Have you noticed that many vegetables -- carrots and brassicas are especially notable -- get sweeter after a frost? In fact, we won't begin harvesting Brussels sprouts until we get a good frost. This happens because some plants are able to use sugar as an antifreeze. Starch in the plant's tissues are converted to sugar in cold weather to prevent ice formation in the cells. As the weather gets colder and plants repeatedly frost, they will continue to get sweeter. (This is also why spring-dug parsnips and carrots can be especially delicious.) Other plants, such as winter squash, can't manage this feat and get damaged by low temperatures, so we bring them all in before frosts hit.
We had a light frost last week and another yesterday, so we've started bringing in the sprouts and the carrots are noticeably tastier than they were a few weeks ago. We're just a month a way from the beginning of the Stick Season share, which beings November 4. It'll feature both frost-sweetened and non-frosty veggies, including arugula, Brussels sprouts, pea shoots, carrots, winter squash, potatoes, onions, garlic, and more! Sign up now!
We had a light frost last week and another yesterday, so we've started bringing in the sprouts and the carrots are noticeably tastier than they were a few weeks ago. We're just a month a way from the beginning of the Stick Season share, which beings November 4. It'll feature both frost-sweetened and non-frosty veggies, including arugula, Brussels sprouts, pea shoots, carrots, winter squash, potatoes, onions, garlic, and more! Sign up now!
RSS Feed
