October 23, 2018 A PUBLICATION OF Government Advertising Agency Telposta Towers, Kenyatta Ave/ Koinange Street P.O Box 30025-00100, Nairobi Kenya NAIROBI-KENYA I Issue No. 0091 Telephone: (+254) 4920000 / 1 E-Mail: info@information.go.ke Flour, jam, juice and chips: The many ways of adding value The mention of sweet potatoes sends thoughts of a hot cup of tea and a piece of the tuber in boiled form. Typically, this is not only a common breakfast meal locally, but also one of the meals that are considered healthy. This is especially lately as people are becoming more keen on eating healthy and whole meal indigenous foods.. Stories like these are covered in an upcoming book on AgroInnovation by the Kenya Yearook Editorial Board. Agro-Innovation Transforming agriculture toward sustainable development BY KYEB B ut sweet potato tubers are not only for your usual boiled breakfast snack. As we discovered, there is so much that can be done in terms of value addition and diversifying the use of this food. After all farmers or other stakeholders along this value chain can explore these ways to make more money and diversify their clientele. Rosemary Cheboswony, a nutritionist at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (Kalro), explains on some of the possibilities of sweet potatoes. Mill it for Sweet Potato Flour To make sweet potato flour, peel a mature sweet potato tuber, then grate it, just like carrots. Dry the granules under the sun, then take them to a posho mill where they are sifted into fine flour. This flour can be used in making several dishes. For Example, the flour can be added to maize flour to add nutrients and be used to cook a more nutritious maize meal, commonly known as ugali. Additionally, the flour can be mixed with wheat flour and be used to make meals such as chapati, cakes, pancakes, ban among others. Sweet Potato Jam Many people are used to using fruit jam. However, sweet potato would not only offer a healthy, but also naturally sweeter option. To make sweet potato jam, boil the tubers, then mash them well, add a little water to make a paste. Add some lemon to taste and apply the paste as jam to your bread. Sweet Potato Juice So you want to have a glass If farmers aggregated their produce or part of it, then decided on which way to process it, they definitely will win the demand from the market and make more money - Geoffrey Kahuho of a sweet, nutritious drink? Well, you do not have to look for the fruits that are in season at the moment. Get your boiled sweet potatoes, slice them, put the slices in a blender, add some water and blend. Sieve it to get the desired puree. Add some sugar and lemon juice to taste. This nutritional drink is best taken chilled. It is not only refreshing, but also filling and will leave you loaded with energy. Enjoy! Sweet Potato Chips There is a common casual saying that chips ni viazi (chips are just but Irish potatoes). But a sweet potatoes chips meal demystifies this saying over all. Chips are not just made from Irish potatoes. In fact, the ones from sweet potatoes LAYOUT, DESIGN AND EDITING OF MYGOV WEEKLY BY THE KENYA YEARBOOK EDITORIAL BOARD www.kenyayearbook.co.ke 0202715390 / 0711944538 NHIF Building , 4th Floor @Kenyayearbook Rosemary Cheboswony, a nutritionist from Kalro, shows off some sweet potato products. are much sweeter and attractive to the eyes. To make sweet potato chips, peel your tubers and chop into desired shapes and sizes. Deep fry in hot oil. Alternatively, garnish them with your preferred spices like ginger and garlic, and bake them in the oven. Other delicacies that can be made from sweet potatoes include; sweet potato fruiters, mashed sweet potatoes, sweet potato krakies, bread, biscuits among others. Besides, sweet potatoes can be used to make soups as well as an addition to stews just as Irish potatoes are used, while the leaves of sweet potato vines are delicious vegetables. The Kenspot-1 sweet potato variety, which is a production of Kalro, is particularly good for value addition owing to its rich yellow colour and wealth in nutrition. It is rich in karotin and vitamins, especially vitamin A. It is therefore nutritious and recommendable especially for children and other nutritionally-needy persons. P.O. Box 34035-00100 Kenya Yearbook Editorial Board ers must According to experts, farmlook beyond the usual way of doing things if they have to maximize on their income from produce. Geoffrey Kahuho, a Programs Manager at Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM Kenya), says if farmers got creative through value addition, they would be able to control the prices of their produce. “If farmers aggregated their produce or part of it, then decided on which way to process it, they definitely will win the demand from the market and make more money,” says Kahuho. Besides, he adds, people are currently more aware of their health and would be ready to fortify their own food, for example by adding sweet potato flour to maize of wheat flour before cooking. Relevant agencies should therefore step in and create awareness on the need for players along the sweet potato and other value chains to up their game and process produce to fit diverse markets. info@kenyayearbook.go.ke
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