Brussels Sprouts
It's now December, and the countdown to Christmas has well and truly begun. So, I thought over the next few weeks we could concentrate on Christmas related food. It is the wrong time of year to grow many of the items we will cover, but take notes, Spring will be here sooner than you think, and then you can begin to grow next years Christmas dinner. Today, we begin with a look at every school boy's least favourite vegetable, the Brussels Sprout. I admit, I am not a fan myself, but they are synonymous with the festive meal, so they really need to be included.
Brussels Sprouts (brassica olaracea)
Brussels Sprouts look like mini cabbages arranged along a tall stem. A vegetable of cooler climes, sprouts are pretty hardy, and will survive frost and other unpleasant winter weather.
How to Grow: Seeds can be sown outdoors from late Spring until Autumn, successive sowings, every two week will ensure a continuous supply. You can sow seed indoors earlier, and transplant the seedlings outside when the weather is warmer. Sprouts do need a lot of water, but ensure that it is absorbed into the ground, they don’t like soggy, waterlogged soil, and this can cause them to rot. To prevent this happening, make sure your ground drains well, by digging it over thoroughly beforehand.
I have encountered two main problems when growing brassicas. Caterpillars and slugs/snails. Nasturtiums make a good companion plant for sprouts, and brassicas in general. I have found that growing them nearby, does help to deter the cabbage white butterflies, which are responsible for the caterpillars that can devastate a crop. To deal with slugs and snails, try beer traps, also known as slug pubs. You can make these at home very cheaply and easily. Simply take some empty yoghurt pots, bury them in the ground, leaving the top open, and fill with beer. Don’t waste the good stuff, slugs aren’t members of the real ale campaign, either buy something cheap, or use some that is left over and flat. Slugs will be attracted by the smell, fall in and drown. Yes, they do still die, but probably a lot happier then if they ate pellets, or were sprinkled with salt.
Harvesting: It takes some time for sprouts to mature, so you will begin to harvest them about twenty weeks after sowing. Once harvested sprouts can be stored in three ways. Either, leave them on the stem and hang them somewhere cool and dark, a shed is ideal. This way they will keep for up to a month. Alternatively, pick the sprouts from the stem, and keep them in your fridge. This way they will last about a week. If you want to freeze them, simply remove any dead or discoloured leaves, and using a sharp knife place an X in the base of each sprout. Blanch for a few minutes in boiling water, then plunge them into very cold water to cool. Stored in freezer bags they will keep for approximately six months.
Propagation: Brussels Sprouts produce seed, you may have seen this when a crop has been left to it’s own devices. To have your own seed to sow next year, leave one plant unharvested, it will grow a large seed head which will eventually turn brown and dry. Once the seed head is ripe (ie: brown and dry) collect the seed by placing it into a paper bag and shaking it. The seeds will fall out into the bottom of the bag, and can be placed in an envelope and stored somewhere cool and dry until needed.
Cooking: Traditionally sprouts are boiled in water. Try reducing the cooking time a little to give a crunchier sprout, and before cooking cut a cross into the base in the same way as you would if freezing them. I picked this tip up during my student days when I had a summer job in a hotel. Or, try adding them raw to salads. To reduce the sprouty taste, that many people dislike, add a teaspoon of caraway seeds to the cooking water.
Carrots (daucus carota) 
Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum)