Sorry dont know but have a very tasty soup recipe for sprouts.

:-D

Is it that the plant continues to grow from the top and produces more little buds ? Sprouts are one of my favourite veg. Sprout soup...I would go for that.

We don't remove the side leaves from Brussels sprouts. Commercial growers may well do so to make it easier to harvest them but if you are only picking enough for family isn't necessary and gives the actual sprouts some protection if the weather is bad.

Thanks, MG. I had a feeling it might be a case of commercial practice, but I always feel I need to check these things out in case I'm missing something.

The lower leaves tend to die off from the bottom up so the lower stem can appear to be bare. I don't know if it would be worthwhile just picking the leaves off or not.

Removing the bottom leaves tends to make all the sprouts develop at the same rate, which makes it easier for commercial growers to harvest in one pass. Leaving the leaves on allows the lower sprouts to grow faster than the upper ones, making for a longer harvest for the home gardener.

Hello, Tugbrethill, have you been on holiday? Nice to see your informed advice on here again. I shall leave all but the very lowest leaves, which are yellow and damaged, anyway, on the plants. Thank you all for your advice.

Definitely no holiday! I've been busy at work, and am in the middle of moving to an apartment--yep, the economy and taxes got me, too. Haven't had much time for the internet, lately.

your supposed to cut the plants to the ground gattina and grow something edible lol xx .

But I LOVE sprouts, NP!

Sprouts are wonderful and a good source of vitamin C

And don't forget that they are very quick to cook !!! I often buy cheap bacon bits. Chop it up and have it with sprouts, butter and pepper.

That's probably why I'm so healthy, MG! (cough, cough, croak, croak, sneeze, sneeze!)
Us, too, P., smoked pancetta cubes, small scallion (what the H**l do you call them in English? I'm losing it here) and stir-fried sprouts. Gorgeous!

I've remembered! Shallots!

and chestnuts!

I thought Scallion were spring onions ?

You're right, P., I was back-translating from Italian "Scalogno" and found the wrong word!
Never tried it with chestnuts, MG. I usually like those roasted with salt, or candied. There has been some dreadful blight of the chestnut crop this year, and the growers (all our friends and neighbours) are very, very worried.

Brussels sprouts with chestnuts is just THE best... Son did recently when he was up looking after Bulba and self, yum!

Oh how lovely to have a son to cook for you! Do you boil the chestnuts and then just mix them in? I really must try this.

I'm guilty of buying ready cooked chestnuts in jars as they don't grow round here and buying the raw ones costs more than buying the cooked ones in a jar. But yes you would boil them and add to the just cooked sprouts and toss with a bit of olive oil. You can add the pancetta and onion or shallot too. Almost a meal in itself.

Well, we know what's on the menu tomorrow, then! Normally in Autumn, round about October, November time, there are thousands of fallen chestnuts just waiting to be collected from the sides of the road, but this year, there have been virtually none. I think I shall have to put them on the shopping list for the big pre-Christmas shopping trip before the heavy snow that's due next Tuesday. We'll possibly not be able to get out for a week afterwards. Still, we shall have our white Christmas, and the sprouts are only a hundred yards up the garden path.
A very happy and peaceful Christmas to you and Bulba.

well that is sha lot gattina i dont see whats wrong with a nice big fat greasy burger or a full english . i guess everyone to there own lol xx .ps arnt the conker trees got a lot of something nasty hapningto them to ? theres loads round here with brown spots all over the leaves and some have died .

A happy and peaceful Christmas to you too Gattina. NP one word 'cholesterol'! Sweet chestnuts and 'horse' chestnuts are in completely different tree families the sweet chestnut is Castanea sativa and is in the beech family, whilst the horse chestnut is Aesculus hippocastanum and is in the Sapindaceae family. So problems with conker trees have no effect on the sweet chestnut.

Our Local Chestnut Trees were loaded, it was a pleasure to watch the squirrels gorging on them.

Good to know, they don't do well this far north...

I did think they were related mg but it was simply an observation . im not botherd about colesteral if it means giving up the good stuff . rather live a fun 60 years than a safe dull 80 years just to be healthy . I hate most healthy foods anyway x .

I have a wonderfully fun filled life and diet NP, I'll even indulge in a fully Scottish breakfast if we are away. There seems to be the idea that food is either full of cholesterol and tastes wonderful is is healthy and doesn't. As a cook who's son is a master chef I know differently... A small amount of lean protein and lots of fresh wonderful veggies make for a superb dinner. I fully intend to live to at least 80, be happy, healthy and spry and enjoy an wonderful diet.

Everything in moderation! My little brother who was a GP once asked me why I was going to get a cholesterol test done. I told him I wanted to be sure I was healthy. "And if you discover that your levels are a bit higher than they should be, what will you do?" He said. "Well", I replied, "I shall have to cut out the cheese and chocolate and the red meat and the wine, etc., etc.," "Do you enjoy all those things?" He said. "Of course" "Do you think it will make that much of a difference?" "Probably not." "Then don't have the test, because if the rest of the family thinks you're going to cut a couple of years off your life, they'll make all the remaining ones Hell by nagging you not to eat this, and not to eat that. Just enjoy everything in moderation."
So I do.

I can agree with that Gattina - hence the full Scottish breakfast when we are on holiday :-)

i completly agree with gatina lol very true xx