We have had dreadfully frigid weather here. The greenhouse has gone to below 0 three times this week. The fava beans have frozen, but unbelievably are still alive in the 80 ft, unheated( single layer of plastic )greenhouse. The floor has even become speckled with the little ice formations that form on window glass (jack frost icicles ) The short , newer favas have the least damage during these spells of cold. The tall ones wilt over the strands of string holding them upright and these stems are the most affected because of the bend in the stem. They are not producing tops or flowers right now. Perhaps they know it is useless. Favas are amazing, This is the coldest I have ever seen east TN. I think in past years it got down to 17 degrees...this year -6 where we live! Hope you all are staying warm and exercising indoors. I started making myself do vigorous exercise once or twice a day...I was becoming fat and mushy. No time to get SOFT we have to fight!

I live in the valley below you and have done so all my life. I also worked outdoors the whole time and thus was always attuned to weather. Yes it is cold but I can remember it being nearly as bad when I was a kid. So don't let them scare you. However, if this becomes a regular feature then that is another story. Dips at night to twenty below raised no alarm in my grandpa's house. Just throw on more clothes and set something on fire.

Cold will kill you, but most deaths happen in the 50s and even the 60s due to hypothermia. Once your core temp starts to drop you lose the ability to think straight and you start making bad decisions. The best way to keep the core up is what backpackers call "vapor barrier insulation" and pay $100 for a pair of socks and which my poor old granny called "bread bags" and conjured up at no cost. So, when it really counts: Bread bags for socks and mitts; a coverall made from the roomiest can liner that you can find (55 gal min). Make the cover all by pulling the liner over your head and position it so that the liner corner fits neatly over your skull and the crown of your head. From the liner corner use your extended hand and fingers to measure down one side of the liner to point "A" and a second time to find point "B". Tear the liner seam from "A" to "B". This gives you a pointy "KKK" corner keeping your head dry with your face peering out of the "AB" slit. The liner will nearly reach the ground and you will be incredibly warm. Anything against your skin is going to quickly become wet with persperation. Ideally you can have a layer of thin material against your skin (socks, undies, tee shirt); then the liner; and finally your pants, shirt, coat, hat, etc. Make this up before needed so that you don't wish that you had. Stuff garbage bags everywhere but especially in your car.

Rick...you actually had -20 here? Wow...I don't remember it getting down even to 0 in PA...maybe too young to notice. We probably had better insulated homes and a good heat system. The house here wouldn't get above 58 degrees for a whole day and I finally turned off the heat pump...which seemed to just bring in more cold air and used the small electric heaters we have. I lived in my coat indoors. Managed to get plastic up over 2 doors that didn't need used...and the house came up a good 5 degrees. The greenhouse was about the same as outside temp...the favas are still alive today...not real perky, but alive!

Aunt Bean-

The 20 below was rare even then which is why i remembered it. i was about ten years old as I recall. As for countering it, a big old Warm Morning Stove and a big pile of wood did a good job.

If these temps become the norm you might want to think about the possibility of a shelter like people do for tornados. Sort of a big tent inside an inner bedroom that you could sleep warmly in as well as light cooking. Don't heat it with an open flame or fuel in general. Far too dangerous. Instead, borrow the idea of the Native Ams and the sweat lodge. A little red wagon to haul a couple of large rocks (NOT from a river or lake as they will explode!) from a safe fire location outside or a properly maintained indoor fireplace into the big tent. Those rocks can get so ht that they glow for hours and will still be too hot to touch the next morning so think it through.

I do have a 3 person tent...not a bad idea if electric goes off...do need a new sleeping bag and may start looking for a suitable one. Even a coleman lantern would give off alittle heat to help warm a tent...never would have thought of using a tent in the house!

Think a little bigger. Since you don't have to haul it anywhere, weight is not a factor. Get a big roll of semi-transparent plastic of appropriate size. Heavy weight (at least 6 mil). Also get a lot of heavy cordage and run it around the room outlining the "box". Then run the plastic over the cordage and with a little tinkering you will have two large sheets that make up five of the six sides. The floor can take care of itself. Work out the details now instead of at midnight with another "polar vortex" on the way (which explains the freezing rain) and your fever having just crawled past 103 degrees. Now put it away and don't worry about it but once per year.

Just to show that I am not overly glum or anything, here is a joke-

Cop pulls over a sweet little old lady intending to tell her that she has a brake light blown. She hands him her papers and he is about to give her the soft delvery and send her on her way when he notices that she has a "concealed carry permit." Somewhat surprised, he asks her if she has such a weapon with her at this time.

She replies very sweetly that yes, she has a pistol in her purse, another on the seat beside her, a third in the glove compartment, and a fourth in the pouch of her driver's door.

Understandably taken aback, the cop says, "Mam', I don't mean to be rude, but what on earth are you afraid of?"

The sweet little face beamed up at him and replied, "Not a damn thing, officer."
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Another cold snap coming tonight. Greenhouse favas look right sickly, but they are still alive. I am dreaming of kayaking and playing a lot of music. Computer is down...at library to check emails, etc. I wish we could all meet in some warm place and get to know each other! Try to stay warm , exercise indoors and keep smiling you all Aunt Bean

Well, we have made it thru January ...hope the worst of the weather is over, but somehow I doubt it. The greenhouse have fava beans in different plantings and stages of growth. The younger of them are not being hit as hard as the older taller ones...perhaps because they are closer to the ground??? The last planting are just now popping thru the ground. It is as cold in there as outside during the nite and warms up considerably if the sun shines. I am still doing well on the fava tops tincture.after 4 yrs and 3 months)..though requiring more of it in this cold weather (also am getting less exercise...which I think is a factor)
Wanted to do an update on my supplements for you all trying to do natural approach:\
Most are from Swanson Health Products will * these
* B Complex 100 *Turmeric *Brain essentials *Vit A&D
*CO Q 10 *Cran Max *Hawthorne Berry, Kelp Powder
Liquid Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc & D3 , *Essiac Capsules
*Rhodiola Rosea(only using one capsule per week/sprinkling a small amount onto cereal)
lecithin , *creatin (very small amount), acidophilis
*l-carnosine. EmergenC, Aquas for hydration
Homemade fava tops tincture and fermented papaya and fresh turmeric/tamarind drink
organic apple cider vinegar, lots of green beans/ sweet potatoes
and : "Pumpkin pie"(healthy) with oatmeal crust and stevia & xylitol & agave &Truvia sweetners...if anyone wants the recipe that took me years to adapt to healthy ...I will post it. It is a mainstay here....every day is Thanksgiving day at our house! God Bless

Wanted to do an update on my supplements for you all trying to do natural approach:\
Most are from Swanson Health Products will * these
* B Complex 100 *Turmeric *Brain essentials *Vit A&D
*CO Q 10 *Cran Max *Hawthorne Berry, Kelp Powder
Liquid Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc & D3 , *Essiac Capsules
*Rhodiola Rosea(only using one capsule per week/sprinkling a small amount onto cereal)
lecithin , *creatin (very small amount), acidophilis , magnesium citrate
*l-carnosine. EmergenC, Aquas for hydration
Homemade fava tops tincture and fermented papaya
**Couldn't see where I could edit this again (had forgotten the magnesium citrate)
very important for me right now in getting bowels to move better!