Hello Brussels! Here come the Valencia's!

That is, Valencia Oranges...

I can't think of a better way to begin February, than with sweet succulent oranges, can you?

We have had baskets and baskets of oranges from my neighbor's tree.  She had enough to go around 20 times, and she did.  Gifting so many to neighbors and family. (our 5 year old orange tree gave us 1 orange this year, haha! - but it was beyond good)

We are sooo thankful.  As we normally bring home bags of oranges from the store every week for morning fresh juicing.  So, this is a grand gift.

They are sooooooo good. Sweet like candy.

I have orange marmalade in the works as well.

Oh yes, February, such a good month!

Love is in the air.

Hearts are the symbol.

Seeds are getting planted.

Thoughts of roses begin to grow, as baby buds begin to be born.

Time to dust the dry ones from last year...

And then, there's Brussels!

Sprouts, that is.

:)

In my garden, growing as I type.

Literally, growing brussels sprouts has been like waiting for a baby.

Not that I know what waiting for a baby is like.

But, I can pretend.

The total time of growth has been 9 months...

The reason for this is that, babies (sprouts) don't turn up until it gets cold.  So, I planted the seeds last spring, and they grew and grew and grew into huge plants.

Then, in December, babies started to show up...

Growing bigger and bigger, little by little.

And, since I am rather patient it seems, I enjoyed their slow pace.

They have about a week or two to go.

In the meantime, I found out through lots of reading, that I needed to remove the giant leaves between the growing babes.  Which I have done in the photos above.

And, that the leaves are delicious and edible.

Which my neighbor and I had debated on in October.

Both agreeing.

We should eat them.

Both being lovers of cabbage and spinach and all.

I am a huge veggie fan.

I have not found a vegetable that I don't like yet.

Anyhow, I set out to trim off stalk leaves...

Finding myself with ever so many, I bundled them up and shared with one of my neighbors. (the one who gifted the oranges in fact)

Then I came home and prepared mine.

And, can I just say...

They were incredibly delicious.

I rolled up the thick waxy leaves, tightly from top to bottom, and then chopped them up right to left...

I heated up olive oil in a pan while I chopped up lots of garlic and sweet onions.

I popped the garlic and onions into the olive oil, let them cook for a couple of minutes, and then tossed in the brussels leaf greens.

A little garlic salt with parsley to taste...

Followed by some slivered almonds and craisins.

Oh, and a hearty slurp of balsamic vinegar.

I invent as I go along.

How to describe them?

The texture was not chewy, but not soft like spinach.

Perfect really.

A lovely texture.

The flavor was, mild and delicious.

A new fave.

The one thing that happened to me -

As soon as I ate them, I had this massive jolt of energy.

Not sure if it was all in my head or not :)

They were yummy.

Accompanied by homemade fish cakes (not batter dipped, but browned in olive oil) and another one of my handmade breads...

I am getting all the baking I can in, because when summer comes, which is really April to October here, there will be little to no baking in the heat.

I am so impressed by the edibility (is that a word?) of the brussels sprout plant leaves.  And still, we get to eat the scrumptious sprouts soon.  And then, I hear there will be a large cabbage like creature atop the plant after I harvest the sprouts.  Which, is said to be tender and delicious as well.

Are you a veggie lover?

Which are your faves?

I am planting brussels sprouts again this year for sure!

Happy first day of February!!!

Cha cha cha cha, cha cha!

Love, V

 

 

 

ps:  My blog archives are down, and Typepad (my blog service) is working on fixing that. 

Also, afancifultwist.com (one of the domain names that brings people here to my blog through Network Solutions) is down again too.  Network Solutions has given me so much grief this month.  I can't think about it or I will cry from anger.  But, in case you are wondering, that is the issue.  1 month of pain in the tooshie nonsense with that company,  I tell ya.  I am trying not to think about it.

I am doing that trick, where, you force yourself to smile, and all of a sudden you feel lighter.  Have you tried that?  It works.  It sends sparkly waves to your brain and heart.  Watch, try it.  Tell me if it works for you?

♥

 

pss:  Random song tid-bit.  Only because it is still in my head, after singing it on the phone to my sister at full lung capacity last night :)

That is one of the perks about having my sister.  She gets to see my extra wacky side.  She is the only person in the world who knows my secret dance moves.  I am not sure if she likes it (the wackiness), but she gets to have it either way.

