WEATHER EYE
Small problem with Brussels sprouts
Plus: the weather forecast where you are
Growers reported good weather conditions and an increased crop of sprouts in 2021 – but not this year
JOE GIDDENS/PA WIRE
Brussels sprouts are something of a superfood, packed with four times the vitamin C of an orange, rich in folic acid and fibre and other goodness. But in the run-up to Christmas, when sprouts are in huge demand, these humble vegetables are facing a tough time, being far smaller than usual, and the problem has been the weather.
In windswept fields lashed by heavy rains, the usual tall stems of the plants are no longer standing proud and upright but are leaning over each other like drunks. The largest sprouts grow towards the bottom of the plant stalks, but these prized specimens have turned yellow and are rotting, with about 20 per cent of them going to waste. Only the sprouts higher up the stems
