By Jennifer Crain
This year, Tom Trapold dedicated twelve acres on his Sauvie Island farm to growing Brussels sprouts, a short-lived crop in the damp Pacific Northwest. The supply dries up quickly, he says, not only because of the short growing season but because the tiny brassicas are in demand as darlings of the food revolution.
Formerly fated to become a slippery, boiled mass, Brussels sprouts are now more akin to a charismatic party guest, able to engage even the most reserved in conversation. Today’s preparations belie Brussels sprouts’ slimy reputation: they are adept at caramelization, burst with flavor in the roasting pan, soften and mellow when sautéed in butter, and even have raw food potential (shave them thin and you can shimmy them into a slaw).
Nate LaGasa, of Spud’s Produce Market, says he experienced the transformation of Brussels sprouts firsthand.
“They’re one of the vegetables I grew up thinking I didn’t like,” he says. “Steamed, they’re kind of and bland and soggy. But as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized you can roast them, rolled in oil and cumin, or broil them with crushed coriander.”
Spud’s carried some of Trapold’s Brussels sprout stalks earlier in the fall (a slug infestation cut the season for stalks short this year) but will continue to carry loose sprouts in the coming months. The holidays are a great time to experiment with Brussels sprouts and perhaps a complementary winter squash (the two go well together in a hash, for instance).
Squashes, of course, can stand on their own: as a main course, a pie filling, baked, roasted, or fried. Preparation methods have multiplied right along with the number of winter squash varieties that are now available, another rung in the ladder of the evolving story of food over the last twenty years. Acorn and butternut squash used to be about it in the wintertime. Now, home cooks won’t likely have a chance to try every type of gleaming gourd in the produce department before they go out of season again.
But we can try. Extra-sweet Blue Kuri squashes, for instance, are ideal for baking into pies or roasting. Hubbards take well to a mash, enhanced with butter and herbs. Acorns are the perfect stuffers. And if you’ve never made a pie from scratch, cut a sugar pumpkin in half, remove the seeds, bake until soft, and scoop out the flesh.
These four varieties, some of the many carried by Spud’s, are grown by Kirsop Farm in Tumwater. The relationship provides direct access to local, organic produce for customers of the neighborhood store.
“The great thing for us about working with Kirsop is that they really take a lot of care and pride in what they produce and sell,” LaGasa says. “The standards they hold for their own produce really means we don’t have to worry about quality at all with them. Kirsop grows it, boxes it, drops it off, and we sell it. No middleman, no travel time to speak of. The only way you could get it more directly is to grow it yourself. There’s also a lot to be said for keeping money in the community. More and more supporting local is something people are keen to do, so that’s an easy win for everyone involved.”
Genine Bradwin, co-owner and grower at Kirsop Farm, says they have supplied Spud’s with produce since it opened in August 2012.
“We really enjoy delivering to Spud’s,” she says. “We’ve been with them since the beginning and it’s been up and up and up ever since. They’re convenient and friendly and their business is growing, probably because they carry so many great local products.”
In addition to Kirsop squashes, Spud’s carries other seasonal varieties of squash including Buttercup, White Acorn, Heart of Gold, Turban, and Amber Cup. A group of them would make a fetching dish (or centerpiece) foryour Thanksgiving table, earn you points with your foodie relatives, and give you a new take on comfort food.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Coconut Toasted Hazelnuts
Courtesy of Lacy Waltermeyer at Purely Balanced
Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Seeds from 1 pomegranate
1/2 cup hazelnuts toasted
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Put the Brussels sprouts in a medium roasting pan. Toss with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until light golden brown – a knife inserted into the centers should go in without any resistance – about 35 minutes.
