"Michael Uplawski" wrote
almost paralyzed by the daily news and the perspective of having nowhere
else to go, I continue observing my garden and will even continue
constructing my greenhouse. Being less in the mood for « action » as
appears to be the rest of the world, I spend much time just perceiving
the changes... The mustard has almost completely rotten, the field salad
eventually looks like it could be edible and the radish does me the
favor to decay where it stands. So I won't have to clean it away in
spring.

But the Brussels sprouts are a little mystery to me. They appear to have
withstood frost and snow, icy winds and continue-, rather re-commence to
produce .., well they produce whatever you call the sprouts in English.

I have not yet had the courage to harvest ... them.., but want to ask
you two questions; perhaps you have more experience:

1. Will those late ... sprouts (we call them „Röschen” in German,
meaning “small roses”) be good for cooking or do they more probably
taste bitter ?
2. Would you keep the grains of those plants which survived the winter
for the next season? I bought them from Kokopelli, meaning that they are
*not* hybridized.

1. It is normally said that Sprouts taste sweeter after being frosted so
quite the opposite to what you may think. However they should be tight
little round buttons not open like a baby cabbage. Don't forget you can also
cook the tops of the plants like cabbage, lots of people find that the best
part of the plant.
2. If they are indeed open pollinated plants then you could get seed from
them if you let them flower, but if they are F1 then you will get a right
mixture of types.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK