Yam vendor Cecil Burnett weighs some of Trelawny's popular yellow yam for a customer at last year's yam festival. - Photo by Janet Silvera

This is the third in our series on starches grown in Jamaica that are great replacements for rice.

As government officials try to find ways to stave off a possible shortage of rice, Guyana is now suggesting that Jamaican investors could partner with them through capital investment to grow rice for ourselves rather than attempt to plant our own here.

But most importantly, housewives have to be a lot more creative in their use of locally grown starches that are more nutritious than rice.

Yellow yam is a favourite of most Jamaicans. We are used to eating it boiled or in soups as well as roasted. The famous Trelawny yam is legendary, but there is something about the dry, powdery yet 'gummy' variety from Clarendon that just leaves one wanting more.

You may all know that yellow yam does not have a long shelf life after it has been reaped. Outside the fridge it may last four or five days and when refrigerated, up to a week but did you know that if you simply peel and wash in a little lime juice and freeze, it can last a lot longer? My favourite way is to cook all the yam I get from the country, cool then freeze in air-tight Tupperware containers or Ziploc bags. This way, yellow yam lasts for up to two months.

To use it after freezing, simply take it from the freezer the night before and allow it to thaw naturally. Then place in boiling water to reheat or you can take it directly from the freezer and microwave for 90 seconds. It will taste like you just cooked it fresh.