Posted by Maryellen Driscoll

A confession: Around this time of year, the threat of a frost does hold some allure to me. True, it could zap half of what remains in our farm’s fields...but that would lead us one day closer to an actual day off. But I can't really bring myself to wish for frost. Continued temperate weather means more to sell at farmers markets and to include in our CSA shares. Basically, every week that we are spared from a killing frost is one more week on Mother Nature’s payroll.

So I’m glad to say that, thus far, our fields have gone untouched and we’re still deluged with a variety of crops—including this new, fantastic baby braising mix (above right). But a farmer friend just 30 minutes from where we live tells me her garden has now been hit twice by frost. And an hour north of here in the Adirondacks, some of our CSA members have gotten more than just a cold nip.

Damage from a certain degree of frost, however, is preventable. What we do is fairly simple and can be done in a home garden, too: We cover up all the sensitive crops (green beans, pepper, eggplant) with lightweight polypropylene blankets called row covers (at left). They capture warmth but permit rain to permeate, even insulating plants from damaging winds and insects.

When a hard freeze does strike and those plants under the protective cloth are affected, there are still a handful of plants that will hold up in the fields for some time, including Brussels sprouts, kale, collards, and Swiss chard. There can be a light covering of snow, and I’ll still be able to trek out to the garden and harvest any one of these for dinner. We may end up eating collards for a week straight, but I’d rather greet the challenge of keeping collards interesting night after night than surrender to the local supermarket’s produce department. Now that sends chills down my spine.