[jambop]

Well it looks like I have some smallish sprouts for Christmas dinner. When picking them do you just take a few of the larger ones from each plant? Sounds daft but I don't want the plants to suffer by removing too many from one plant.

[Christine]

The general advice I've been given is to start at the bottom and pick the bigger ones. This allows the smaller ones to develop.

[sunshineband]

Yes that is what I do, rather than cut the whole stalk. Those little ones carry on growing. plus you can eat the leafy top as greens too

[heygrow]

Can you cut the top leaves before all the sprouts are harvested, or will it weaken the plant?

[jambop]

Great I will just take a few of the larger ones from each plant and let the other grow on. The are a little smaller than the ones you would buy but the are very much greener that is a deep green colour. Looking forward to trying them. I suppose the leaves would be good in soup? There is a very famous soup down this neck of the woods called "garbure" the French put cabbage into that. It is a strange sort of cabbage it grows very tall and the leaves are actually quite like that of the sprout, they just pick a few leaves from each plant the plants grow on for months.

[Christine]

I wonder if that cabbage you are talking about is kale?