Comments

[BobbypinBandit]

I totally love your wackiness! I had no idea your dance moves were secret.

I don't remember you singing this song to me... but I remember like five other songs you were singing...

[Christina Persson]

How wonderful to see everything you grow!!!! I am soooo a veggie fan and my new favourites are beet root, spinach, green cabbage and fennel and I´m constantly extending my cuisine with new soups of vegetables.
This past autumn I started to practice in a green house, and now we´re planting seeds for herbs and vegetables. Hope to use this knowledge in my own garden. Your site is a GREAT INSPIRATION!!! Thank you soo much!

[Kristin Taylor]

the leaves remind me of collard greens..do they taste similar??

Also I would like to tell you, I have had a terrible day (feel like crying because im so stressed/over worked/ and completely wore down) and I have not once smiled today..until you said 'go ahead an try the force smile trick'...and i did, and ended up laughing about it..your blog always cheer me up..:) Thank you...

[Kim]

Vanessa:

I adore Brussel's Sprouts and I've always dreamed of having a huge vegetable garden. But alas ~ I am stuck in the pits of suburbia (at least for now). Someday, I'm gonna get me a patch of land and grow all sorts of yummy edibles. For now, I grow lots of flowers, but few foods.

I think if I lived with you, I would weigh 724 pounds! The breads alone would be too much to say no to! I guess I could work off the extra calories by helping you in the garden! :)

xoxo
Kim
Gerushia's New World

[Magickwryds]

My word those oranges are ORANGE! And so many of them- whatever will you do with all of them? Marmalade? Mmmm- makes me think of my childhood, and my mother. . . maybe I should make some, too! Thank you Vanessa- Just the perk I needed today. Thanks for sharing!

[A Fanciful Twist]

RhoAnna - I found the best recipe for Orange Marmalade, the day before all
the oranges came into my life. Isnt that funny? Well, we go through
about a dozen a day - so, they will last not too long I think :) You must
make orange marmalade as well. It feels so old fashioned and lovely just
thinking about it, doesnt it?

[A Fanciful Twist]

Christina, practicing in a greenhouse sounds sublime!!! If you have
not already, take a peek at those old episodes of The Victorian Kitchen Garden
on youtube.com they are so wonderful!

[A Fanciful Twist]

Kristin, see see, the smile thing really works. I force myself to do
it sometimes, and it just gets better. Makes your heart smile. When
work stinks, just remember, there is a magical world you can escape to in your
mind when you leave that place.

By the way, they are a little like collard greens - but not stringy or
tough in any way, or chewy. Many folks think there are much easier to eat
and more enjoyable that collards. From what I have read, that is ;)

Have a beautiful better evening and a smiley rest of your week, okay?
;)

[A Fanciful Twist]

Oh Kim, 724??? You are sooooo funny ;) Well, there is soooo
much to do around here - you would certainly get your work out ;) You can
grow some foods - I know you can, maybe? Especially upwards - on cone
trellises and such. You could do small pumpkins and tomatoes that grow
up??? Oh yes yes, that would be grand!! Love,
V

[Jessica]

Vanessa I am so glad that you are eating veggies and growing veggies and enjoying the oranges :) It must be so nice to have lots of space where you can home-grow all of your food. I would have to say that my favorite vegetable is... broccoli or peas. Love peas. They are delicious!!

I hope you are having a wonderful time baking the day away!

Have a great rest of your week!

xoxo Jess

P.s. Don't worry about the technical glitches. Everything must get better!!!

[A Fanciful Twist]

Miss Jessica,

Oh yes, we eat much more healthy stuff than bad stuff. Funnily though, all
the bad stuff is so pretty, its what gets shown ;)

I loooooooooove peas too! And, the broccoli is almost ready to eat
;)

[Nikki]

Hi Vanessa,

Hope you don't mind me dropping by... I've been enjoying your beautiful blog since your Halloween party.

I have to admit I'm not a great citrus lover, but those oranges could definitely change my mind!! Sweetcorn is probably my favourite veggie of all!

