The Dormant Season Begins

Okra stalks and the lower-growing cold weather stalwarts

It is already mid-November, and the vegetables in the boxes are at the end for this season.

The okra didn't make it to maturity after all - the time from planting at the end of July to the first cold weather was just too short for these tropical transplants.  Though we haven't had a "hard freeze" yet, the okra leaves have withered, leaving just the tough stalks standing, as you can see in the photo above.

Notice also that there are still some leafy greens at the bottom of the okra stalks.  While the okra can't tolerate the cold, some plants do quite well in it.  Vegetables in the Brassica genus (collard greens, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower to name a few) really shine when the weather turns colder and the days get shorter.  They have a clever adaptation to survive in colder weather - they move water out of their leaves and into their roots, to prevent the leaves from freezing.  The leaves then have a higher concentration of sugars, which is very tasty! 

Collard greens, getting sweeter as it gets colder