Brussels Sprouts - Page 8

b54red · February 14, 2013

I didn't get my Brussel sprouts in as early as I wanted this year because my first batch of seedlings died. Second batch did fine but no way could they make up for the lost 3 weeks. The only variety I have now is Bubbles and this will probably be my last year for them as I couldn't find anymore seed. I started the seed in early August and set the plants out in late September. Most of the plants are around 2 feet tall now and starting to form small sprouts. We have had an inordinate amount of rains so the soil has been leached a good bit and it has been hard to apply the supplemental feeding with Miracle Grow because the soil has stayed so wet I just hate adding any more water.

b54red · March 13, 2013

Picked and ate my first sprouts of the year a few days ago and they were exceptionally good. So far this season the sprouts are not forming as tight a heads as usual. It must be this crazy weather we have been having. These late cold snaps have insured me getting a decent sprout production. I feared that the hot weather was going to get here even earlier than last year with the warm days we had in parts of January and February. Supposed to get down to 34 tonight after a couple of nights in the upper 30s. This is good for sprouts but it is really delaying setting out tomatoes.

Redbaron · March 13, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

Picked and ate my first sprouts of the year a few days ago and they were exceptionally good. So far this season the sprouts are not forming as tight a heads as usual. It must be this crazy weather we have been having. These late cold snaps have insured me getting a decent sprout production. I feared that the hot weather was going to get here even earlier than last year with the warm days we had in parts of January and February. Supposed to get down to 34 tonight after a couple of nights in the upper 30s. This is good for sprouts but it is really delaying setting out tomatoes.

Unfortunately this wasn't a sprout year for me. All my overwintering sprouts died. When the weather works, the winter growing season here makes for the best sprouts I have ever tasted, but that only happens once every few years. Useless to try and grow them spring or fall. Goes from too hot to too cold, or too cold to too hot too fast, but on a mild winter, if I can keep them alive, boy are they good come spring!

Maybe next year!

Durgan · March 13, 2013

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?SOSOB 12 November 2006 Brussels Sprouts

I grow 8 to 12 plants ( Jade Cross) each year. I grow from seed or buy a pack from a local supplier. They are placed in the outdoor garden as early as possible April Zone 5. It is necessary to give a stake support or they bow considerably. The cabbage moth is a misery and they must be suppressed by various means. I water periodically using the magic water wand and use some of the lower cabbages during the Summer, when they are of appropriate size. I found few of my neighbours like brussels sprouts and now I juice them for long term storage. One perfect plant produces a lot of sprouts.

Farmette · March 13, 2013

I grew Gustus Brussel sprouts last year and will do so again this year as they were plentiful, tasty and of good size. It is an early maturing variety. Also tried Falstaff, a purple one. Had bigger sprouts from Gustus, but Falstaff was nice also. I dealt with the abundance by blanching and freezing them in bags.

b54red · March 13, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Farmette

I grew Gustus Brussel sprouts last year and will do so again this year as they were plentiful, tasty and of good size. It is an early maturing variety. Also tried Falstaff, a purple one. Had bigger sprouts from Gustus, but Falstaff was nice also. I dealt with the abundance by blanching and freezing them in bags.

I've never found frozen sprouts to be very good; but maybe if we froze them here at home they would be better. How did you blanch yours and did they still taste good when thawed out and eaten?

I had way too many last year and ended up giving away gallons of them. It seems my family gets tired of them after a month of eating them two or three times a week and I don't know what to do with all the extra ones.

Redbaron · March 13, 2013

Your family get tired of them?

Mail them to me!

I could never get tired of Brussels Sprouts!

Farmette · March 13, 2013

Separate sprouts according to small, medium and large sizes. Boil small 3 minutes, medium 4 minutes, large 5 minutes. After boiling, chill in ice water, then drain and then package in freezer bags in amount desired. To eat, I just boil salted water and cook like you would any other sprouts. I'll see if I can add one or two recipes we use.

Farmette · March 13, 2013

Well, I'll have to post them later, but a simple one would be to defrost, cut in half and sauté in butter, then sprinkle with parmesan. The other two are really good.

Patihum · March 13, 2013

Over wintered a couple of plants this year - first time to do it. Afraid they're not looking spectacular at this time. Keep having warm weather then a hard freeze! Here's how we cook them occasionally. I know it's not healthy but it is ever so good. Fry up some bacon, Remove and break into bits. Add a good tablespoon of sugar to the bacon grease, dump in the sprouts ( frozen ones) and heat thoroughly and add the bacon bits. Really. really good.

Durgan · March 13, 2013

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?DRUXI 5 November 2011 Brussels Sprouts (Jade Cross)Juicing.

