2025 marks the 100th volume of the Agricultural Review, the free newspaper published by the N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. To celebrate, we’re taking a journey back in time. We’re digging out some old papers, dusting off their pages and looking back at what has happened in agriculture in the last 99 years. Each month, we’ll share an article, recipe or other piece of content “From the Archives” of the Ag Review. We can’t wait to see what we find!
North Carolina is the leading producer of sweet potatoes, and that means sweet potatoes and dishes that highlight them are featured on dinner tables across the state year-round. While sweet potato is good any time of year, the sweet potato is an integral part of Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and desserts.
The holidays are also a time for tradition, for recipes that are passed down through generations. We found some time-honored sweet potato recipes in old issues of the Agricultural Review that pair perfectly with the flavors, and the nostalgia, of the holiday season.
First, the April 15, 1983, edition of the Agricultural Review featured three classic sweet potato recipes that will shine on your holiday dinner table. Check them out:
Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
- 1 cup mashed N.C. sweet potatoes
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 package (3 ¼ oz.) vanilla pudding mix (not instant)
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- ½ cup dark corn syrup
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
Mix sweet potatoes, sugar, pudding and salt. Add egg, corn syrup, milk and gently blend. Stir pecans and melted butter. Pour into unbaked 9-inch pastry shell and bake in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce to 350 degrees and bake until filling is set (about 20 minutes). Cool, garnish with whipped cream. (Can be frozen after baking.)
Cinnamon-Apple Sweet Potatoes
- 1 pound N.C. sweet potatoes (2 medium-sized), peeled
- 3 small apples, cored and sliced
- ¾ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
Microwave: Grease 1 ½-quart casserole. Slice sweet potatoes and layer alternately with apples in prepared casserole. Mix orange juice, brown sugar, lemon juice, salt and cinnamon. Pour over potatoes and apples. Dot with butter and sprinkle with nuts. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, turning back edge to vent. Cook on high 18 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender, spooning sauce over and rotating casserole twice. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes before serving.
Conventional: Grease 1 ½-quart casserole. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice sweet potatoes and assemble casserole as directed in the microwave method. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender, blasting with sauce one or twice during cooking. Serves six.
Stuffed Baked Yams
- 2 medium N.C. sweet potatoes
- ¼ cup butter or margarine
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
Wash and dry sweet potatoes. Prick with fork, place in shallow pan and bake in 400-degree oven 40 to 45 minutes, until soft. Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, melt butter or margarine. Add brown sugar, salt, orange juice and water; stir, over low heat, until sugar dissolves. Add cranberries; bring to boiling, Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 5 minutes, or until cranberries start to pop. In small bowl, combine cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Stir into cranberry mixture; bring to boiling, stirring. Reduce heat, simmer 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened. Cut cross in top of each sweet potato; press open from bottom. Place yams on serving plate. Top each with cranberry-orange sauce. Makes six servings. Other suggested fillings: Top baked sweet potatoes with crushed pineapple, toasted coconut, granola, bacon bits, pineapple preserves or orange marmalade.
If you’re looking for something a little less traditional, here are two recipes that were featured in the Dec. 15, 1979, edition of the Agricultural Review.
Sweet Potato Souffle
- 3 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/3 stick margarine
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased baking dish. (Note: Ass a little milk if mixture seems very dry.) Mix 1 cup coconut, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup chopped nuts, 1/3 stick margarine, 1/3 cup self-rising flour and pour on top of mixture. Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes or until hot and topping is lightly browned.
Carolina Yam Tea Bread
- 1 cup mashed cooked yams (sweet potatoes)
- 3 cups plain flour
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg, optional
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ¾ cups fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons salad oil
- 1 cup chopped nuts
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, soda, spices in a large bowl. Combine eggs, orange juice and oil in small bowl; beat until well mixed. Add to dry ingredients with cold mashed potatoes and nuts. Mix well. Turn into greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan and bake in 300-degree oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cook in pan 10 minutes, turn out and cool completely. Frost with confectioner’s sugar glaze and sprinkle nuts on top. Best if kept overnight before eating.