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Isn't Iceland  known for its volcanoes?  That would probably mean sulpherous soil.  Between Sprouts grown in sulpher and Marmite you should be able to have a room all to yourself.   

No: They made a mistake they were really trying to land in Tibet  

Now why spoil a good thing?

I am pretty sure that the sprouts we eat today are a different variety to the ones we had in the 50's and 60's. I like em now but didn't like them at all when I was a child. Now it's very easy to put it down to taste changing as you get older but a lot of other things taste the same so why should sprouts (nearly put knobs taste different!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) be different. I have it in the back of my mind that there was a bit on the TV about the common ones today are a more mild variety than the ones from a years back.

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I think the method of cooking sprouts back in the day may have involved a spoon of bi-carb in the water to make 'em greener & cook quicker, also made them taste stronger (& smell worse) :blush:

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They always used to say, years ago, that sprouts tasted better once there'd been a frost on them. Here we get sprouts all year round, most likely from California, no chance of a frost on that lot.

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Californian "produce" always seemed to be big on looking good but a bit lacking in the flavor (sic) department. The first time I spent an extended period of time in the USA I couldn't get over how all the fruit was covered in a kind of wax.

AS for the flavour of Nobby Greens I seem to recall that some people lack an enzyme which means the vegetables taste bitter. Personally I think there is nothing nicer than a fresh Nobby that's been nipped by the frost. unionflag

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I don't think sprouts are grown in California, they are a cold climate winter veggie usually a late crop.

I'd like to know how they stop lettuces bolting in hot climates like California though, never had any success growing them during our hot summers.

There you go, I was wrong about California, but they are grown in the cooler coastal climate.

From Wiki.

Production of Brussels sprouts in the United States began in the 18th century, when French settlers brought them to Louisiana.[3] Thomas Jefferson grew them at Monticello.[8] The first plantings in California's Central Coast began in the 1920s, with significant production beginning in the 1940s. Currently there are several thousand acres planted in coastal areas of San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Monterey Counties of California, which offer an ideal combination of coastal fog and cool temperatures year-round. The harvest season lasts from June through January.[2][9] They are also grown in Baja California, Mexico, where the harvest season is from December through June.[9]

Most of the United States production is in California,[8] with a smaller percentage of the crop grown in Skagit Valley, Washington, where cool springs, mild summers and rich soil abounds and to a lesser degree on Long Island, New York.[10] Total United States production is approximately 32,000 tons, with a value of $27 million.[3] Ontario, Canada produces approximately 1,000 tons per year.[11]

80% to 85% of US production is for the frozen food market, with the remainder for fresh consumption.[10] Once harvested, sprouts last 3 to 5 weeks under ideal near-freezing conditions before wilting and discolouring, and about half as long at refrigerator temperature.[3] American varieties are generally 2.5–5 cm (0.98–2.0 in) in diameter.[3]

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i hate nobby greens i do

as for the cooking i think many people used toover cook them back in 50s\60s and they always seemed to me to be soft and mushy no matter who cooked them were as i know now lots of people like them a bit crisperso do not boil so long older son like me never did like veggies much younger son from starting to eat always loved them and i always had a bit of frozen veggies in the freezer in small portions just for him and he loved and still dose cabage colieflower and nobby greens by the time he was nine was cooking it himself and he still dose

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I steam cook brussels, carrots beans etc, hate overcooked veggies, and steaming seems to help retain the flavour of them.

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I steam all my veg too, in a steamer pan over a saucepan. I have never used a pressure cooker, I know those that have one, swear by it, but they scare me! LOL

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I know what you mean, when it gets full steam going and that thingy on top starts to rattle, I think it's going to blow!

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Love 'nobby greens', we can get fresh ones early in the year, from the local farmers market.

Don't bother with the frozen ones,they seem to taste bitter. Probably additives.

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My late Mum used a pressure cooker for a while, everything tasted the same, usually of the strongest veggie in the cooker. Yuck!

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I haven't had frozen brussels since I left the UK 32 years ago, can't even recall what they tasted like now.

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How come no one has mentioned the odd grub you would find, particularly in the frozen variety from the supermarkets. Still, just a few extra vitamins after all.

At least when my wife or mum prepared and cooked fresh ones, you could guarantee no additives!

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I love nobby greens. I had to laugh at the remarks by Katyjay and Stu. I could imagine them both hiding behind the kitchen table as the pressure cooker explodes and sends nobby greens flying all over the kitchen. It would make a great Monty Python sketch.

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OOOO You are awful......LOL

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