My First Brussels Sprouts

Well, not exactly the first, if you're thinking in terms of "She's never eaten Brussels sprouts before?".  I have.  And as a kid I hated them from the first time they were put in front of me.  Nasty, mushy things, I can't even recall the taste because it was the texture that was repulsive.

I'm that kind of a person; one that texture/touch/feel matters a lot to.  Tapioca pudding?  Can't do it, feels lumpy and nasty in my mouth. Shredded Wheat or Triscuits?  Ugh, I have a brillo pad in my mouth! Lace on my clothes?  Can't do it, it tickles and itches until I think I'm going to go insane.  Stiff socks?  Nope, nope, nope.  I spend extra money for soft socks and they are one of the few things I actually dry in my dryer during the summer time.  Massage?  Um, don't touch me!!  Most ordinary massage techniques just feel uncomfortable to me and not relaxing in the least.  Forget manicures and pedicures; having my nails filed gives me the willies.

So, for a long time, Brussel's sprouts were out, for me.  Then I realized, as a mature thirty-something, that there were a lot of foods I eat now that I didn't eat back when (like, before I cooked all my food and had to rely on someone else's cooking) and that the difference was mostly in how they were prepared. Preparation can really make or break the texture (or taste) of a food. Going on that premise, I mustered my courage, purchased some 'fresh' sprouts from the grocery store, took them home, and steamed them.  I've found that I like a whole lot more vegetables if they are steamed rather than boiled.

Those sprouts were edible!  Not only were they edible, they tasted good!  Somewhere between asparagus and broccoli was the flavor on my tongue when I bit into a steamed Brussels sprout.

From there, the goal was to grow my own, as is my goal for most of what I eat.  This proved to be a challenge.  I could get the seeds to sprout, no problem.  I could get them to grow into seedlings, no problem.  I could get the seedlings transplanted out to the garden, no problem.  I could get the transplants to grow in the garden, but I could not get them to produce those sprouts!!  The sprouts might get as big as peas before repeated freezes killed the plants, but I just couldn't get them big enough to eat.

Until this year.  Oh hallelujah, I finally got to harvest this little place here Brussels sprouts!  Despite what others might say about the 2012 growing season, with it's drought and it's heat, at this little place here I had the most productive garden ever.

It's hard to describe why this small quantity of sprouts makes me so happy.  Partly because now I won't have to buy any from the grocery store for quite a while (we rarely eat Brussels sprouts, so this amount should feed us six meals or at least six months, LOL).  But mostly because I did it!  I actually got some to go from seed to garden to table.  It can be done!