As the year ends I look out my window and see a snowy, cold Chicago afternoon. Yet I know that a few miles from here, underneath the protective covering of our hoophouses, delicious, fresh vegetables are still doing well. Spinach, lettuce, salad-mix, and kale are doing especially well. They don’t grow fast because of the lack of sunlight, but rather the hoophouses serve as a kind of refrigerator, keeping them safe throughout the winter.