I always look forward to reading your posts and seeing your enchanting photographs. Keep up the amazing work, your blog always makes me smile :)

Nikki xx

[Kelly]

Hello Vanessa, I can not say I would eat the brussel sprouts, never liked them as a child. Maybe, I should give them a try again? I must say the cooked greens the way you have prepared them, look tempting and I would be willing to try them and might I have some slivered almonds with it? Tee He He! I love how these brussel sprouts grow! They are rather fascinating to look at.
I too am fond of getting wackoo with my sis and I wish she lived closer. We can laugh so hard sometimes. Yup, I am going to put that smile on now, thank you, it helps!
I like veggies but love the sweets and breads more! Yikes!
Ok, my vote is for artichokes! Yum! Do you grow these

[Prudence Puddleduck]

I could smell the leaves cooking from HERE!
I love learning new things, and thanks to you, I appear ever so enlightened with my produce guy...fresh is frozen here ♥Debi

[Miss Linda]

Oh, Miss Vanessa....How your garden does grow. Just beautiful

Everyone has secrets...I love it.

[A Fanciful Twist]

Kelly,

I have to say - some people prepare brussels sprouts in the most awful
way. When I was little I found that, I either got a lovely buttery sprout,
or one that smelled and tasted like really bad 110 year old mans breathe
:)

I prepare them in a very savory way, with a bit of balsamic reduced to a
caramel - so I make sure the bad breathe bit is totally gone. I cant wait
to see what these are like. ;)))

[A Fanciful Twist]

Oh Prudence, I got such a smile ;) I am so glad you appear
enlightened with the produce guy. You should ask him when he is going to
get in some brussels sprout leaves ;) Actually, I read that farmers
markets in England have them more and more, and are served as a delicacy in
fancy restaurants there? I wonder if this is true?
;)

[A Fanciful Twist]

Miss Linda, I agree, secrets are the best. Especially ones you share
with those you love, which are like, super special silly inside secrets ;)

[A Fanciful Twist]

Nikki,

Thank you so much for stopping in + saying hello! How lovely
indeed. Thanks for the pretty photos props. It is so good to know
that folks are peeking in. It really boosts me to keep blogging ;)
You are so sweet! Speaking of sweet, I have some sweet corn I grew, frozen
in my fridge. I think I should cook it up today. Thanks for the
reminder ;) Happy DAY!!

[Heidi Anderson]

Helloooooo! ;D I just love love love it all! (can't seem to pin myself to one thing or even three so there it is) I had the best salad yesterday at the Wildflower Cafe and I felt so light and alive...it reminded me that I haven't had anything too fresh in much too long :( and so it was much needed, and this is a very timely post! Beautiful, as always Lady V ;) Do you have any special salad recipies you can share as I am trying to get back 'into it'?? Thank you!!! XO Heidi

[Queenie Believe]

Your brussel babies are awesome!! What a fun plant to grow!!! I am head over heels in love with veggies... Honey Man's nick-name for Queenie is Rabbit :o)
As we have not quite gotten our garden up and running be belong to a local farm co-op and get a big bag of fresh lovely veggies each week. YUMMY!
Have a great day.
Always, Queenie
P.S. I'm soooo sorry you are having computer service grief.... sending waves of happy thoughts your way.

[Nathalie Gagnon]

Love your post...I have never seen brussel sprouts growing...hmmm those big leaves. Do they taste like beet greens? I steam my brussel sprouts and add butter and Quebec maple syrup...pretty Canadian, eh? I too would love some salad recipe ideas....
Thanks!
Nathalie

[Renee]

The oranges look so good. I love oranges.

And veggies. We've never grown brussel sprouts and I didn't know you could eat the leaves but it makes sense.

We eat lots of veggies and grow them, too. My faves green beans, peas, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, all kinds of squashes, okra. I make cabbage kind of like you did will have to try it your way.

I've been pouring over the pages of a Burpee catalog. Wanting a couple of way too many things.

