Sprout has it’s day in the sun

As brussels sprouts continue to infiltrate cooking shows and high-end restaurants, producers Bruce Adams says its flexibility and low cost is leading to a growing interest.

Bruce Adams of Adams Brothers Coldstream. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

The humble brussels sprout is continuing to infiltrate cooking shows and high-end restaurants, leading to what Coldstream grower Bruce Adams says is a growing interest in a vegetable that is both healthy and cheap.

“I class brussels sprouts as the health food of the nation,” Bruce said.

“I think people are realising you just don’t have to boil them or throw them into a fry pan and cook them until they lose all their goodness out of them … they’re far more flexible than your broccolis and cauliflowers.”

Bruce classes brussels sprouts as the “health food of the nation”. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Bruce grows about 900,000 plants on about 40 hectares every year at Adams Brothers Coldstream, with the multi-generational business making it through a slow start to the season.

“We’ve had our issues this year. We picked up a bit of disease earlier on that set us back a bit and had a bit of an ongoing impact … we did lose 7-8 acres of sprouts,” Bruce said.

“But we’re out of that now … demand has been steady, and prices up to this point in time have been quite good.

“It’s sprout weather in Coldstream, the temperatures have been down around single figures, 3-4 degrees … the pickers aren’t too happy with it but the sprouts love the cold weather.”

Production value of brussels sprouts in Australia grew 53 per cent to $42.1m in 2022-23, according to the Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook, while consumption per capita also jumped 46 per cent.

Bruce is now handing over the reins of the operation to his two sons Daniel and Jeremy, and said it’s “wonderful” working with his family.

“Especially this time of year, it’s pretty physical work so I can’t do a lot of it, but I’m just here for advice and to help out where I can,” he said.