By Friday we had been warned of a likely freeze -- frost, at the very least -- on Saturday night, and that if anything sacred remained outdoors the attentive would surely take some precautionary measures. Our brand of precaution was simply to gather up flashlights and the harvest basket when we returned home Saturday night and head out to the garden for a preemptive harvest. There were green tomatoes, after all, and peppers and okra at the very least. Most of what remained -- the root vegetables, the cold-hardy greens, etc., and yes the autumn squashes -- we assumed would be fine. Upon closer inspection this morning, however, the larger extend of the damage became clear.
As expected, the pepper plants took a hit, along with the okra. The beans seem fine, and surprisingly the tomato plants. True to form, the collards, broccoli, spinach and kale look as hardy as ever, and the cabbage, if anything, looks stronger. I see no reason for concern over the root vegetables -- the beets, the carrots, the turnips, parsnips and rutabagas. In a demonstration of what a difference six feet of altitude can make, all the plants in the PVC pipes on the deck seem to have successfully weathered the weather. 
But the squash. Vibrant, healthy and vigorous one day; withered and wilted the next. Clearly I have homework to do on fall squashes.
In the meantime, we made good use of the premature harvest. The green tomatoes and the peppers were appealingly transformed into green tomato chow chow, courtesy of a recipe from Emeril Lagasse, canned and water bathed and nested on the shelf. The only problem is the patience required. Like virtually everything else associated with the garden, gratification is necessarily delayed. The last line of the recipe instructs, "allow the ingredients to age for two weeks before opening."
As a friend of mine responded, "I've marked the date on my calendar."
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