OK, so apparently even sweet potatoes have a shelf life.

This pair is probably two or three months old, and to be honest I forgot we even had them. When I went to grab a vidalia onion from our potato-n-onion basket just now, their spiny branches gave me quite a jolt–I swear, just a few days ago when last I cooked, there was nothing remotely resembling this alien forest lurking in our pantry.

There is something beautiful about these slender, grasping growths. Their tender shade of pink seems young and vulnerable, and yet strong enough to stand perfectly straight, without bow or curve. The potatoes still felt perfectly firm. Perhaps they were still edible. I don’t know, though, and I preferred not to take chances.

I threw them out. I feel strangely guilty about that.