Veg variety review: brussels sprout Red Bull

The trouble with writing a book, as opposed to blogposts, is that it takes a long time: in my case, roughly six months, during which time I was also working full time and continuing to blog (how did I do it? I am not sure either ...)

And in the months while writing the book, and while the publisher does their bit, your views and experiences can change. One thing I say in the book is that I don't grow brussels sprouts. Well, I did this summer, and I have to say despite my scepticism about the crop, they've been a great success. As the only sprout eater in my household, I was worried about being overrun with the things, so I only grew a few plants from seed - six or seven - and chose an unusual purple variety called Red Bull, available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue and Marshalls.

It has been an unalloyed success. I didn't bother netting the plants, and did just one round of caterpillar picking: yes, they did look a bit holey for a while, but like red cabbages they seem to be less susceptible to pests - down to the colour, possibly? I probably left it too long to stake the plants, so they're rather, erm wizened, but it doesn't seem to have affected them too badly. I am sure there are some cunning tricks for making even better sprouts, and being a newbie to sprout production, I'd love to hear any tips you have up your sleeve.

The resulting sprouts are small and tasty, and look gorgeous in the pan and on the plate, as you can see from the pictures here (accompanied in the colander by some Romanesco cauliflower). They don't taste hugely different from "normal" sprouts, although the flavour is perhaps a little more refined. Unless I get any fervent suggestions for other varieties, I think I'll stick with Red Bull for the coming year.

Oh, and one final aside/warning: when they go cold, the sprouts' leaves take on a bluish tinge - they're stilll yum in a good dish of bubble and squeak, but you may find the colour offputting (why is it that blue food looks so odd?)

Comments

[John Curtin]

Interesting that the red varieties seem less susceptible to pests - I recall when I grew red cabbage (I think it was Marner Largerot)it came through unscathed.

[Christa]

I've never seen purple brussels sprouts before. They look beautiful! I'll have to look for their seeds here in the U.S. I've only seen the green kind here.

[Patrick]

I grew a variety called Red Rubine both last year and this year. If you search my blog, you'll find the post with the fuzzy picture (I have a new camera now).

It's interesting to see the difference between them. Mine are really deep red, and kept the color even after cooking. Mine also have a distinctive and really nice flavor.

I also didn't have many problems with pests.

The main difference however, is mine have an unacceptably low yield. I guess I'm averaging 2-3 very small sprouts per plant. I thought last year was just a bad year for sprouts, but this year was about the same. I don't think I'll grow them again.

My two favorite varieties are Mezzo Nano and Long Island Improved, both of which take on a nice peppery taste after the first hard frost. I don't know if these are available in the UK, I ordered my seeds from the US and I haven't saved any seeds from these varieties yet.

[al]

As much as your growing of sprouts is a worthy endeavour, I simply cannot give it my wholehearted approval...

But I can't wait to read your book though!

[Jane Perrone]

Patrick: Yield hasn't been bad on my Red Bull plants - at least a couple of dozen sprouts per plant, albeit relatively small ones.

Red Bull seeds seem to be sold by at least one N American firm - check out this page:
http://www.osborneseed.com/catalog_view.cfm?submitted=yes&selectcat=6&selecttype=Brussels%20Sprouts

[Frankie]

I grew Red Rubine, this year didn't have a huge crop but they were so delicious that I have bought more seeds this year. i will try and scrounge a few Red Bull seeds and grow them as well - thanks for the tip.