Standard Process Inc.

Brussels Sprouts & Kale -
Two Beneficial Crucifers

April 2007 News From The Farm SP News Article

Christine Mason,
Farm Manager

Since Dr. Barnes wrote such an interesting article about cruciferous vegetables last month, I thought that I would follow up with a few more details regarding Brussels sprouts and kale. While the exact origin of Brussels sprouts is not known, the first recorded history of them is from the late 16th century from a region near Brussels, Belgium (go figure). Kale is a descendent of the wild cabbage, and it appears to have originated in Asia.

There are three main reasons that we plant cruciferous vegetables in the spring (versus the fall) at Standard Process:

• As mentioned above, it extends our season.
• We have so many red beets and carrots to harvest in the fall here that we simply have more time to devote to crucifers in the spring.
• Spring planting gives us the chance to plant again in the fall if sales necessitate growing more.

If you have a home garden, these plants are fairly easy to grow, and it is very possible to plant them twice per season. They thrive if planted in early spring as well as in mid-to-late summer. Both vegetables often do the best when they live through a few mild frosts as frost changes the sugars in the plant and actually improves flavor. All cruciferous vegetables taste bitter when the weather gets too warm, so to have the tastiest crucifers at home, let them fully mature and then live through a few frosts in the fall.

It is hard to beat the nutrition of these cruciferous vegetables when you consider the following:

Reference: www.whfoods.org