Brussels Sprout Brilliant F1 - Brassica oleracea gemmifera

The 'Brilliant F1' Brussels Sprout is an early variety, highly productive and of good taste quality: a sure value! Sowing from March to April for a harvest from late August to November.

The Brussels Sprout is a vegetable whose axillary buds are consumed, forming small heads called "buttons". This biennial vegetable plant, 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.

Initially, without any surprise, from Belgium, this sprout is a hybrid developed in the 14th century by market gardeners from Saint-Gilles (a municipality in the Brussels periphery) concerned with increasing their productivity. Indeed, growing vertically, the Brussels Sprout occupies little space on the ground and allows abundant harvests in a minimum of space.

An autumn and winter vegetable par excellence, the Brussels Sprout has a mild, sweet, and comforting flavour. Cooked with care, its delicate taste pairs well with bacon, chestnuts, and smoked bacon. It can be consumed cooked, sautéed, braised or even gratinéed... Quickly steamed, it is also excellent cold in salads. It is a vegetable rich in fibre, antioxidants, and vitamins C and B.

The Brussels Sprout is a much less demanding vegetable than most cabbages; it thrives in the sun and moderately rich soil, especially in nitrogen. A soil that is too generously fertilised would produce heads that are too small, open or burst.

NB: This variety is labelled F1 for "F1 hybrid" because it is a variety resulting from the crossing of carefully selected parents to combine their qualities. This results in a variety that can be exceptionally flavourful and early while resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticised or wrongly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds are attractive for their uniformity and resistance. Still, unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to the next generations: it will, therefore, not be possible to recover the seeds for later sowing.

Harvest: Brussels Sprouts are harvested by starting from the bottom of the stem and cutting the small heads 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.

Gardener's tip: The main enemy of cabbage, the Cabbage White Butterfly (Pieris brassicae), is a pretty cream-white butterfly with small black spots that wakes up in April-May to wreak havoc on its leaves. Don't be caught off guard; 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.