Growers

When South Australian baby Brussels sprouts producer, John Cranwell casts a proud eye over his crop, he's following a family tradition spanning 60 years.

Brussels sprouts have always been served as a standalone vegie, when they should be used as ingredient of choice in the best recipes.    

When South Australian baby Brussels sprouts producer, John Cranwell casts a proud eye over his crop, he's following a family tradition spanning 60 years.

John, father Maurice and brother Robert of Nairne have produced baby Brussels sprouts since 2002 - a natural progression for A E Cranwell and Sons, which has grown regular Brussels sprouts since 1950.

While baby Brussels sprout plants start out like any other brassica - with loose cabbage-type leaves - it's the incredible transformation which happens over the next five to seven months which sets this vegetable apart. The plant begins to shoot up a stalk about a metre high, with up to 50 sprouts clustered around the outside.

"Sprouts mature from the base of the stalk and, because each stalk is harvested once, we have to wait until every sprout on each stalk is the right size.

"Today, consumers put a priority on taste and baby Brussels sprouts are sweeter and more tender than regular sprouts.

"Historically, Brussels sprouts were eaten as a standalone vegie on the side of the plate, with all the goodness boiled out of them. But they are a green vegie of choice and should be considered as an ingredient to be used in a wide variety of recipes. You wouldn't serve a capsicum on its own."

The peak season for John's baby Brussels sprouts is between March and August.

Serving suggestion:

Baby Brussels sprouts love the company of other vegetables. Cut them in quarters and add to any hot cooked meal from risotto to pasta, stews, soups and stir-fries.