Featured Ingredient: Brussels Sprouts

A few days ago, this NFM foodie learned that Brussels sprouts are a controversial vegetable. NPR informed me that folks either love or hate them, unequivocally and passionately. Brand new to this debate, I, of course, took a stand. Brussel sprouts are one of my favorite things on this earth, and I believe that people who dislike them simply haven't tasted them properly cooked. If that argument doesn't land with dissenters, (and apparently it doesn't, more often than not), perhaps this divisive vegetable's fascinating background will compel non-believers to give them one more try.  
 

Gorgeous Brussels sprouts stalks grown from Windy Acre Farm.

One of the strangest looking members of the Brassicaceae family, Brussel sprouts are closely related to kale, cabbage, and mustard greens. Though the most commonly consumed part of the plant looks like teeny tiny cabbages, they grow quite differently than their much larger cousins. Each plant is a two to three foot tall stalk that can produce 15-20 sprouts. The plant prefers cooler conditions, and Brussels sprouts are at their most delicious after they have endured the first frosts of winter.

It is believed that Brussels sprouts originated in Rome, and are decedents of wild Mediterranean kale. They have a natural tolerance to salt and limestone. The cop didn’t take off until it made its way to Belgium, where the first written description of the plant dates to 1587. Brussels is where it was tagged with the moniker it carries to this day. In the U.S., we ought to call them Louisiana sprouts, for it was there that French settlers introduced Brussels sprouts for commercial cultivation in the early 1800s. In the 1940s, Brussels sprouts made it to California to be farmed for the growing frozen food industry. We really have the frozen food industry to blame for Brussels sprouts’ bad rap as a “gross” vegetable, as most Americans were introduced to them frozen then boiled to oblivion.

These days, Brussels sprouts are giving kale a run for its money as the darling of restaurant menus. Learn what all the fuss is about- try fresh, Washington grown Brussels sprouts from your local farmers market. And for the love of vegetables, cook them any way besides boiling!