If there is anything that farming and homesteading have taught me, it is that you must never give up. Death and loss and horrible things happen, but giving up is the only real mistake, and abundance is always there, if only you can find the creativity and inspiration to use it. The magic of the gifts of the earth is the incredible power to multiply themselves, and your own true power lies in how you accept and use the gifts that are given to you.

I am thinking ahead to the next season, because that is always key to having enough in the moment. This hot, damp summer time is wonderful for sweet potatoes, and I am still planting lots of slips, whenever and wherever I can. Sweet potatoes are great for people and livestock.

It is incredible how easy it is to grow lots and lots of your own slips. I found these purple sweet potatoes on sale at our local grocery store. You must be careful to get organic sweet potatoes for this, as the conventional ones are treated with sprout inhibitors that lengthen their shelf life, but prevent growing slips.

I put the potatoes (I had only four of them) in a shallow glass baking dish, filled it with about an inch of fresh water, and set it in a sunny window area in my kitchen.

I check the water level every so often, because the potatoes will drink it up, and sometimes it can get yucky and needs drained off and replaced.

The potatoes will naturally begin to sprout. When they are tall and even have a few little roots developing at the base, take a sharp knife and slice off the slip, leaving a tiny chunk of potato to keep it going.

Keep the sprouts in a jar of water on a windowsill or near natural light for a week or so more. They will grow more roots and be ready to plant. It’s really that easy! These four sweet potatoes have made at least a hundred slips for me by now! That makes a LOT of sweet potatoes!