Topic: Brussels sprouts

[ber77tie]

Just been down the plot and noticed I've got some good sized Brussels . Trouble is I don't really want to eat them yet.(love them at Christmas) .what I was wondering is will they last or will they blow if left on the plant.

[Digeroo]

I would start picking at the bottom.  Maybe the top ones will last until Xmas without blowing.   If you leave the last couple of leaves behind on each sprout sometimes they will produce more small sprouts.  Ie cut them off rather than pull them from the stem.

[ancellsfarmer]

You could freeze some. Select the best, blanch for 3-5 mins dependent upon size. Quench in iced water. Drain well Freeze quickly(put the freezer on boost (rapid) on a tray and loosepack in freezer bags, excluding air (By submersion).Seal.

[Vinlander]

Sprouts can be used to make fabulous coleslaw or improve your basic recipe - I like the extra mustardy taste - well worth a try.

My recipe this time of year is mostly shredded raw pumpkin/squash, shredded pink or white or gold beetroot, and cabbage to taste.

Slightly unripe apples (or at least hard ones) can be good in small quantities. Around 10% shredded hard apple can add an interesting sweet&sour to the mix but too much more lets a clear apple taste through, and that simply doesn't work with mayo for me - so make a small batch if you try this. It's a pity - I have too many unripe apples to hide in other dishes and too few to make it worth cooking them (my juicer is fine with Worcester Pearmain etc. but useless on any apple that requires teeth).

Cheers.

[ber77tie]

Many thanks as usual for the tips and advise. I think I may try the cropping from base and hope some last.

[Tee Gee]

What variety are they?  this might help with suggestions as to what to do!

That is we want to determine if they are an early or late  variety.

I am guessing they are an early variety and this weird weather has knocked its normal maturing date out of kilter.

I know a lot of my stuff is nearly a month in front of normal.

[Beersmith]

I would say enjoy them at their best.

Every season things seem to run to their own particular timetable. And try as we might, there is often not much we can do to force crops to be ready when we want them. I have adopted a policy of harvesting when things are ready, not when I'd like them to be ready.

I'm sure they will be delicious. Eat them. Enjoy them. If necessary buy a few at Christmas, or perhaps you'll have some parsnips to roast instead.

[AnnieD]

My recipe this time of year is mostly shredded raw pumpkin/squash, shredded pink or white or gold beetroot, and cabbage to taste.


Cheers.

Do you cook the beetroot or use it raw?

[Vinlander]

Everything in coleslaw should be raw - a certain amount of crunch is essential, though it should be consistent across the ingredients - that's the main reason for using raw squash instead of raw carrot - carrot is so much crunchier than cabbage that it misses out on being properly chewed - so the mayo covering is still there and you can hardly taste the carrot...

I like to taste carrots - so I save the raw ones for crudite. Also I have no other use for squash flesh raw or cooked - in every other niche carrots taste better.

Before I discovered squash coleslaw I used to grow squash/pumpkin for the seeds and chuck the rest out!

Cheers.

[Plot22]

I very much doubt that they will last the 4 months until Christmas. As suggested you will need to freeze them and still enjoy them for Christmas dinner nothing wrong with frozen brussels which are my favourite brassica. I am growing Cryptus, Crispus and Cronus which are all Club Root resistant and the buttons are currently no bigger than my little finger nail. If I did not grow these varieties I would end up with a zero crop because of my Club Root problem.

[AnnieD]

Everything in coleslaw should be raw - a certain amount of crunch is essential, though it should be consistent across the ingredients -

Ah, of course. It's just I tried my beetroot raw and wasn't convinced, maybe the mayonnaise will help. Going to give it a try 

[saddad]

If you grate it fine enough raw beetroot is fine... especially choggia.. but don't grate it early as it tends to oxidise  and go brown.

[antipodes]

It's just I tried my beetroot raw and wasn't convinced

You have to really shred it on the finest grating holes or in one of those veg shredding appliances. It is quite hard, harder than carrot. I tend to French dress it (ie a mustard, vinegar, oil dressing) and leave it to marinate a while before eating to tender it up. But it is sweet and crunchy with an earthy taste, nice with raw carrots also shredded and pieces of raw celery, or apples or hard cheese.  In France, people do not pickle beets which I view as a bit of an odd English thing to do, they are just cooked and eaten with dressing.