Some vegetables turn sweeter if you leave them in the garden after the first hard frost. The Brussels sprouts and kale are good examples.
My wife’s best friend and I are the ones who love the miniature cabbages, and that’s led to a tradition at our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, regardless of whether we’re all sitting down to eat at their place or ours. Yes, like me, she’s especially fond of the sprouts, any way they’re served. So here’s looking ahead, with anticipation.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS ETC.
out in the garden, I use an ax to dig out Brussels sprouts
from under two feet of snow
for Christmas dinner
and maybe some kale
to boot
poem copyright 2014 by Jnana Hodson
Jnana's Red Barn 
Never liked Sprouts until my ex-husband, an excellent cook, introduced me to how to cook them well. Now they are my favorite sautéd in Butternut Squash Seed oil with pine nuts and green grapes! Digging Brussels Sprouts!
Amazing, some of the things we carry away from former relationships!
By the way, this one sounds wild.
I’ve long had a theory that many tastes should be reserved for adults-only. (You kids keep your hands off, since you won’t like these anyway.) You know, asparagus, lobster, lamb, …
Love it.
I know i sound like a dummy, but are brussel sprouts miniature cabbage?
They’re in the same family, as are broccoli and cauliflower.
But to be technical, the sprouts are a separate critter, with the treasure growing along the sides of the stems rather than as a globe just above the ground.
On the plate, though, they really do like like baby cabbages to me. Maybe it’s just my view as a poet or wannabe cartoonist at work here?
Well I love cabbage (and broccoli and cauliflower) but never really got into brussels sprouts, so maybe i will try!
You go, girl!
(I’m waiting for my wife’s reaction to the version Martha Schaefer named in an earlier comment here. Care to try it?)
I, too love Brussels sprouts! though I didn’t care for them until I had them fresh-picked and tiny, when they’re tender and sweet. And then I discovered how wonderful they taste after a good frost. (My childhood exposure had been to frozen supermarket sprouts, no doubt grown in a warmer climate and picked well before frost — no wonder they tasted so awful!)
You’ve just summed up the real reason so many people garden. It’s not because raising your own makes food cheaper (I hate to think how much we really spend) or easier (it’s work, after all). It’s because nothing compares to the sensational taste of truly fresh food. Period.
Amen! and yum! 😉