Brussels Sprouts: Fresh From the Farm

Until I moved to California from the East Coast a few years ago, I had never seen brussels sprouts in their "natural state" and I couldn't get over how cute they look when they're still bonded to their stalk. Out here, it's common for farm stands and supermarkets to sell their sprouts this way and because California produces so many of them, they are pretty cheap. I purchased my stalk for $2.99 at Trader Joe's - the ones in this basket were $3.50. I would have gladly paid the premium, as these were probably in the ground just days ago, but I had already purchased my stalk the day before.

Many people claim to hate brussels sprouts, but I have a theory. I feel certain that most of the time, we hate things because we haven't had them prepared properly. When doing some research for this entry, I was thrilled to have this theory validated, at least as it relates to brussels sprouts, by Wikipedia. If you're a brussels sprouts hater, it's probably because your mom boiled them to death. Try them sauteed or roasted with bacon, garlic, and toasted pine nuts. They should still be green when you serve them. If they're grey, you've killed them.

If you have a favorite sprouts recipe, please leave it in a comment. Let's spread the sprout love!