I’m a recipe developer, food stylist, and content producer. I’ve spent the past seven years at meal kit companies like Marley Spoon and Dinnerly, teaching at food nonprofits, and doing a little farming. Originally from Houston, I live with my partner, dog, cat, and rabbit. We all love local, seasonal produce.
I cover recipe content on The Kitchn, write and update recipes and recipe roundups, and test recipes for the team. I have 10 years of experience working in R&D test kitchens, testing products and recipes, and at publishers including Serious Eats and EatingWell.
These vegetables get sweeter after being kissed by frost, making them a delectable wintertime treat. So don’t despair when that first frost hits; instead, get excited because you’re about to get some delicious gifts from the garden.
That first frost can be a sad time for gardeners because it is often thought of as the end of the time of year when we can harvest garden produce to eat. However, there are actually lots of vegetables that not only withstand the frost, but actually taste better after the temperatures drop!
When the frost hits, the naturally occurring water inside a plant freezes, causing distress to the plant. In order to combat this, some plants produce more sugar, which allows them to tolerate a lower temperature without freezing. It also means that the plants become sweeter and tastier.
These are the vegetables that get sweeter after a frost to harvest late this season.
Root Veggies
Beets, carrots, turnips, rutabaga, radishes, and parsnips are delicious after the first frost but before the ground freezes. They are also such a hearty, comforting food that they are exactly what many of us are craving during the cold winter months.
Even if you don’t get to them before the ground is frozen, leave them in the soil over winter and harvest them as soon as the ground around them thaws. They will still taste great as long as you get to them before they start re-growing their leaves for spring.
Brassicas, or members of the cabbage family, all taste great after the frost. These include collard greens, kale, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, cauliflower, and, of course, cabbage.
The best way to grow members of the cabbage family is to plant them in the spring to harvest a crop in the summer, and then plant them again in the summer to harvest a second crop in the winter (or even the following spring).
Brassicas grow best in cooler environments and, while they do produce well in the summer, it is the winter crops that really take the cake. When the first frost hits, the roots work hard to prevent the plants from freezing by sending sugars up to the cells in the leaves, making the leaves sweet and tender. Harvest these post-frost and enjoy getting your greens on throughout the winter!
Leeks
Leeks also get sweeter and more flavourful after a frost. Harvest them as long as they are not frozen into the ground (in some areas, this means you can be eating your own leeks all winter long). There’s nothing more comforting on a cold winter’s night than a hot, steaming bowl of leek and potato soup!
Leeks and rhubarb.
Lettuce and Spinach
Most types of lettuce and spinach prefer the cooler temperatures, often bolting during the heat of summer. You can easily sow an additional round of greens at the end of summer to enjoy in the fall. They can reach maturity and harvest in a month (cut-and-come-again varieties).
Spinach can survive to about -7°C (30°F). But you don’t want to harvest the leaves when frozen, as they will turn mushy once thawed.
Most lettuces can only tolerate a light frost, but can easily be protected with a season extender.
Other greens, such as arugula, tatsoi, and radicchio, can also handle the cold well.
Speckled lettuce
More Fall Gardening Tips
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
Lizzy is a trained chef, food writer, and recipe developer for print and digital outlets including Insider, Real Simple, and the Chicago Tribune. She has a culinary degree from Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and a BA from Amherst College. She lives in New York City, where she runs, eats, and explores as much as possible.
Melissa Gaman is a recipe developer, editor, and food writer living in Jersey City, New Jersey. She loves to bake, especially bread, cookies, and anything chocolatey. Her sourdough starter came from Alaska and is rumored to date back to the Gold Rush. Outside of the kitchen, she loves to grill, smoke, and cook over live fire. Potatoes are her desert island food.
Rachel Perlmutter is a recipe developer, food stylist, and culinary producer at The Kitchn. Originally from Houston, Texas, she spends her free time trying to perfect kolaches and breakfast tacos that taste like home. Rachel currently lives in Brooklyn with her partner, dog, cat and rabbit, where they all share a love of seasonal local produce.
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I am a soup person. It’s my go-to comfort food. It’s what I make the second the air turns crisp in early fall and all through the winter when I want to warm up. It’s my favorite thing to eat when I feel like I’m getting sick, when I feel down, when I crave something nourishing, if I want to eat a bunch of vegetables, or I just need to clean out my fridge and pantry.
So, I make a lot of soup; over the years I’ve made hundreds of pots of it. That said, I’m here to tell you — with absolute certainty — that this French onion chicken soup is hands-down the most comforting soup you will ever eat. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a mash-up of French onion soup and classic chicken soup, all in one bite.
The soup starts with caramelizing a big pot full of onions, which gives the soup an impossibly rich and indulgent, savory-sweet flavor. Then, in go the carrots, celery, herbs, chicken, and chicken broth for big chicken soup vibes. And of course, no version of French onion soup is complete without a slice of cheesy toast on top.
