In the May 4 food article, “Going Wild,” we reported that Alan Muskat served an appetizer made with air potato on a wild-foods walk he recently hosted. We reported that it's highly recommended that you refrain from eating air potato. Muskat had this to say:
“When you looked up ‘air potato,’ you no doubt found Dioscorea bulbifera, the large vine that grows in Florida, not here, which most people say is toxic, although some say the aerial tubers can be eaten when prepared correctly. In any case, this is Dioscorea batata, which is edible. I should be calling it ‘cinnamon vine,’ but air potato is a so much better name. But that's why you can't rely on common names alone. If I were to call something toxic by the common name of something edible, that could lead to more serious problems!”
