The End of the Season
Last weekend I harvested the rest of the brussels sprouts from the garden. This year, I both grew ‘Churchill’ and ‘Diablo’. (I got my seed from Johnny’s Selected Seeds, a great local seed source for me here in Maine).
‘Diablo’ came out way ahead, it’s a much better variety for my garden. I like the sprouts much better as well, they’re tight sprouts and are more evenly sized. I also found that they had fewer issues with late aphids. If the plants were attacked, the sprouts are easily rinsed off and eaten since they’re so tight. It also held better in the field, without sprouts becoming overgrown and huge. Cold tolerance is also a big bonus for this variety, we regularly had temperatures in the teens and it didn’t mind at all.
The stalks will be left in the garage for a few weeks, then any remaining will be moved to the basement. Most likely, they won’t last long. We’re big fans of Brussels sprouts, our favorite way to eat them is with a balsamic cream sauce, which we had at a local restaurant. Lucky for us, the restaurant chef published a cookbook and it contains the recipe. If you’re interested, see the ‘Brussels Sprouts; The Disregarded Vegetable’ in Comfort Food. I’ll try to share the recipe in December sometime.
Are you a fan of Brussels sprouts? What’s your favorite way to cook them?
Book referenced above, every recipe I’ve tried has been fantastic, which is not a surprise since it’s my favorite restaurant.
I love Brussels sprouts roasted with bacon, winter squash, cranberries, pecans, and maple syrup! The cream sauce you mentioned sounds interesting too, though!
to Kelsey's comment
Susy, Brussels sprouts are not a vegetable that I make for myself. If they should happen to end up on my plate, I’ll eat them no problem but to make them myself because I really like them? Not so much.
I hope your Thanksgiving was the best. Mine was great as usual.
Nebraska Dave
to Nebraska Dave's comment