I've found that it works better to just plant them. They just seem to rot occasionally, and they seem to grow faster in soil, due to the nutrients.
Alternatively you can feed them with hydroponic nutrients, or make compost tea, and boil it to sterilize it.
But you should also do the same as you do when making slips, harvesting the vines that are longer then say a foot, and planting those as well.
An alternative is to just bury the vines as they grow.
As for eating the leaves, you can eat them like spinach pretty much. They're a bit more bitter than spinach, with a bit of that sweet potato flavor, but not super sweet. You can eat the baby leaves and tips raw supposedly, or just cook those too.
@geekpowered
Ah gotcha, good to hear others have tried this. Yeah I had to replace a new planted slips already. Some dry out and others get eaten it seems.
Oh, I didnt think of just cutting off vines and sticking them in the dirt. That would be a great way to multiply them.
Thanks for all the info, including how to eat the leaves. valuable info! have a full upvote from me.