Brussels Sprout Sanda Half-Dwarf - Brassica oleracea gemmifera

The Sanda semi-dwarf Brussels Sprout is an improved variety derived from the Rosny Brussels Sprout, which has a semi-dwarf habit. It is a rather late and hardy cabbage that produces small, firm green heads. Sow from March to April for a harvest from September to December.

Brussels Sprouts are a vegetable whose axillary buds, forming small heads also called sprouts, are consumed. This biennial vegetable, cultivated as an annual, belongs to the large Brassicaceae family (formerly Cruciferae). 

Originating, unsurprisingly, from Belgium, this cabbage is a hybrid developed in the 14th century by market gardeners from Saint-Gilles (a municipality in the Brussels suburbs) who were concerned with increasing their productivity. Indeed, growing vertically, Brussels Sprouts take up little space on the ground and 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 flavour. Carefully cooked, their delicate taste pairs well with bacon, lard, smoked pork belly, and chestnuts. They can be cooked, sautéed, braised, or even gratinéed... Quickly steamed, they are also excellent cold in salads. They are a vegetable 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 in moderately rich soil, especially in nitrogen. A soil that is too generously fertilized would result in the production of small, open, or burst heads.

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 vegetable drawer 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 beautiful cream-white butterfly with small black spots that wakes up from April-May to wreak havoc on its leaves. Don't be caught off guard and opt for prevention by installing an insect-proof net, tightly sealed on market garden hoops. These nets are easy to set up and reusable to protect, for example, your carrot and leek crops.