Which Crops are Sweeter after a Frost and Why | Nourishing Pursuits (2024)

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Which Crops are Sweeter after a Frost and Why | Nourishing Pursuits? ›

In cold conditions many starchy vegetables like parsnips, celeriac, and carrots, turn the starches in their cells into a botanical 'anti-freeze' to avoid cold damage. That anti-freeze is sucrose, also known as sugar!

The reason that there are certain crops that taste better after a frost is down to certain compositional changes that occur in plants. When temperatures drop below freezing, frost triggers certain plants to produce more sugar. The increased sugar levels will, of course, make plants taste sweeter.

And for many of them, the adaptation that keeps them from dying in the cold also makes them sweet and delicious. In the above video, UCLA biochemist Liz Roth-Johnson explains how this works for the crunchy carrot: When it gets cold out, carrots (and parsnips) convert some of their starch stores into sugar.

Deer may select the energy-rich taproots later in the season, but our results show these forages are equally high in sugar before and after frost. In other words: No, brassicas do not get sweeter after frost.

Just a light radiation frost — the kind that twinkles off the tips of the plants. Not advection frost, the deep-freeze killer. A light frost is literally a sugar coating for my winter vegetables, as it triggers a process inside the plant that makes the produce sweeter.

What makes crops sweeter after a freeze? The response these plants have to cold temperatures improves their sweetness. By increasing the amount of sugar in their cells or by converting starch stores into sugar when temperatures drop, it keeps them from freezing. And, lucky for us, that makes them sweeter.

Some plants (like carrots, kale, spinach, and brussels sprouts) have the ability to convert some of their starch stores into sugar. They do this to keep the water in their cells from freezing. So the adaptation that keeps them from dying in the cold also makes them sweet and delicious!

According to Myers, the hardiest vegetables that can withstand heavy frost of air temperatures below 28 include spinach, onions, garlic, leeks, rhubarb, rutabaga, broccoli, kohlrabi, kale, cabbage, collards, Brussels sprouts, corn salad, arugula, fava beans, radish, mustard greens, Austrian winter pea and turnip.

In general, a frost (31-33 degrees F.) will kill beans, cantaloupe, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peas, pepper, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes, and watermelon.

Does frost make beets sweeter? ›

Carrots, turnips, rutabagas, and beets are all roots that get sweet with frost. Some other vegetables that get sweet in winter are cole crops such as brussels sprouts, broccoli, and kale, as well as most leafy greens. But there's one plant for which winter sweetening is NOT beneficial: potatoes.

Light Frost Tolerance

Crops from more-temperate regions can withstand light freezes (28 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit): Beets. Carrot. Cauliflower.

The ability of cultivated forms to survive winter cold depends on the variety (there are over 4,000 known types), but most will not withstand hard freezes. And, you would not want to eat the tubers from plants touched by frost. They quickly become sickeningly sweet and inedible.

These vegetables are typically hardy. Even if they have been covered by snow, they can still be picked fresh. For example, after a frost, radish, cabbage, spinach, and mustard taste not only richer but also sweeter.

Collards tolerate a wide range of warm to cold temperatures, and like many members of the cabbage family, will taste sweeter after a light frost.

Turnips and rutabagas are vastly sweetened by cold temperatures. Rutabagas should be harvested before temperatures drop to 20°F but turnips can handle colder temperatures particularly if they've been covered in a thick layer of mulch. In many areas, leeks can be overwintered and survive temperatures down to 10°F.

Moisture loss, or ice crystals evaporating from the surface area of a product, produces freezer burn — grainy, brownish spots where the tissues become dry and tough. These areas often develop unpleasant flavors.

The method by which the vegetables were frozen: Most vegetables are blanched before freezing, which involves placing them in boiling water for a very short time. Blanching helps stop the loss of texture, flavor, and color. It also kills any harmful bacteria.

Frost causes damage and even failure to many vegetable crops. But some crops will taste even better with frost. For instance, broccoli's flavor improves if the plant has experienced a frost, and carrots get sweeter as the temperature drops.