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Post by Rosefriend on Nov 30, 2014 11:53:17 GMT
 Cross between Red Russian Kale and Sprouts.. Has anyone eaten them or grown them perhaps?? They are on offer from tomorrow (not cheap) at our supermarket... Are they good, - can one get seeds or is it a waste of time?? RF |
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Post by Dutchy on Dec 1, 2014 8:52:34 GMT
Sprouts in general take a long time growing and frankly I find them a waste of time. Buying in season means they are cheaper than the effort of growing them.
These sprouts look nice but will taste as usual aka as cabbage with just slightly more tenderness to them.
They are a feast to the eye though and with X mass coming soon you see loads of these kind of things in the shops.
If you want to make a fun meal with good looking stuff they do perform as long as you don't cook them any longer than 15 minutes. Steaming for that time would even be better as it preserves the colour better.
In the end it is up to you weather you think them ok or too expensive.
As for the garden. Red Russian kale looks fantastic as a plant. Bold and colourful. These mostly look odd. Somehow they are so frilly they take too much attention imho.
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Post by owdboggy on Dec 1, 2014 12:34:23 GMT
Oh definitely do not agree here. No matter how good bought sprouts are, they taste nothing like as good as ones picked fresh from the garden and cooked straight away.
Quite fancy those Kale sprouts. We did try the Red sprouts once but the crop failed and have never bothered since.
Even 'blown' sprouts are nice, treat them like mini-cabbages, stir fry with a little butter and pepper.
If you Google Red Kale Sprouts, it comes up with sources for the seed. I get the impression that these are not really Sprouts as in Brussels sprouts, rather they are small kale plants.
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Post by Rosefriend on Dec 2, 2014 12:54:17 GMT
Well, I bought them Dutchy, owdboggy, - for dinner tonight...small bag but enough for two meals for us and they are very fresh...smell cabbagy (suprise suprise!!) but look lovely...I'll let you know what they taste like later..   |
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Post by Ladygardener on Dec 2, 2014 17:14:26 GMT
I missed this thread, they do look very interesting and different Rosefriend. Worth buying if they're on special offer. I grow my own sprouts and have had them blow before but still ate them as well. I'm growing some now at the allotment. I lost a whole bed of them to the catterpillars but do have some in another bed. Likewise sprouting broccolii.Next year I'll be growing Kale again, thanks to Rosefriend for the seeds. (Borecole Red Russian ) I've grown ordinary Kale in the past and been well pleased with it. It was there for eating when nothing else was ready at the allotment. |
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Post by Rosefriend on Dec 2, 2014 17:28:27 GMT
Rosefriend, Dutchy, owdboggy, Ladygardener, We have just eaten the first Kale Sprouts and very impressed we were too.. It said on the bag to steam them and use them in a salad - too late...they were already in the pan, so I simmered them with some salt and a bit of sugar and then tossed them in a knob of butter after draining them....all I can say is that they are lovely, really lovely. They have a cabbagy, sprouty, nutty taste, even tasting a bit like broccoli. I did them whole but next time will take the leaves off and stir fry them, as OB suggested... However as to whether I would grow them, I don't know - the only time I grew sprouts they turned into writhing caterpillars sticks very quickly - I bet it is cheaper to buy them - however I also bet the taste if you grow them yourself is really wonderful... RF
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Post by Rosefriend on Dec 2, 2014 18:20:08 GMT
Mmmh do wonder if this is providence - my online GC that I go to just happens to have the seeds... Called Kohlsamen Flower-Sprout™ Petit Posy-Mischung here in Germany...and look like this..  Now then, do I, or don't I?? |
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Post by Ladygardener on Dec 2, 2014 18:37:41 GMT
The most difficult thing I've found, is keeping the catterpillars away. I did cover 2 lots of my sprouts and broccolii with fleece and it worked brilliantly for one lot but a butterfly got under the other one and ate everything. If you think you can keep them away and you want to give it a go then as you say Rosefriend, providence... |
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Post by Rosefriend on Dec 2, 2014 18:45:20 GMT
The most difficult thing I've found, is keeping the catterpillars away. I did cover 2 lots of my sprouts and broccolii with fleece and it worked brilliantly for one lot but a butterfly got under the other one and ate everything. If you think you can keep them away and you want to give it a go then as you say Rosefriend, providence... This is the problem Ladygardener, - I had that terrible year when I had caterpillars in the GH and lost loads of beef toms, then I tried to grow sprouts and the butterflies where everywhere again and very quickly I had a stick full of writhing caterpillars and nothing else... The only place to grow them is near the GH's....dunno - I feel I would be tempting fate tbh...I have some fantastic new tom varieties this year...mmmmh, difficult one!! |
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Post by Ladygardener on Dec 3, 2014 7:31:56 GMT
This is the problem Ladygardener, - I had that terrible year when I had caterpillars in the GH and lost loads of beef toms, then I tried to grow sprouts and the butterflies where everywhere again and very quickly I had a stick full of writhing caterpillars and nothing else... The only place to grow them is near the GH's....dunno - I feel I would be tempting fate tbh...I have some fantastic new tom varieties this year...mmmmh, difficult one!! Maybe just leave it and don't tempt fate Rosefriend. There are enough things to look out for when growing Tomatoes without having to worry about butterflies and caterpillars.  |
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Post by Dutchy on Dec 3, 2014 7:47:58 GMT
Hah well go for it if the temptation is too much to resist Rosefriend . In a pot with netting stuck away out of sight behind your shed. Who knows. And two plants will do you so.... I have clubroot in my soil so I can never get them to grow tasty and I am not even thinking about the wriggly bits and the mini cushions of lice. OB is right in thinking that your own taste better but mine will simply not get there. ( There are times that I want to wring the previous owners neck for not using proper crop rotation ) |
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