Brussels sprout tops

Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera · Brassica

40 pairings

Brussels sprout tops are the loose, cabbage-like crown of large leaves that grows at the very top of a Brussels-sprout stalk (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera) — the leafy rosette that caps the column of sprouts. Cut off and sold separately as a UK winter green, they are a distinct vegetable from the sprouts themselves: milder, sweeter and more like a loose-leaf spring cabbage, with a soft green flavour and a gentle brassica bite that sweetens after frost.

Picking a good onedrag

Blue-green, standing upYellow, limp, sulfurous

Shop freshThe all-rounder: ribs out, shredded, sauteed, steamed or briefly boiled.Everyday best

LeafEven green, the bloom rubbed off

The crownSoft, but the leaves still stand up

Cut stalkRim tanning, stalk still solid

Smell at the leafFaint sweet cabbage leaf

What to look for, from blue-green, standing up to yellow, limp, sulfurous.

Keeping ittap a band

A domestic fridge holds it about 5× longer than the counter.

Humidity

95-98%

Bag it or wrap it damp; in dry fridge air the big loose leaves wilt within a day and the ribs go leathery.

Airflow

Vented, not sealed

A perforated bag, never sealed: shut tight the crown sweats, goes slimy at the cut and turns sulfurous.

Yellows and drops its leaves

It makes almost none itself but is extremely sensitive: ethylene off apples, pears and bananas yellows the leaves and drops them.

Preparing