Fall is here.
The nighttime temperatures at the Farm are regularly dipping into the mid, to low 30’s. That is bad news for the Summer crops like tomatoes, peppers, and basil. We won’t be seeing those again until next year.
The cooler night temperatures are good news for cooler weather crops.
The colder temperatures bring on a phenomenon to some vegetables called “cold sweetening’. Cooler weather triggers carbohydrates in the plants convert to ‘sugars’, glucose and fructose.
These converted ‘sugars’ make the plant cells less prone to freezing AND, as a happy side effect, make our vegetables taste delicious! Carrots, all the brassicas, and greens, all benefit from the cooler temperatures.
Enjoy your mini winter CSA. This is a great time of year.
Comments
2 responses to “Why do some vegetables taste sweeter in the winter?”
This has been an amazing fall, hasn’t it?! I just “retired” my summer squash plants and they were still producing, albeit slowly. the romanesco is beautiful and delicious right now!
It has been a glorious fall. Amazing your summer squash is still producing. You are more patient than I am. I pulled mine long ago.