What Grows in Endless Winter
Silverwick's agriculture is a testament to human stubbornness and botanical adaptation. In a world where growing seasons are measured in weeks rather than months, only the hardiest crops survive.
Every plant grown here is either naturally cold-tolerant or has been bred over generations to withstand killing conditions. These crops fall into categories based on where they grow: hardy crops cultivated in Frost-Moss greenhouses nine months per year, tender crops grown outside during the 6-8 week summer window, and wild foods foraged from the landscape.
Staple Root Crops
The backbone of Silverwick's diet. Dense, calorie-rich, storing well through winter. Grown primarily in greenhouses.
Polar Potatoes: The primary staple. Small, dense tubers with dark purple-brown skin and pale yellow flesh. Sweeter than ordinary potatoes due to high sugar content. Store exceptionally well—can last eight months. A family's winter survival often measured in bushels stored.
Glacial Turnips: Large, round, white with purple tops. Become sweeter after first freeze. Excellent storage crop. During rationing, turnip-heavy meals are common and resented.
Boreal Parsnips: Long, pale roots requiring freezing to develop full sweetness. Sweet, earthy flavor. Roasted parsnips are a Yuletide treat. Also dried and ground into flour supplement.
Siberian Carrots: Stubby, thick carrots. Deep orange, extremely sweet, dense. Children's favorite vegetable. Also dried for winter storage.
Frost Beets: Deep purple-black beets, small but intensely flavored. Used fresh, pickled, or fermented. Beet kvass (fermented beet drink) provides probiotics during winter.
Algid Sugar Beets: Specialty crop, extremely valuable. Processed to extract sugar—Silverwick's only reliable sweetener source. Sugar production is Guild-controlled. Having sugar is luxury.
Grain Crops
Ground into flour for bread, porridge, brewing. Grown in greenhouses, harvested in autumn.
Arctic Rye: The primary grain. Produces dense, dark flour. Rye bread is Silverwick's staple—heavy, filling, slightly sour. Also used for brewing ale and distilling spirits.
Gelid Barley: Second major grain. Used for porridge, added to stews, primary grain for brewing. Stores well and provides reliable calories.
Circumpolar Oats: Third grain, less common. Requires slightly warmer conditions. Used for porridge, animal feed, brewing oat beer. Oat flour creates acceptable cakes and biscuits.
Legumes
Protein sources. Difficult to grow, precious when successful.
Frigid Peas: Small, dark green peas. Incredibly hardy. Eaten fresh during brief harvest (treasured treat), dried for winter storage, ground into pea flour. Pea soup is common winter food.
Boreal Beans: The hardiest beans. Small, mottled brown and white. High protein, essential for winter nutrition. Slow-cooked bean stews are staple winter meals.
Alliums
Flavoring crops. Make bland winter food tolerable.
Polar Garlic: Planted in autumn, overwinters in greenhouses, harvested following spring. Small cloves, intensely flavored. Braided into strings, used sparingly to flavor stews and roasts.
Glacial Onions: Storage onions that keep through winter without sprouting. Yellow-brown, pungent. Every stew contains onions.
Leafy Greens
Fresh greens—grown only during brief outside growing window. Treasured after months of preserved food.
Gelid Kale: Extremely hardy. Actually improves after light frost. First crop planted outside, last crop harvested. Eaten fresh, cooked in soups, dried for winter.
Frigid Spinach: One of first crops to mature. Fresh spinach appears in markets for perhaps 3-4 weeks total. People eat it obsessively—craving fresh greens after winter.
Arctic Lettuce: Loose-leaf varieties that mature quickly. Lettuce salads are such novelty after winter that people pay premium prices during peak season.
Tender Summer Crops
Grown outside only during warmest weeks. Risky, unpredictable, but treasured.
Tundra Tomatoes: Small, hardy tomato varieties. Cherry-sized, intensely flavored. Fresh tomatoes are seasonal delicacy. Also preserved—dried, made into paste, pickled.
Polar Peppers: Extremely rare—only grow in warmest years. When peppers actually mature, it's cause for celebration.
