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This Is Why Your Homegrown Veggies Taste Sweeter After a Hard Frost

You’ve probably heard that certain crops like kale and cabbage turn sweeter after frost, but did you know many other vegetables get better when grown for winter harvest?

Root vegetables, brassicas, and other leafy greens are usually planted in spring for summer harvest, but truth is, their flavors improve if they’re exposed to cold weather.

The Winter Sweetening Phenomenon

In the cabbage family, cold weather increases sugars and releases special proteins in the plants (called “antifreeze proteins”) that provide freeze tolerance, which subsequently alter—and in our view, improve—their flavor.

Let Root Crops Mature In Cold Weather

In harsh winter climates that get down to 20°F or below, you can extend the harvest period and protect plants from a later hard freeze by growing them under a simple low tunnel, made from one or two layers of medium to heavyweight frost cover.

Vegetables That Get Sweeter After Frost

Carrots Turnips Radishes Rutabagas Beets Radicchio

No, it doesn’t. Whether or not you notice any difference will depend on your taste buds (and unique presence of “bitter genes“), the plant cultivars themselves, local weather and growing conditions, and amount of sugars accumulated.

Does Cold Weather Guarantee Sweetness?

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