For a bigger and more flavorous craw , come after these backsheesh on how and when to harvest Brussels sprouts .
Growing Brussels sproutsis more time - intensive and not quite as easy as most other vegetables . When they finally mature , you necessitate to eff all the legerdemain of the trade and harvest them at the peak time so you do n’t end up with undersized sprouts — or the opposite , overripe I that are yellow and caustic .
Proper timing is not the only concern that arises when harvesting Brussels sprout . You might also wonder whether Brussels shoot regrow after harvesting or whether you may pick small Brussels sprout .
Credit:GomezDavid / Getty Images
GomezDavid / Getty Images
1. Be Patient
compare with crops likeradishesandlettuce , Brussels sprout are relatively slow - grow . More cold - stalwart varieties originate slower , and less cold - dauntless varieties grow quicker .
Depending on the smorgasbord , transplant take 80 to 110 day to pass on maturity . If you start them from germ , total 20 days , so for a slow - growing variety , it takes about four calendar month entire .
2. Remove Extra Leaves
Throughout the growing time of year , prune away any yellow or discredited leaves on the plant and snip off off the lower leave on the stem . This airt the plant ’s energy toward sprout production and command prompt Brussels sprout to age more apace .
When you begin harvest the sprout , remove the leaves below the sprout you pick to tidy up the plant and make it well-off to see the sprout on the stem . However , do n’t absent many leaves at one sentence , as the plant still want foliage for photosynthesis .
Do n’t toss out the Brussels sprout leaves in the codswallop . Those farewell are edible and can be cooked likekaleorcollard viridity .
3. Know When to Harvest
Brussels sprouts are acool - weather condition cropthat is principally harvested in the fall , although some gardener plant Brussels sprouts in spring . The correct time to reap Brussels sprout calculate on when you planted the crop , but in oecumenical , spring - plant Brussels sprouts should be harvest before hot weather arrive and the plants start to bolt . Brussels sprouts plant in autumn are usually beak after a light Robert Lee Frost .
Although temperature below 20 ° F will finally kill Brussels sprout plant , these vegetables are hardy . Their flavor better after a light icing because the starch are converted to sugar . pick sprouts after a rime ensue in a sweeter and tastier craw .
4. Pick at Peak
As harvesting time approaches , check your plant often to see how the Brussels sprouts are grow . Harvestable sprouts should be firm and mensurate about 1 to 1 ½ inches in diam . good sprouts should be brilliant green , while excessively fledged sprouts flex yellow , and their leaves start to open .
plunk Brussels spud while they ’re still green and tightly close solution in the tasty homegrown sprout . If you let sprouts get overripe and turn yellow-bellied , they develop a bitter nip and are unpleasant to wipe out .
5. Harvest in Stages
Brussels pullulate do n’t all originate at once , so mark the plants every few sidereal day and harvest the sprouts in degree . Picking sprouts as they mature redirects the plant life ’s energy toward ripening the sprout that rest on the stem . Even better , harvest a few at a clock time provides your kitchen with an ongoing supply of fresh Brussels sprouts to contribute to your preferent recipes .
6. Pick Often
Checking the plants every few days for ripe sprouts and frequently harvest them lead in the most flavoursome Brussels sprouts from your garden . harvest home also get your Brussels sprout plants to make more sprout high up on their root word .
7. Go Bottom to Top
The sprout lower down on the stem ripen earlier than those higher up on the plant . glean the lowest sprouts first prevents the older sprouts on the plant from becoming too ripe .
8. Use a Sharp Knife
braid or snap ripe Brussels stock off the plant with your fingers , or use a sharp knife to harvest them . Removing sprouts with a knife make a uncontaminating cut on the plant and limits damage to the stem .
9. Top the Plants at Season’s End
The optional topping of Brussels sprout plants stimulate the remaining sprout to mature faster and often produces prominent sprout . The good time to top Brussels sprouts is in fall , about four to six weeks before yourfirst icing engagement .
To top the plant , cut off the growing summit on the plant instantly above where the upper sprouts are growing from the bow . This prevents the plant life from growing more parting and incite the last sprouts to fill out .
10. Gather the Last Harvest
Brussels sprout pull through a few frosts , but when temperatures pretermit below 20 ° F , the plant stops farm novel sprouts , and the moth-eaten damage any remaining sprouts . To avoid this , harvest the entire prow at the end of the season by either cutting the stem off at the soil transmission line or digging up the plant with its base .
If you harvest sprout throughout the autumn , you may not have any large Brussels sprouts remaining on the plant life , but that ’s all right . Small Brussels sprouts are edible ; they are warm and delicious .
After removing the last Brussels sprouts from the plant life , peel the outer skin off the fore andcook it like broccoli .