This is the soup to make on a weekend or on a day you have an hour-and-a-half to two hours to spend in the kitchen. It will be worth your time — I promise. Plus, it makes a big batch of soup, which also happens to freeze quite well.
How to Make French Onion Chicken Soup
If You’re Making French Onion Chicken Soup, a Few Tips
Taylor is a freelance writer, food blogger, and baker from Eastern Pennsylvania. She loves exploring new cities and has helped teach cooking classes and assisted a private chef. When not working, you’ll probably find her whipping up something sweet in the kitchen or binging Food Network. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their cat, Nala.
Rachel Perlmutter is a recipe developer, food stylist, and culinary producer at The Kitchn. Originally from Houston, Texas, she spends her free time trying to perfect kolaches and breakfast tacos that taste like home. Rachel currently lives in Brooklyn with her partner, dog, cat and rabbit, where they all share a love of seasonal local produce.
Meanwhile, cut 8 tablespoons unsalted butter into 8 pieces and refrigerate until ready to use. Transfer all but 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil to a bowl or airtight container and reserve for another use. Add the mashed garlic, 3/4 cup whole milk, and 1/3 cup heavy cream to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the mixture is just warmed through but not boiling, about 5 minutes.
I like to think of this as more of a formula. It’s designed to work with any and all root vegetables, and you can mix and match them to your liking. So grab whatever you’re in the mood for, whatever looks best at the farmers market, or whatever you currently have in your kitchen — be it carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, beets, turnips, or rutabagas.
Rachel Perlmutter is a recipe developer, food stylist, and culinary producer at The Kitchn. Originally from Houston, Texas, she spends her free time trying to perfect kolaches and breakfast tacos that taste like home. Rachel currently lives in Brooklyn with her partner, dog, cat and rabbit, where they all share a love of seasonal local produce.
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
There’s a whole lot to love about sweet potatoes, but best of all is the sheer versatility that comes with these humble spuds. Sure, you can bake them whole, roast cubes or crispy fries, and even toss them on the grill, but those classics just scratch the surface. What I’m trying to say is, there are a lot of ways to get sweet potatoes on the table from morning through night, as a crowd-pleasing side, the main course, or even dessert.
When choosing sweet potatoes, go for medium-sized tubers with unmottled, unbroken skin. If it’s soft or rubbery, or if the skin is wrinkled, then it’s no longer fresh and not worth buying. And while they’re quite similar, there is a difference between yams and sweet potatoes.
Ready for some inspiration? We’re sharing 74 of our best sweet potato recipes.
Basic Sweet Potato Recipes
Even if you’ve made roasted, baked, or grilled sweet potatoes so many times you’ve lost count, you might still need to check the recipe for the oven temp or cook time. We get it — us, too.
Sweet Potato Breakfast Recipes
Whether you stuff one with yogurt and crunchy things, bake it into a hash, or transform it into pancakes, sweet potatoes make an amazing breakfast.
This blended soup is velvety and deep from the backbone of roasted sweet potato, warm from the addition of cinnamon and garam masala, and gently spiced with fresh ginger and crushed red pepper.
This vegan sweet potato chowder delivers everything you want in a warm fall soup. It has a velvety broth laced with seasonal spices, like sage and paprika, and chunks of tender root vegetables.
Hearty chickpeas and sweet potatoes join forces for a weeknight curry that’s swimming in a creamy coconut milk broth that’s rich with Thai red chili paste and spicy ginger.
Sweet potato casserole might immediately make you think of the version topped with marshmallows. Beyond that classic side, though, sweet potatoes are a topping for a riff on shepherd’s pie or in an enchilada-inspired dinner casserole.
You’ll find all the usual suspects, like butter, cream, and a shower of nutty Gruyere cheese, plus a sprinkle of fresh thyme and nutmeg to balance the sweet potatoes.
With a fluffy, just-sweet-enough filling and crackly streusel topping that’ll remind you of candied nuts, this sweet potato casserole will become an instant classic on your Thanksgiving table.
Twice baked and tossed in miso brown butter, this dish, from Chef Camilla Marcus, is an elevated take on the classic holiday dish we all know and love.
Hearty chickpeas and sweet potatoes join forces for a weeknight curry that’s swimming in a creamy coconut milk broth that’s rich with Thai red chili paste and spicy ginger.
Just like the name implies, sweet potatoes come packed with a natural sweetness and creamy texture that makes them a natural fit for pie, cakes, and even an indulgent chocolate frosting.
Sweet potato cheesecake features a buttery graham cracker crust and is finished with a lightly-sweetened whipped sour cream topping. The dessert would be a lovely addition to any Thanksgiving table.
This sweet potato pie is a twist on the traditional Thanksgiving recipe. It includes a couple variations: a baked sweet potato pie recipe (with homemade crust), or a crustless custard recipe.