Today (December 23) is set to be the single busiest day of the year in Irish supermarkets as shoppers stock up on their Christmas dinner essentials.
According to market analysis firm Kantar, shoppers spent €90 million on December 23 alone last year.
A feature in many of those shopping trolleys will be Brussels sprouts – a vegetable which can prove very divisive around the Christmas table.
The latest research from Kantar has shown that the estimated cost of an average Christmas dinner for a family of four this year has risen by 2% to €34.74.
This has been driven by average price increases for sprouts, turkey, potatoes, carrots and mince pies.
Christmas
As part of a wider Teagasc series on Christmas dinner, William Deasy, specialised vegetable advisor, explained that the season for this festive staple is now in full swing.
Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and kohlrabi are all one species, Brassica oleracea.
Deasy said that the Brussels sprouts we are familiar with today can be traced back to Belgium as early as the 13th century.
The “sprouts” or “buttons” that we eat are the swollen axillary buds that grow along the entire length of the main stem or stalk.
Indeed, shoppers may see that some retailers choose to sell the entire stalk of the plant with the sprouts still attached in stores.
The vegetable has been grown in Ireland since the early part of the last century.
“Nowadays, sprouts are produced from September to March, taking between 140 to 220 days to grow from transplants, with the bulk harvested during December in the weeks up to Christmas,” Deasy said.
The harvesting of sprouts is a labour-intensive occupation, previously each sprout was picked by hand from the stalk.
However, Deasy said that nowadays specialised sprout growers have semi-automated harvesters with a knife system that cuts the stalks and a picking head with knives that cuts the sprouts from the stalk.
He noted that the step between cutting the stalk and putting the stalk in the picking head is still done manually.
In recent years, fully automatic Brussels sprouts harvesters have been developed.
Brussels sprouts
While many people who hate sprouts would point to their bitter taste, milder, sweeter varieties have now become the industry standard.
Chefs are also constantly developing new recipes in a bid to drive the popularity of the vegetable.
Deasy outlined how the bitter taste of Brussels sprouts comes from compounds that are an important part of the plant’s own natural defence system against insect pests and herbivores like pigeons and deer.
“These compounds are also responsible for many of the health-giving properties of sprouts,” he said.
Brussels sprouts are low in fat, low in sodium, high in dietary fibre and free from cholesterol. They are also high in vitamin C and a good source of folic acid.
“The cancer-fighting capabilities of sprouts, and other Brassica vegetables, are known for some years.
“And if all that is not enough, Brussels sprouts and other Brassicas may reduce cholesterol and the risk of heart disease,” Deasy said.
Meanwhile, consumers are being called on to look for relevant food quality and assurance logos when they go shopping for their Christmas dinner.
Teagasc and the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) are urging shoppers to support Irish producers and look for the Bord Bia quality assurance (QA) logos, and the National Dairy Council (NDC) logo for dairy products.