making it a high-yield, yellow-fleshed variety.

　　The sweet potato planting area in Ancheng Township covers 12,000 mu, forming three major bases: Lengfan–Liuzhuang, Qiuzhuang–Changtian–Zhangtian, and Nansheng–Beisheng. It serves as an experimental production base for fresh sweet potatoes by the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Shandong Scientists Association.