4 NH Grown Plants That Love The Cold

Here's a salute to four NH grown plants that feel just as comfortable in colder weather as we Granite Staters do in an old flannel shirt.

If there's one message that I'd like to convey above all others, it's in defense of and in support for kale.

For almost 40 years, I thought that it belonged back in the 1980's fulfilling it's duty as a liner for the salad bar. Bitter beyond belief, it wasn't suitable for man nor beast.

THEN, on one fateful October afternoon, I had it fresh out of the garden after a frost had hit. I swear it almost tastes like cotton candy compared to the flavor of my preconceived notions.

The best way to prepare it, (if you don't want it raw in a salad) is with a little bit of olive oil sauteed in a pan. Much like spinach, a gigantic pile of it will cook down to a thin layer of deep green deliciousness.

Have you ever driven for 5 straight hours directly North? I'm willing to bet that if you were still allowed to do so, chances are you'd be right in the middle of a broccoli farm.

There's a good reason for that. It thrives in cooler weather and will survive the harshest conditions that a winter in Quebec can dish out, while still tasting great in a dish of it's own.

Similar to kale, I contend that the flavor of parsley improves once exposed to the icy elements as well.

I'd love to write about chrysanthemums but, alas, you can eat them, so I'm at a loss for words.