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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Frost Alert

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  • From: road's end farm <organic101 AT linkny.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Frost Alert
  • Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 20:12:01 -0400


On Sep 27, 2005, at 9:48 AM, Ploughshare wrote:

This Thursday Morning we are expecting frost(central MN). In the past
years, I spent the days ahead of time harvesting everything except the root
crops(pulling all nighters before the frost), but I don't think I had to.
So I would like other folk's advice..here's what we still have in the field.
What would folks for sure harvest?
Kale, Cabbage, parsley, cilantro, carrots, beets (green top), peppers,
hubbard squash, pie pumpkins, huge pumpkins, arugula, daikon, brussel
sprouts, eggplant, turnips, popcorn, braising greens, chinese cabbage,
broccoli, radishes, rhutabagas. Weather.com is saying 34 degrees, the radio
is saying frost likely and I know that we are usually 5 degrees colder than
what weather.com says.
---I am especially wondering about the hubbards, and pie pumpkins and
peppers and hot peppers if it only gets down to 29 degrees.
--Gary Brever

Too late now I expect; but I would have taken the first the eggplant, which may take cold damage to the fruit even if it doesn't quite frost; then peppers; then the winter squash and pumpkins. The rest of that stuff will all take light frost (popcorn leaves won't but I think the ears will if they're ripe), and all those brassica (cabbage family) crops will have improved flavor afterwards.

Someone else replied to this:
<x-tad-smaller>Some people don't pick their winter squash until after a light frost kills
the vines.
Squash really doesn't have it best flavor until after frost. </x-tad-smaller>



Squash and pumpkins may take chill damage and not store well if they get too hard a frost. Leaves sometimes protect them well enough through the first light frost; but that's cutting it fine if it's colder than expected.

I've had fantastic flavor on squash that hasn't frosted, or even been very cool. Some squash varieties improve in flavor with curing after harvest and/or after vine kill, but they generally cure better kept warm. But I don't like to take brussels sprouts until it has frosted, the flavor is much better on them afterwards.

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale



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