[Raven Moon Magic]

brussel sprout soup is my most favorite soup ever, its so hard for people to fathom, it sounds so gross, but sooo yummy, and I have the best recipe for brassica bitter leaves like what you picked here and kales, they can still be so bitter after cooking. I put a tablespoon of butter on a pan and fry up the finely sliced leaves until they wilt, pour on milk till nearly covered and let it boil as crazily rapidly as it can till all the milk has evaporated, you are left with this speckly cheese all thru this wonderfully tender and yummy greens, This is my best winter recipe, so may people use it now

so please give it a go xxx
love those perfect oranges too mmmmm

xxx
sheree

[A Fanciful Twist]

Hi there Heidi,

oh I loooove salads too. In fact, I made a huge one today with
red bell peppers and sweet onions (thinly sliced, and mushrooms and lettuce from
the garden. I also love to put garbanzo beans and ice cold peas in my
salad. Yummmms. I make all my own dressings. Olive oil, lemon,
honey and a small teaspoon of mayo, salted to taste - can be so lovely if you
want a heartier dressing. I mostly make garlic salt, red wine vinegar,
olive oil and sugar dressing. So delicious and as my friend would say
instead of tangy - So sparkly. Salad Love ;)

[A Fanciful Twist]

Queenie Believe, a bag of co-op veggies sounds divine!!! I loved a movie I
saw about a veggie co-op, but the name escapes me now........ Have a super
lovely day you lovely wabbit ;)

[Jeanne Kelly]

I love those little brusseley sprouts too - grew up eating them in our colder climate in MA - yummy!
- could i ask what kind of camera you use?

[A Fanciful Twist]

Nathalie, I love that you through in the eh!!! tee hee, I love that
;) I have a dear Canadian friend, Diane, and you reminded me of her.
The brussels leaves didnt taste like beet greens - although I love them as
well. And then only time I like spaghetti is when it is super thin and
tossed with beet tops that have been sauteed and make the noodles pink!!!
Lets see, what did the leaves taste like...... hmmm..... I dont
know. They didnt taste like anything, not like cabbage or collard greens
- they tasted like super duper mild brussels sprouts. And the texture was
not soft like spinach, but tougher, only not in a bad way, but in a very very
good way. I know that doesnt help at all, hahahahaa!!
;)

[A Fanciful Twist]

Renee, I know what you mean about the Burpee catalog. I have gotten
so many garden and seed catalogs. They are sooo tempting!!!I had to
send some to a fellow blogger, because I was about to fall off the edge ;)
Out of sight out of mind. Or so they say ;))) I love veggies
too. Only, I just remembered I am a little funny about tomatoes. I
hate when they are warm or wooly. I love them vine ripened and fresh
;)

[A Fanciful Twist]

Beautiful Sheree,

I simply must try your soup!!!! Mmmmmm! Oh, one thing about
these leaves that you reminded me - no bitterness at all. I think they are
so high on my list of good things now. I mean really good things. In
fact, I am craving them again. I will cook up some more tomorrow. It
is so nice to see you ! xoxo

[michelle]

love New Order!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Heidi Anderson]

Oooo Sparkly! :D If only you could see my shoes today! Sparkly gold ballet flats heehee! Goes with the salad posts....hey 'if the shoe fits'...HA! I will have to play with dressings, I've always been too timid for that. I agree that the more in salads the better, and LOOVE garbonzos and peas- mmmmmmm! Thanks!!! :)

[Rita]

vanessaaa in Rome it is snoooowing! It' s an unusual state here :)

[A Fanciful Twist]

OH YAY!!! Snow in Italy!!!!

[agneta]

Olala & Mama Mia

As ususal..... I just just love your cyberhome!

Agneta, the swedish one ,)

[Theresa]

Can you believe that I don't care for oranges? LOL Although yours look fabulous. Now I DO love brussels sprouts, which I know some people don't care for. Go figure!!!! In any event, how wonderful that you have all this fresh lovely deliciousness to eat!!! :) Happy February, dear friend! xoxo

[Alice]

I love this! I also want to start a small veggie garden this spring :) I saw some ornamental cabbages at the botannical gardens this weekend, hopefully other (edible) greens are just as pretty.

[Daly @ HypoallergenicDogFood]

It's so nice to see those bright orange colors when the whole of Europe is covered in snow! Wonderful contrast

[writer jobs]

I love the Valencia produce....can't wait to go back and visit my family.

[Chris]

LOVE that song! And we are having kale and loving it. And our lemons... isn't winter groovy that way?!

I just now noticed that you answer comments in the comments section. Can you believe that? I don't usually read comments, since I have so little time to catch up with blogs as it is! I'm sorry if you've ever commented to me because I didn't go back! I think spinach is the bomb. I feel like making a spinach pie, now. warm crispy crust and... spinach?! yay!

oops, it's pouring outside! Time to turn on the oven...

Happy Valentine's Day, my friend!