General Chat

Kense, I copied and pasted it - (googles another site) but you're right! :-D

"The UK sprout industry has an annual valued of £650million. Sprouts plants cover 1,000 acres of fields"

They were introduced to France and England in the eighteenth century.

"In Continental Europe, the largest producers are the Netherlands, at 82,000 metric tons, and Germany, at 10,000 tons. The United Kingdom has production comparable to that of the Netherlands, but its crop is generally not exported"

So, the UK that apparently has a 'visceral and largely unsuccessful relationship' with sprouts, unlike the Netherlands, keeps all their sprouts to themselves! :-D :-D

Just like to add, as an ex ag-lab, that they're a b*gger to pick, sort and process, so forgive the people on the riddler if the odd soggy one makes an appearance in your bag!

Edit: 'Riddler' - mainly used for grading and sorting potatoes - nowadays (well 40 years ago) more like a bumping conveyor belt the spuds or other vegetables are put on so people can remove bad/discoloured ones.

Maggiewinchester, I think you must have have missed some zeros off the end of your figure for the value of the UK sprout industry. If not, that would mean each person eats about half a kilo of sprouts per year worth about a tenth of a penny.

My mothers sprouts were enough to put anyone off - except my dad who would say 'mmm... they melt in the mouth'.
Anything to keep the peace LOL

I like sprouts but not dark green mush. I ate them though - I take after my dad :-D

May I just go back to sprouts - I found a wonderful site.

Contrary to the belief/whaffle of some:
In Britain we eat more sprouts than anyone else in Europe and the industry is estimated to be worth around £650,000.
The weather conditions in the UK are optimum for sprout production. They grow best in temperate climates observed in Northern Europe, (between 7-24 degrees) and are ready for harvest 90-180 days after planting.

My elder daughters loves sprouts - the younger doesn't.
Not sure why - they have the same parents, it's not as if one daughter is more 'English' than the other and thereby has a 'visceral and largely unsuccessful relationship' with sprouts. She also detests tomatoes, and anything with tomato in it, in any way, shape or form - has done forever (she wouldn't eat any weaning foods containing tomato).

Last Christmas, my elder daughter promised to make a pizza for her children.
They were really looking forward to it - until daughter, with a flourish, produced a sprout pizza :-D :-D :-D

She'd made a 'normal' one, too - she's not a monster!

The site with even more information about how good sprouts are for you - and no, it's not the 'Sprout advertising site' is:
https://www.ccsinsure.co.uk/blog/brussels-sprouts-a-great-british-love-affair/

I never made my beer from kits but always from raw ingredients and although the seal had gone from the pan, because of its capacity, it was ideal for the purpose but just for normal boiling and simmering without the lid being attached :-D

Beer in the pressure cooker - something I won't tell my OH, lol.

My slow cooker used to get more use when I worked, Allan, but it still comes out, especially in the colder months.

I tend to use a steamer rather than the pressure cooker now but following the very short life of our electric one I bought one to use on the hob so, barring mishaps, it ought to 'see me out' as my bestie's OH always says.

Our old one (Prestige) did, but I still used it for years for brewing my beer.

My daughter bought me an electric one a couple of years ago which is also a slow cooker, so I'm back to using it as both :-)

My pressure cooker is still going strong after 55 years. Some things just never pack up. :-D

Does using such a cooker put pressure on you to do it correctly, or does it take the pressure off, knowing that you can prepare meals in a shorter space of time?

I must admit that I use one, and it is great. :-)

:-0 :-0 :-D :-D :-D That reminds me - pressure cooker. Thanks.

Whole of course, although without the outer leaves, and we always cut a cross in the base to allow for more internal cooking (of the sprout that is. Our own internal cooking comes later ;-))

Whole or by the leaf Allan? ;-)

Deep fried battered sprouts are a delicacy in our house ;-)

Ooh Allan, one sprouts forth and see what happens ... .... the Ministry of Funny Talks.
:-D

Let's change the subject to something sweeter .....

I also like banana and Mars bar butties. :-D

:-D :-D :-D :-D

Very similar to the naming of the kangaroo in Australia, Maggie.

The word was not derived from the indigenous language but by one of Captain Cook's crew, a Scotsman, who had unfortunately locked himself in a locker.

A kangaroo hopped by and Captain Cook said," I wonder what that beastie is named," when immediately the Scotsman shouted out, "I cannae ger oot"

Perhaps, when they were musing over a name, someone realised why their shoes hurt - and exclaimed 'A corn'! :-D :-D

Well, well!

I know that mighty oaks from little acorns grow, but I never knew that so much knowledge regarding sprouts would burst forth from a single post ;-)

It must have been an inspired flash in a pan :-D :-D


Incidentally, and not wanting to change the direction of this Thread again, the military radio call sign for an Intelligence Officer (surely an oxymoron when used in the military sense) is Acorn

Same with my Cornish Ancestors - they had more to do with the Bretons than the English, and spoke a similar language - much different than those Englishers.

I wish I'd thought to ask my Cornish born & bred granny whether the way she fed and treated the cows, pigs, chickens and dog that she had on her smallholding was influenced by her Breton Ancestors, Cornish Ancestors, or by what was available!

Mind you, I think the tickling of the pigs tummies was just a 'granny' thing - but was it? Perhaps it happens regularly and exclusively in France?

As for her punishment of 2 grand daughters caught smoking her Woodbines - is sitting them on a cow (one each) and making them smoke one last Woodbine, whilst apologising, Cornish or Breton, or (as I suspect) just granny?

Not that many miles. When I lived near Dover it was much quicker and much cheaper to travel over to France than it was to travel to London.. Some people would do their weekly shop in France.