BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Why 'Brussels'? Most of us, brought up in our childhood on over-cooked 'dead' examples of this vegetable might be inclined to respond 'why sprouts?' In fact, discovering properly grown and properly cooked sprouts is one of those delights of growing up (like graduating from sweet sherry!)

Brussels sprouts (so-called because they are popular in Belgium, no more) are members of the brassica family. They're packed with valuable nutrients -- vitamins C and D, folic acid and fibre -- and may help to prevent cancers. With their usual reticence, the foodie press have dubbed them (yet another) 'superfood'.

The best sprouts to eat are those that have tight, dense heads and this is influenced by care taken when they're grown: the tighter and more firmly packed the soil that the plant is sown in, the better the result. It's well-known that the plant is only at is best for harvesting after it's endured at least one frost. Since fresh sprouts are available from September through to March, there's generally a good chance of frosts! But this also means that when they take their rightful place as part of a traditional Christmas dinner, they're likely to be at their best.

They're slow-growing, and those that you start off under cover in March should be ready for planting out by May. The great thing about the sprout is that once it's fully grown, you can just leave it in the ground until you need it. But do leave space -- the current fashion for selling the sprout on its stalk is a useful reminder of how much space the plant takes up. And it likes a rich soil with plenty of nitrogen.

The stalk that has become so common in recent years isn't just a fashion: the stalk provides a source of nutrient to the sprout right up to the moment it's ready for cooking. And a passer-by, hearing us discussing sprouts one market day, would like it to be known that the bare stalk makes a rather attractive Christmas table decoration!

 

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