I harvested the last of the Brussel Sprouts yesterday. Between lifting and picking and topping and tailing the sprouts with my kitchen knife. It took me an hour and half of my life to carry out this task. The wife duly washed them and put them in three freezer bags. So that's three meals for us to enjoy of sealed in frozen freshness.
Brussel Sprouts are said to originate in ancient Rome and they started growing them in Belgium since the thirteenth century. Hence their name: Brussel Sprouts!
There aren't many vegetables that originate from the British Isles. May be Leeks from Wales and white carrots and parsnips from England and 'neeps' or swedes from Scotland or even Sweden originally.
I suppose we could of bought some 'cheap' sprouts for 49 Cents or 35 Pence from a discount supermarket? Probably grown with artificial 'bag manure ' granulated fertilizer and in a field with no weeds and sprayed with pesticides and fertilizers? But hell yeah. We buy cheap veg too in the 'hunger gap'.
But one thing with growing your own is you know they have had no weedkillers or chemicals and they taste so fresh!
It also keeps you kind of sane having an hobby when you live in the countryside next to the sea. I think so anyway.
Three bags of homegrown brussel sprouts = three meals? Oh you poor chap! Man cannot live by brussel sprouts alone. With regard to the gardening keeping you "sane", Mrs Northsider and your two sons might well dispute this claim. (only kidding!)
ReplyDeleteThree meal for four people equals 12 meals YP. I suppose we could have them with Baked Beans, Heinz of course? It's very wet and windy here today on the Irish Riviera. I have not even been for a walk this week. Thanks for your comment.
ReplyDeleteGardening is not just the produce, Dave. I know that you know this. You've said it many times before. It is a linking of your life with something bigger, something older, something wiser. You cannot work the dirt without thinking of the hands that worked it before you. You cannot process the fruits of that work without thinking of the future. You understand that seasons change, and you learn to wait it out patiently. Working in tandem with nature allows us to become part of it, Dave. It made me laugh out loud when you said that you were not a religious person. You are! You absolutely are...you just call God a different name.
ReplyDeleteWow you should write a gardening book Debby: Mine and Mother Natures Hands On The Soil. I would rather walk around a vegetable or flower garden or go for a walk than listen to someone preaching a sermon. Guess I've just moved on and find more spiritual meaning in plants and God's beautiful Earth. Thanks for the super and inspiring comment Debby.
DeletePS: You can really buy cheap sprouts for 49 cents?
ReplyDeleteLidl this week Debby: microwave potatoes, limes, kiwi fruit, celery, curly kale and mixed lettuce leaves all for 49 Cents. It changes every week. Last week Brussel Sprouts and a net bag of onions were 49 Cents. Unbelievably cheap. Sometimes they sell Organic vegetables for this price.
DeleteDear Dave,
ReplyDeleteAs you say, there is nothing as satisfying as growing, harvesting and eating one's own produce. We love `Brussel Sprouts and are certain that yours will taste absolutely delicious and far better than any bought variety.
And, we can very much identify with what Debby has written in her comment. Gardening is much more than just the final result. It is being mindful of the land, the seasons, the weather and is a wonderful way to stay in tune with Nature and all that this entails.
The work is worth it when you can see and taste the fruits of your labours. Enjoy!
I am partial to sprouts but P cannot abide even the smell of them cooking, let along eat them. He most certainly would refuse to grow them so I rely on Sainsbury's Finest!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jane and Lance Hattatt for your comment. I agree with you that anything home grown is far fresher and better than any bought variety. Some of which have travelled hundreds or further miles and their sugars have turned to starches.
ReplyDeleteI just walked one of the fields and the ground is saturated. We bought some seed potatoes today so at least we can get them chitting. We are also going to start the tomato seeds inside a propagator on a windowsill in the kitchen. Thanks again for your always encouraging comments.
Hi JayCee. I know what you mean about the Brassica smell. I remember when we use to all have traditional roast beef and vegetables Sunday dinners and everything was boiled. I remember when we had a similar conversation about chip pans and lard. There are lots of sprouts recipes including stir fry.
ReplyDeleteI have got Sainsburys supermarket envy now. They have them in the North along with Morrisons and Asda. We could walk in Sainsburys and could buy any vegetable or fruit that existed. You have got expensive tastes.😊
Not quite. We don't have any alternative over here! No Lidl 😉
DeleteLidl is very good JayCee. Aldi is good at Christmas. We use to shop a lot in Netto when we lived in England. Sainsburys was brilliant. Even their own brands of tinned food including baked beans were very good. Oh to be middle class or a bank robber or a Lottery winner. 😊
ReplyDeleteWell, my few last sprouts were eaten by hares. It's ok, they need them more than us, there's more than half a meter of snow and sprouts were most likely frozen several times and icky already. Swedes are actually from Finland, a cross between cabbage and turnip. But Finland was a part of Sweden for centuries, so it really doesn't matter. Or they could be from Russia anyway.
ReplyDeleteAnd no hurry to chit potatoes, this winter will not turn to spring yet. I can hibernate a bit longer.
Hi Ulvmor. Thanks for the etymology about the sprouts. Thanks for commenting.
ReplyDeleteHi Dave. I agree , nothing like home grown. We have added no chemicals to our land for 23 years and are lucky that none of the farmers spray fields around here, not even slurry near us.
ReplyDeleteWorking with the land,you work with its spirit and that of all the plants and creatures, you cant get much more spiritual than that.
We have used about 16 canned foods in the last two weeks, but all of them our own produce. Seldom have to buy supermarket fruit and veg, but cant compete with their prices.
Children seldom like sprouts, but science tells us that the sprouts contain chemicals that stunt growth , so perhaps the children are right ?
Kathy
Thanks Kathy. It's really good that you can grow delicious fruit and vegetables without using chemicals. Your spiritual thoughts about working with the land make me think of The Byrds song: "Turn, turn, turn." No nobody compete with the cheap food especially in the discount supermarkets. Not forgetting a lot of it comes from abroad and the freight cost. Never knew sprouts stunt the growth. Perhaps why they are miniature cabbages?😊
ReplyDeleteThats what we called them ,to try and temt the nippers.
ReplyDeleteHa,ha. Happy times.
ReplyDeleteSadly our 'greenhouse', which we were going to purchase with our 'new home', is not going to happen because of problems with the title deeds of that home, .....not to worry, ...we have actually decided that we miss having a bit of land, and might get a little poly tunnel after all when we find that 'bit of land'. Of course it will also be useful if we can have a house on the land as well!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the land and house search Vera. You always rent an allotment and get a polytunnel.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to grow Brussels next year instead of broccoli. We can always buy broccoli but rarely find sprouts unless it's Xmas time.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should start a few tomato plants from seed. I'll put them on the kitchen sill. If you can start them over there in Ireland then I can darn well do it here in Greece. Mind you, a green thumb would help!
Tim and just finished The Dig. What a gorgeous movie.
ReplyDeleteYep. Glad you enjoyed it Debby and Tim.
ReplyDelete