I Yam what I Yam, and that's all that I Yam

Speaking of yams... Often what you find in the supermarket labeled as a yam, is a sweet potato and not a yam at all.  True yams have a rough bark-like outer skin of brown or black. Native to Africa and Asia,  Africa grows the bulk of commercially sold yams.  The flesh can range from white to purple, or even red.  Unlike the sweet potato (which isn't even a distant cousin to the yam), yams aren't sweet. Rather, they are dry and starchy with a texture and flavor comparable to white russet potatoes.

 

In the United States, the words yam and sweet potato are used interchangeably but refer to what are sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are readily available while the yam is harder to find. Specialty grocers or Asian food stores are more apt to carry them. I discovered the African yam at an Asian grocery an hour's drive from where I live.  Averaging $3.99 to $4.99 per pound, one small yam cost $10.  

I wasn't about to pay $10 for one small spud though, so I marched up to the checkout and paid for my other items.  Before I could leave, the owner and her sweet husband stopped me.  A gift.  A lovely little gift!  Tucked inside a ziplock bag was a newly sprouted yam.  Naturally such a gift inspired me to start my next mission.  Trying to grow a true yam right here in southwest Oklahoma.  Research says it can't be done.  I believe that creating the right microclimate, it can.  Game on.  

Yams require up to a year of frost-free weather before harvest.  My area has a freeze or two during winter, which might present a significant challenge.  To combat the ground freezing, I could grow the yam in large tubs and move indoors over winter, or, leave the yams in the garden bed and cover them in a  6" of wood chips.  Another alternative would be to build a cold frame over the yam bed.  A south-facing, reflective wall behind the yam bed could provide radiant heat when temperatures drop.  
Options... options.  

It will be interesting to see how this new specimen fares in this area.  Keep checking back for updates.