The season for Flandria sprouts is set to hit its stride this month, according to LAVA, the group comprising the six main fruit and vegetable auctions in Belgium.
This season, the group anticipates a smaller harvest and smaller sized sprouts due to the weather conditions, but quality is expected to be very high.
Since sprouts are grown exclusively outdoors, production and quality depend heavily on the weather. 'The extremely dry summer has driven the harvests down a little, but this makes no difference to the quality of the product,' says grower Koen Verbruggen from Leest, Antwerp. 'Cooler nights, sunny days and an east wind are the weather ingredients that guarantee attractive and tasty sprouts.'
From November to February, the Flandria auctions expect a constant supply of sprouts, with a peak period in December and around the festive season. Production continues until early April.
