Brussels Sprout Bedford - Brassica oleracea gemmifera

The 'Bedford' Brussels Sprout is a superb variety, early, productive and vigorous, which offers beautiful dark green buds from early autumn to Christmas—sowing from March to April for a harvest from October to December.

The Brussels Sprout is a vegetable whose axillary buds, or "buttons", are consumed. This biennial vegetable, cultivated as an annual, belongs to the large family of Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae). It bears the Latin name Brassica oleracea gemmifera. Latin enthusiasts will appreciate "Gemmifera", which refers to precious stones.

Originating from Belgium, this cabbage is a hybrid developed in the 14th century by market gardeners from Saint-Gilles (a municipality in the nearby Brussels periphery) concerned with increasing their productivity. Indeed, growing vertically, Brussels Sprouts take up little space on the ground and thus allow for abundant harvests in a minimum of space.

An autumn and winter vegetable par excellence, Brussels Sprouts have a sweet, slightly sugary, and comforting flavour. Carefully cooked, their delicate taste pairs well with bacon, lard, and smoked breast but also with chestnuts. They can be cooked, sautéed, braised, or even gratin... Quickly steamed, they are also excellent cold in salads. They are vegetables rich in fibre, antioxidants, and vitamins C and B.

Brussels Sprouts are a much less demanding vegetable than the majority of cabbages. They thrive in the sun and moderately rich soil, especially in nitrogen. A too generously fertilised soil would produce too small, open, or burst sprouts.

Harvest: Brussels Sprouts are harvested by starting at the bottom of the stem and cutting the tiny sprouts with a knife.

Storage: Brussels Sprouts can be stored for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator's vegetable drawer. They can also be frozen well after being blanched in salted boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes.

The gardener's tip: The main enemy of cabbage, the Cabbage White (Pieris brassicae), is a pretty creamy white butterfly with small black spots that wakes up in April-May to wreak havoc all summer by devouring its leaves. Don't be caught off guard. Opt for prevention by installing insect-proof netting, tightly sealed on market garden hoops. These nets are easy to set up and reusable to protect, for example, your carrot and leek crops.