July has been declared Brussels Sprouts Awareness Month by NZ Gardener after a nationwide survey found they were New Zealanders' most hated vegetable.
New Zealand's most popular green was a close race, with potatoes narrowly beating tomatoes to the number one spot. But when it came to the vege we dislike most, Brussels sprouts were a clear winner, receiving more than twice as many votes as our second most loathed  (the broad bean). Only 16 people of the thousands who responded to the survey picked the Brussels sprout as their favourite vege.
"This is a vegetable crying out for a makeover," says the editor of New Zealand Gardener, Jo McCarroll. "People don't realise that Brussels sprouts can be delicious. Plus they're great for you, full of fibre, folic acid and cancer fighting compounds. A Brussels sprout contains more vitamin C, by weight, than an orange. That's why we've declared July to be Brussels Sprout Awareness Month. We want to stop sproutism and for people to give these cute little cabbages a second taste."
In an attempt to sex up the Brussels sprouts reputation, Luke Dallow, the owner of Auckland's nightspot Sale Street, has created a Brussels sprout cocktail to encourage Kiwis to enjoy a sprout on their next night out. 'The Brussels Mary', which blends two raw Brussels sprouts with, among other things, tomato juice, vodka and Worcestershire sauce, will be sold at Sale Street bar over July to help reinvent our perception of this vege-no-mates.
So why is the Brussels sprout so despised? The most often cited reason given for disliking Brussels sprouts in the NZ Gardener survey was childhood trauma caused by being forced to eat them while growing up.
"But we grow different varieties now which are a lot sweeter than they used to be and they are harvested when smaller and younger," says commercial Brussels sprout grower Steph Rollinson who's joined the campaign calling on Kiwis to give sprouts another try. Steph, with her husband Bruce, sells about 20 tonnes of Brussels sprouts a year grown on their Ohakune property, Snow Country Gardens. Sprouts, which are harvested over winter, like wet and cold conditions and it takes a good chill to release their natural sweetness. The Rollinsons have been on the farm for 11 years but sprouts have been grown on the property for 40 years and in the area for 80, Steph says. Over that time the demand for sprouts has dropped, she admits. "Well, there's so many other vegetables available at this time of year now. Twenty years ago you wouldn't have even been able to get broccoli over winter, sprouts were it."
But the team at NZ Gardener is determined to see sprouts restored to their rightful place as cabbages' cuter cousins and a delicious option both for keen winter vege growers and for Kiwi diners.
"Try them thinly sliced and pan fried with almonds," says Jo. "Or just trim the stalk, lose any loose leaves and drop them into boiling, salted water for five minutes. You don't need to put a cross on the bottom; in fact it often leads to them becoming waterlogged and overcooked. Toss the cooked sprouts with bacon pieces and roasted walnuts and even the most vehement anti-sproutist will be converted."
There are fashions with vegetables, as with anything else, says Alistair Petrie, New Zealand general manager for Turners & Growers. Brussels sprouts are one of the company's lowest volume products, he says ("on par with asparagus and spring onions") so it's fair to say they aren't exactly in vogue. "They're not what I'd call high fliers at the moment," Alistair admits. "They're more niche product, like parsnips. There's a hard core group of people who like them but maybe now we are looking at an older generation. They aren't what we call a growing category."
But New Zealand Gardener would like to see Brussels sprouts back at the top of the crops. "Give Brussels sprouts another go," Jo begs. "Stop the sprout drought. Eat a sprout today."