Season’s first brussels sprouts at markets

Press, 11 February 1983, Page 2

Season’s first brussels sprouts at markets

Lovers of brussels sprouts can look forward to supplies being in most shops next week.

The first sprouts of the season arrived at Christchurch produce markets yesterday from Oamaru. The miniature, cabbageshaped vegetables were apparently named so because they came to the Englishspeaking world from Belgium. They are related to the cabbage but have a distinctively different flavour from their big relative. To give even and easy cooking, a cross should be cut into the end of each stalk. If brussels sprouts are suspected of harbouring insects, soak them for half an hour in cold salted water before cooking. ' The vegetable goes well in salads, either whole and cooked, or raw and finely sliced. The season is expected to last until September.

Brussels sprouts fetched $17.30 a bag at produce markets yesterday but prices are expected to drop soon. Cabbages are plentiful, as are turnips, silverbeet and spinach. . Lettuces are also in good supply, selling at $1.20 to $2.70 a case. Cauliflowers, which are fairly difficult to grow at

this time of the year, are scarce.

Potatoes have risen slightly in price. Ham Hardy cost $4.50 a bag, and Chippewas to $6.

Pumpkins, from the North Island and local growers, are in season and prices are expected to drop within the next fortnight. Onion supplies are good, bringing down the price to $2.80 to $5 a bag. Pickling onions came forward at $8 a bag. Courgettes and broccoli are plentiful, of good quality, and reasonably priced.

Corn from Nelson has been supplemented by ample local supplies. The North Island's new season’s kumara are available now, and selling to $45 a carton. Cucumbers . sold at $2.30 to $7 a half-case and capsicums were a goodjbuy at $2 a kilogram. 5 A shipment of bananasTthis week boosted supplies. These sell at the fixed maximum retail price of $1.41 a kilogram, but some shops'; are now selling them as specials. The market price is $18,05 a box. j

Stone fruit from Central Otago, Nelson, and local growers is meeting a :good demand. Apricots fetched

from $8 to $l6 for a halfcase, peaches $6 to $9 a halfcase, and plums $8 to $lB a half-case.

The prince melon, a relatively new fruit in Christchurch. is selling well. The fruit, grown in the North Island and Nelson, sold to $8 on the market floors.

Although blueberries are nearing the end of their season, other berry, fruits are still plentiful. Tomatoes are meeting good demand and selling well. Other produce available this week included avocadoes, New Zealand goldfruit, mandarins, pears, Californian oranges, lemons, and grapes, and kiwifruit. This week’s recipe CREOLE BRUSSELS SPROUTS 700 g brussels sprouts 75g butter 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 green pepper, chopped 500 g tomatoes, peeled and chopped ¥2 tspn dried basil salt and freshly ground black pepper Method: Trim the brussels sprouts. Melt the butter in a

saucepan over moderate heat. Add the onion, garlic and green pepper and cook stirring occasionally until onion is tender. Add tomatoes. sprouts, basil and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer slowly until sprouts are just cooked, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately. Serves four to six.