When the first frost of the year comes, many amateur growers hide indoors and call it a season. However, they missed some of the most delicious vegetables and herbs in winter. These vegetables make up the most delicious cream soup and are rich in nutritious delicacies.

We invited herbalist, yogi and resident food taster Ezza Valdez, Alchemist Kitchen's vice president of business planning, to share nine vegetables that grow well in the cold months. Planters, don't put away your green thumbs for the time being, the growing season is not over yet.

Oregano is native to the Mediterranean, but is popular and grown throughout the northern hemisphere. It is hardy in the cold months and adds a lot of flavor to your winter dishes. For those who don’t want to trek outside to a makeshift greenhouse, oregano can be grown next to the kitchen sink.   

Sage is a soft green-gray perennial that can also be planted in winter. Although sage is dried, frozen or fresh, winter growers can grow sage in the comfortable outdoor kitchen.

Chives are robust perennials that can be used as a herbal ingredient for baked potatoes, and they also bring freshness to winter soups and peppers. In the southern Gulf of Mexico, chives are planted in autumn for winter picking. In other places, they can be grown indoors in their own containers.  

Mint, a popular herb, can be used in various cocktails, desserts and main dishes. Like the herbs above, mint can be easily harvested indoors, so you will never stay away from fresh, mint-infused recipes.

By growing fresh thyme, you can use this herb for top dishes, or as the temperature drops, you can make your own thyme butter to spread on seasonal pork and chicken dinners. Thyme is hardy and stays green throughout the winter, but it can also be dried or preserved in oil to make a delicious mixture.

For winter plant growth, Valdez recommends investing in tools such as pop-up plant protectors or floating fabrics to cover plants on cold nights and cold mornings. In this way, growers can ensure that their efforts will flourish (rather than stagnate).

Although this may come as a surprise, Valdez believes that winter is actually the ideal time to harvest sweeter produce. "[These] plants survive the winter due to their high sugar content, lowering the freezing temperature and allowing the plants to survive," she explained.

This applies to Brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts are ideal winter-grown vegetables because they can be cooked in sweeter dishes and can even be marinated in mason jars.

Kale can be blended well in your green smoothie or used as a key ingredient in our hearty bowls of food such as sausage, lentils and kale soup. When planting winter crops, Valdez advises growers to “integrate with nature” and urges growers to pay close attention to the forecast. "The upcoming cold front means protecting your crops with ground coverings such as mulch or tunnel covering."

Swiss chard may look big and scary, but this leafy plant is indeed a green goddess. As we all know, it is a winter crop, suitable for omelets, baked pasta, and even off-season food.  

Valdez shared that by growing your own vegetables in the winter, you will benefit from eating fresh ingredients with the greatest flavor and remaining crops to share with friends and family.

While growing up, you may have heard that carrots can help you see more clearly, but did you know that they are also rich in fiber, which is good for bone health, and are rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene? Fortunately, carrots grow well in the colder months. Simply put, frying pan roasted carrots is a perfect winter side dish.