Brussels Sprout Bright F1 - Brassica oleracea gemmifera

The Bright F1 Brussels Sprout is an early and resistant variety that produces tasty little sprouts, well spaced on the stem for easy harvesting. Sowing from March to April for a harvest from September to December.

The Brussels Sprout is a vegetable whose axillary buds are consumed, forming small heads also called "buttons". This biennial vegetable, cultivated as an annual, belongs to the large family of Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae). It is sometimes called "Choumette" in the North of France and bears the Latin name Brassica oleracea gemmifera. Latin enthusiasts will appreciate the name "Gemmifera" which refers to precious stones.

Originating, unsurprisingly, from Belgium, this sprout is a hybrid developed in the 14th century by market gardeners from Saint-Gilles (a municipality in the Brussels area), 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 mild, slightly sweet, and very comforting flavor. Carefully cooked, their delicate taste pairs well with bacon, lard, smoked pork belly, as well as chestnuts. They can be eaten boiled, sautéed, braised, or even gratinated. Quickly steamed, they are also excellent cold in salads. They are a vegetable rich in fiber, 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 in moderately rich soil, especially in nitrogen. Soil that is too generously fertilized would result in the production of small, open, or burst heads.

Note: This variety is labeled F1 for "F1 hybrid" because it is a variety resulting from the cross-breeding of carefully selected parents to combine their qualities. This results in a variety that can be particularly flavorful and/or early while being resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticized or wrongly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds are interesting both for their uniformity and their resistance, but unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to subsequent generations: it will therefore not be possible to recover the seeds for later sowing.

Harvest: Brussels sprouts are harvested starting from the bottom of the stem by cutting off the small heads with a knife.

Storage: Brussels sprouts can be stored for 3 to 4 days in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. They can also be frozen very well after being blanched for 3 to 5 minutes in salted boiling water.

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