Brussels sprouts

The last harvest standing: Brussels sprouts picked from October into December, sweeter after every frost. A mid June sowing is the whole trick; started too early, they size up in warm weather and taste like it.

Growing

Sow indoors in mid June, four to six weeks ahead of a July transplant, and let the long fall run to October build the sprouts. Give each plant a 7 to 10 gallon bag or bed space plus a stake, because a loaded three-foot stalk catches November wind like a sail. Feed at planting and again in late August; it is a long season with a big plant at the end of it. Snap off lower leaves as sprouts form and pick from the bottom up as they firm to an inch. Leave the stalks standing into December; snow on the plant is storage, not a problem. Water the whole season through without slacking; sprouts that fatten in October are built on moisture the plant banked in August.

Varieties

Diablo and Hestia size up reliably in a Hudson Valley fall; Long Island Improved is the region's own heirloom for the patient.

Pests

Cabbage aphids are the particular menace, colonizing the sprouts themselves in gray crowds; blast them with water early and keep checking weekly from September. The usual cabbageworms chew leaves all summer, and netting the young plants keeps both problems from settling in. Frost ends the insect season entirely, one more argument for the late harvest.

In the kitchen

Halved and roasted hard, or shaved raw with lemon and pecorino. A whole December stalk hauled inside makes the point better than any seed catalog.