Boreal Squash: Small, hard-shelled winter squash. Stores well if it matures. Sweet, dense flesh. Unreliable—some years abundant, some years total failure.
Quick Crops: Radishes (mature in 3 weeks), spring onions, various cold-adapted herbs (dill, parsley, cilantro).
Fruits & Berries
Small yields, high value. Mostly foraged or grown on small scales.
Snowberries: Tart white berries, wild-growing on hardy shrubs. Primary ingredient in Yuletide Ale. Made into preserves, dried for winter.
Glacial Currants: Black and red currant bushes, extremely cold-hardy. Small yields but reliable. Made into preserves, jellies, wine.
Frost Elderberries: Elderberry variants adapted for cold. Berries used for medicine (elderberry syrup for winter illnesses), wine, preserves. Flowers used for tea and occasional baking.
Arctic Cherries: Cornelian Cherry Dogwood variants. Very early blooming, extremely hardy. Small, tart fruits used for preserves and medicine.
Wild Rosehips: Foraged from wild roses. High in vitamin C—essential for preventing scurvy during winter. Dried for tea, made into syrup.
Flowers
Rare, precious, grown for beauty and ceremony. Most flower only during brief outside window or require greenhouse protection.
Winterbells (Snowdrops): Tiny white flowers that sometimes bloom even through snow. First flowers of spring. Considered good luck. Often picked and offered at shrines.
Frost Roses (Hellebores/Christmas Rose): Hardy flowering plants that bloom in late autumn/early winter. White to pale pink flowers. Associated with Yuletide—used in decorations.
Ice Hollies: Holly variants with thick, waxy leaves and bright red berries. Evergreen—provide color year-round. Heavily used in Yuletide decorations.
Tundra Pansies: Hardy pansy varieties bred to tolerate cold. Deep purple, yellow, white flowers. Edible flowers—sometimes used to decorate special occasion foods.
Gelid Jasmine (Winter Jasmine): Climbing vine with bright yellow flowers that blooms in late autumn. Fragrant. Grown on south-facing walls. The flowers are dried and used for scenting homes during winter.
Polar Witch Hazel: Shrub with spidery yellow flowers that bloom in late autumn or early spring. Fragrant. The bark and leaves have medicinal uses. Flowers are considered good luck during Yuletide.
Boreal Camellias: Extremely rare, only grown by wealthiest families or the Solstice Faithful. Winter-blooming flowers in white, pink, red. Require significant care. A blooming camellia is status symbol.
Frigid Crocuses: Early spring flowers—purple, yellow, white. Bloom as soon as snow melts. Children gather them. Used in Founding Day celebrations—crocus flowers scattered around the Great Yule Pine symbolizing renewal, hope.
Cultural Significance: Flowers are precious in Silverwick. They're not food, don't provide warmth. They exist purely for beauty—proof that life includes more than mere survival. Growing flowers is act of hope and defiance.
Foraged Wild Foods
Supplemental foods gathered from wilderness.
Forest Mushrooms: Various cold-adapted fungi appear during thaw. Experienced foragers know safe varieties. Mushrooms supplement diet, dried for winter.
Pine Nuts: Harvested from certain pine species. Labor-intensive but provide fat and protein.
Wild Herbs: Various cold-adapted herbs grow wild—used for medicine, flavoring, tea.
Edible Greens: Various wild greens (dandelion variants, cold-adapted wild spinaches) are foraged during brief growing season.
Why It Matters
These crops, fruits, and flowers are Silverwick's lifeline. They determine who eats and who goes hungry, whether Yuletide includes treats or just survival.
The diversity—however limited compared to warmer climates—provides psychological relief. Not just potatoes and turnips, but also berries, herbs, occasional flowers. Not just surviving but living with variety, flavor, beauty.
Every successful harvest is victory against winter. Every flower that blooms is defiance. Every new crop variety that adapts is hope.
Silverwick doesn't just preserve food—it preserves the idea that life includes more than mere calories. That beauty matters. That taste matters. That hope, expressed through planting seeds in frozen ground, matters.