I would voice rousing acclamation for Okinawan.... Unfortunately, it takes 140 days to mature so is only viable in zone 8 and further south. I can manipulate the plants and get them to mature here in North Alabama, but it is touch and go every year. The trick is to start with rooted cuttings in cups and get them in the ground as early as the soil temp will allow. Mahon is a new one for me this year. I really like the looks and shape and production. They will be cured enough to sample next week. I've grown a few dozen varieties over the years, but have not found any particular variety that is overwhelmingly better than others... excepting Okinawan. DarJones

Love asian sweet potatoes. I have a couple of Japanese varieties in my garden. Here in S. Florida they are perennial, so when the vines start getting longish, I strip most of the leaves to eat except the very end, stick the cuttings in water until they have nice roots and then plant them out, so there is an endless supply of new plants. I put the leaves (including the leaf stems) in stir fry & soups. I also lightly sauteed some in toasted sesame oil with just salt, and that was delicious. The vines themselves are very sweet, but fibrous. They ooze a sweet whitish sap. Could probably extract the sweetness by chopping up then boiling and discarding the fibers, or running the stems through a juicer.

Thanks all! I’m sitting here with this sad tree that we put SO much effort into. ==>>> you made a decision since you wrote this ... but lets get your head straight for this time of year .... no matter what happens... you are making.. made .. a memory ... most likely you arent going to remember an uneventful tree .. this one.. you will remember forever.. lol,.... and you are already on that journey ... and you will remember.. the year you got to decorate twice .... have a great holiday ... ken btw: here in MI ... they sell magnetic sheets ... that you can cut to the size of the register/vent ... and slap it on... and it self sticks ... 3 for 5 bucks or some such ... this will remove the direct flow of air on the tree .. which will really help ... and it will redirect the air to other vents.. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=magnetic+sheets+for+heat+registers&t=ffcm&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

2Many, my DH looooves mushrooms and eats them as one of his primary proteins. The dish I made is just something I conjured up by hap chance one night and it quickly became my DH’s favorite. I saute the sliced creminis along with a diced onion and garlic to taste. When browned, I set that aside in a bowl and toss a healthy portion of frozen stir fry veggies (from Costco again) in the pan. I toss them until they’re half way thawed, add the mushroom mix back along with some PF Changs Mongolian BBQ cooking sauce and a bit of water. Mix it up good and let it cook until the veggies are soft but not over cooked and serve it over rice. The mixed veggies have carrots, broccoli, summer squash, red bell pepper, green beans and a few other goodies. It’s a great healthy one dish meal, that I have no name for! LOL