Red Ball

[150] Resembling a combination between the purple sprouting broccoli and the standard Brussel sprout, this new variety pleases both the eye and the palate with small, sweet sprouts and a crimson red colour that deepens as the seasons change and the frosts come on. The sprouts are a bit smaller than green Brussel sprouts, but they’re ever so much sweeter. The leaves are good too. In fact, both the sprouts and the leaves are sweet enough to be used raw in salads, but also taste lovely steamed or braised.

Like purple sprouting broccoli, Red Ball Brussel sprouts fill the winter hunger gap between January and March and produce all the way from September to April. They’re also a favourite with bees and other beneficial insects, so if you want to provide some early nectar for your pollinators, let them go to flower.