This is how I preserve my Brussels sprouts.

Redbaron · March 13, 2013

Sounds delicious!

b54red · March 15, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Farmette

Separate sprouts according to small, medium and large sizes. Boil small 3 minutes, medium 4 minutes, large 5 minutes. After boiling, chill in ice water, then drain and then package in freezer bags in amount desired. To eat, I just boil salted water and cook like you would any other sprouts. I'll see if I can add one or two recipes we use.

I'll try that if I have the over abundance I had last year. It looks like I may have a good supply for a little while since I picked nearly two gallons yesterday; but it is supposed to get into the 80s by next week. Wow does the weather change fast down here.

Found out my dogs love them. When I was was cleaning and washing the sprouts at my outside sink I had a pack of dogs begging me for them. I gave them all of the little bit of stem I cut off and a few of the sprouts and they ate them up like they were steak scraps. I guess if the freezing doesn't work out I know what to do with the extras now.

b54red · March 16, 2013

Here is a picture of my Brussels Sprouts and a close up of one of the stems showing the sprouts.

Redbaron · March 16, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Durgan

This is how I preserve my Brussels sprouts.

What do you do with the pulp?

March 13, 2013	#112
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	Your family get tired of them? Mail them to me! I could never get tired of Brussels Sprouts! __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

March 13, 2013	#116
Durgan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 1,341	Juicing Brussels sprouts. http://www.durgan.org/URL/?DRUXI 5 November 2011 Brussels Sprouts (Jade Cross)Juicing. This is how I preserve my Brussels sprouts.

March 13, 2013	#117
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	Sounds delicious! __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

February 14, 2013	#106
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I didn't get my Brussel sprouts in as early as I wanted this year because my first batch of seedlings died. Second batch did fine but no way could they make up for the lost 3 weeks. The only variety I have now is Bubbles and this will probably be my last year for them as I couldn't find anymore seed. I started the seed in early August and set the plants out in late September. Most of the plants are around 2 feet tall now and starting to form small sprouts. We have had an inordinate amount of rains so the soil has been leached a good bit and it has been hard to apply the supplemental feeding with Miracle Grow because the soil has stayed so wet I just hate adding any more water.

March 13, 2013	#107
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Picked and ate my first sprouts of the year a few days ago and they were exceptionally good. So far this season the sprouts are not forming as tight a heads as usual. It must be this crazy weather we have been having. These late cold snaps have insured me getting a decent sprout production. I feared that the hot weather was going to get here even earlier than last year with the warm days we had in parts of January and February. Supposed to get down to 34 tonight after a couple of nights in the upper 30s. This is good for sprouts but it is really delaying setting out tomatoes.

March 13, 2013	#109
Durgan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 1,341	http://www.durgan.org/URL/?SOSOB 12 November 2006 Brussels Sprouts I grow 8 to 12 plants ( Jade Cross) each year. I grow from seed or buy a pack from a local supplier. They are placed in the outdoor garden as early as possible April Zone 5. It is necessary to give a stake support or they bow considerably. The cabbage moth is a misery and they must be suppressed by various means. I water periodically using the magic water wand and use some of the lower cabbages during the Summer, when they are of appropriate size. I found few of my neighbours like brussels sprouts and now I juice them for long term storage. One perfect plant produces a lot of sprouts.

March 13, 2013	#110
Farmette Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 985	I grew Gustus Brussel sprouts last year and will do so again this year as they were plentiful, tasty and of good size. It is an early maturing variety. Also tried Falstaff, a purple one. Had bigger sprouts from Gustus, but Falstaff was nice also. I dealt with the abundance by blanching and freezing them in bags.

March 13, 2013	#113
Farmette Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 985	Separate sprouts according to small, medium and large sizes. Boil small 3 minutes, medium 4 minutes, large 5 minutes. After boiling, chill in ice water, then drain and then package in freezer bags in amount desired. To eat, I just boil salted water and cook like you would any other sprouts. I'll see if I can add one or two recipes we use.

March 13, 2013	#114
Farmette Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 985	Well, I'll have to post them later, but a simple one would be to defrost, cut in half and sauté in butter, then sprinkle with parmesan. The other two are really good.

March 13, 2013	#115
Patihum Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Southeast Kansas Posts: 878	Over wintered a couple of plants this year - first time to do it. Afraid they're not looking spectacular at this time. Keep having warm weather then a hard freeze! Here's how we cook them occasionally. I know it's not healthy but it is ever so good. Fry up some bacon, Remove and break into bits. Add a good tablespoon of sugar to the bacon grease, dump in the sprouts ( frozen ones) and heat thoroughly and add the bacon bits. Really. really good.