A friend said to me the other day that we are nearer to spring than we were in September. I think it was her way of cheering up a gardening buddy. However, we are actually nearer to Christmas than spring and I am still not ‘done’, if you know what I mean. No sooner have I ticked off six items from the top of the To Do list, than another few items appear at the bottom.
I am a really organised person and friends and family think that I have already got my Brussels sprouts simmering away on the Aga. But, I only ever reach Christmas by the skin of my teeth and I am usually panting as I stagger over the finishing line. I don’t listen to the 'Festival of 9 carols and lessons' from from Kings College, Cambridge, with joy, but with utter relief. If by Christmas Eve I don’t have everything, then it is too late. I close the drawbridge, put on a pot of mulled wine and we manage with what we have - which is usually enough to last two Christmasses!
So talking of Brussels sprouts, there always seems to be such a fuss about these ‘little cabbages’ of loveliness. We have sprouts every winter, always at Christmas, and no-one in our family has ever complained or ridiculed this vegetable. In fact, if Doc and I could grow brassicas easily, they would be second on the list after red cabbage. Not only are they delicious but I love the idea of picking our very own harvest for Christmas lunch.
People say Brussels are bitter, boring and they hate the smell wafting from the saucepan. Perhaps that is because they cook them to within an inch of becoming a puree? I don’t put my sprouts on in November for the simple reason they simmer for a few minutes whilst I am dishing up the dinner. And you don’t have to bother putting any criss-cross cuts in the base of sprouts because that lets in more water and they go very soggy. Sprouts should be firm and in our family the dividing line between ‘just cooked’ and ‘dangerous ‘ (ie attempts at stabbing one with a fork results in missile fire) is a fine one.
You can spruce up a Brussels with sautéed pancetta or bacon, shallots or herbs. I am told lemon or even chestnuts are nice with them. Personally, I just simmer them lightly and good gravy does the rest. However, I have shredded them and stir-fried them with other left over veg and that was tasty. They do have an affinity with Chinese or Thai flavours.
So, for me the challenge is to source our sprouts from the vegetable garden rather than the greengrocers. This is what we will have to achieve:
• Sow the Brussels Sprout seed in modules in April and plant out in May.
• The soil needs to be high in nitrogen and limed.
• Sprouts need a sheltered spot as they can suffer from wind rock.
• Plants need to be really firmed in, with a wellington boot.
• They need 5-6 months of growing time, with extra nitrogen feed to prevent the sprouts
from ‘blowing’.
• They also need netting – permanently. Cabbage white butterflies and pigeons are the
two most common pests.
We have got our work cut out if we are going to achieve all of the above. We have acidic conditions and the raised beds are not firm enough for the brassica family to grow well. However, IF Doc starts work on our new dedicated fruit cage next spring, we could move some fruit bushes and use that bed for brassicas!
I feel exhausted thinking about it all. Maybe I am Christmas weary and my energy levels are flagging. I will feel better when I have heard the Kings College choir sing the carols. By the time the first snowdrop appears, I will have found my mojo again and be raring to go on the plot.
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