The past week has been a frosty one indeed. Take a walk through the fields with us to see how they look.
The rows in the foreground are covered in “remay” tunnels that protect crops, in this case lettuce seedlings, from frost. The rows to the right in the middle field are planted with cauliflower, while the rows on the left, being sprinkled, are planted with radishes and Japanese turnips.
Well protected from damaging frost, the lettuce seedlings under the remay are thriving .
More mature cauliflower plants were sprinkled the evening before since water remaining on the leaves protects the plants by absorbing cold, creating an insulating blanket of ice crystals which keeps the plant’s temperature from falling too low.
This close-up, and the one below, of the cauliflower leaves shows the patterns the frost creates.
The cold weather slows growth and the plants create more sugars, which freeze at lower temps, to protect themselves. This is why winter veggies often taste sweeter than summer ones.
It got cold enough to freeze some standing water in a low patch of the road.
This garlic shoot is doing its best to shrug off some flakes of frost.
The frost is so thick in this blackberry row it almost looks like snow.
Frost rimed blackberry leaves.
These Brussels sprouts made it through okay, and will be all the sweeter for it.
The Lacinato (Dino) Kale has its own frost blanket. Notice how the leaves have been harvested yet the plant has been left to continue to grow. The harvest is extended by leaving the plant in the ground longer.
All puffed up against the cold, this hummingbird takes a sunbath on one of the Farm’s Meyer lemon trees.
