30 



CIRCULAR 713, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Freezing 

 point (°F.) i 



Most susceptible : 



Asparagus 30 



Avocados 27 



Bananas 30 



Beans, lima 30 



Beans, snap 30 



Berries 30 



Cucumbers 30 



Eggplant 30 



Lemons 28 



Limes 29 



Peppers 30 



Potatoes, white 29 



Squash, summer 29 



Sweetpotatoes 29 



Tomatoes 30 



Moderately susceptible : 



Apples 28 



Broccoli, sprouting 29 



Cabbage (new) 31 



Celery 30 



Cranberries 27 



Freezing 

 point (°F.) i 



Moderately susceptible — Continued. 



Grapes 25-28 



Lettuce 31 



Onions 30 



Oranges and grapefruit 28 



Parsley (2) 



Peaches and plums 29 



Pears 28 



Peas 30 



Squash, winter 29 



Least susceptible: 



Beets 27 



Brussels sprouts (-) 



Cabbage (old and Savoy).. 31 



Carrots 29 



Cauliflower 30 



Kale (2) 



Parsnips 30 



Rutabagas 30 



Salsify 29 



Spinach 30 



Turnips 30 



i In most cases these are the approximate average freezing points ; it should be 

 remembered that individual specimens may freeze at slightly higher or slightly lower 

 temperatures. 



- Exact freezing point not known. 



In this tabulation no attempt is made to arrange the commodi- 

 ties in order of susceptibility to freezing injury within each of the 

 three groups. It is felt that probably no two persons, no matter 

 how experienced, would agree on what the order should be. 

 Furthermore, the susceptibility of various fruits and vegetables to 

 freezing and to some extent to freezing injury will depend on 

 whether they are packed tightly or loosely in the containers, 

 whether they are wrapped or not, and whether they are in tight 

 boxes, baskets, or barrels or in slatted crates or hampers. Varia- 

 tions in any of these factors might make a difference in determin- 

 ing in which group a given commodity should be placed. This fact 

 would be of most importance if the classified list were used by 

 commercial operators as a guide in handling the various commodi- 

 ties in severely cold weather. 



It is evident from the tabulation that the freezing point of a 

 commodity gives little indication of the damage to be expected 

 from freezing. For example, tomatoes and parsnips have the 

 same average freezing point (30° F.), yet parsnips can be frozen 

 and thawed several times without serious injury whereas toma- 

 toes are severely damaged or utterly ruined by one freezing. 

 Bananas freeze at 30°, avocados at 27°, and spinach at 30°. 

 Bananas, however, are chilled by exposure to temperatures below 

 55° to 56° for more than a few hours and do not color normally 

 afterward when ripened at 65° to 70°. Avocados are very sensi- 

 tive to low temperatures ; some varieties are injured by exposure to 

 temperatures of 50° to 53° for 15 days, and even the most resistant 

 cannot safely be stored at a temperature as low as 37° for more 

 than about 4 weeks. Spinach will withstand repeated freezing 



