There were also some three foot tall lettuce plants that survived not only frost but lack of watering for the past month. Nothing edible there, though. I had no idea lettuce was so hearty.
You might wonder what the long stems with knobs are...those are my poor brussel sprout plants that survived the woodchuck infestation this past spring. Apparently the woodchucks ate the apical tissue that grows up to produce the brussel sprouts and these side stems had to take over, but were greatly delayed in their growth as a result of the intensive munching.
I never liked brussel sprouts until I had them steamed, fresh out of the garden, when they are tender and tasty. Sprouts from the market are tough and bitter, probably because they are full of the mustard oils that keep animals from eating them. Each little sprout is like a miniature cabbage that develops right in the notch of each leaf. I tore the leaves off of this stem to make it easier to remove the sprouts.
You might wonder what the long stems with knobs are...those are my poor brussel sprout plants that survived the woodchuck infestation this past spring. Apparently the woodchucks ate the apical tissue that grows up to produce the brussel sprouts and these side stems had to take over, but were greatly delayed in their growth as a result of the intensive munching.
I never liked brussel sprouts until I had them steamed, fresh out of the garden, when they are tender and tasty. Sprouts from the market are tough and bitter, probably because they are full of the mustard oils that keep animals from eating them. Each little sprout is like a miniature cabbage that develops right in the notch of each leaf. I tore the leaves off of this stem to make it easier to remove the sprouts.
If you leave the sprouts on the stem long enough, they eventually will spread their leaves, enlarge their stem, and root themselves into the soil, right on the parent plant. Like these sprouts at the base of one plant did...
That fact that the sprouts resemble mini-cabbages is not coincidence -- they are both products of artificial selection for parts of the wild cabbage (really a mustard) that looks like this.
http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/39197/enlargeBiology textbooks love to use this plant as an example of the process of natural selection (although in this case its not natural, but artificial, man-induced selection). Broccoli, cauliflower, several kinds of cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, and brussel sprouts are all cultivars of this wild mustard plant, each "stemming" from accentuation of a particular part of the wild plant.
Although mustard plants are usually full of noxious (and poisonous) compounds deterimental to insect health, the cultivars retain some useful compounds that apparently have anti-cancer properties in humans. So, eat your brussel sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower, but steam or stir fry (don't boil) them to retain their anti-cancer properties.
That's a great post. Thanks for all the info! Do you have problems with tiny black bugs infesting your brussel sprouts? I can't even eat mine - they're FULL of those bugs! What are they?
ReplyDeleteNo, mine don't have bugs; what do they look like?
ReplyDeleteI have never enjoyed the taste of brussel sprouts. You mention that you'd never liked their taste until you'd eaten them fresh from the garden. Mustard oil was the reason you gave for why grocery bought brussel sprouts might taste worse. That really caught my interest because I've only ever eaten store bought.
ReplyDeleteI did some research on the mustard oil used to protect plants and it turns out the active ingredient in this "mustard oil" is a chemical called allyl isothiocyanate, the same chemical that provides the harsh taste in horseradish and wasabi. It is toxic, irritating the skin and mucus membranes of any animal that might consume it. In fact several plants synthesize allyl isothiocyanate as part of their defense against being eaten. However they only make it when they are being chewed! Allyl isothiocyanate is toxic to plant tissue as well, so it stores the enzyme myrosinase and a glucosinolate known as sinigrin in two seperate compartments. Only when those compartments are destroyed by chewing will these chemicals react to produce allyl isothiocyanate, subsequently activating TRPA1 ion channels in sensory neurons of the animal and reminding them not to eat that plant again!
In short, I must try garden fresh brussel sprouts born free of the toxic allyl isothiocyanate (and steamed of course)! Maybe then, like you, I will enjoy them.
-Will M