Brussels Sprouts

ATLANTA — Once the villain at dinner tables everywhere, Brussels sprouts are turning over a new, deliciously sauteed leaf.

The vegetable — which grows on a stalk and resembles a shrunken cabbage — is becoming a regular fixture in restaurants. And it is making appearances on more than just menus; it is showing up on South Georgia vegetable farms, too.

The green, leafy buds don’t traditionally grow in the Peach State. Most Brussels sprouts produced in the United States come from California, where they thrive in a drier climate with steadier temperatures.

Increased demand, however, is making vegetable producers here see green.

Kevin Coggins is among the commercial growers in Georgia who are starting to see more interest from grocery stores and other buyers.

Last fall, he decided to give them a shot at his farm near Valdosta, Georgia. He dedicated less than a quarter acre to what he described as “just playing.”

“I was just trying to see if it would work, and it’s works,” Coggins said.

He recently cut down the stalks — just because he couldn’t stomach another bite.

“I ate a lot of Brussels sprouts, and my friends did, too,” he said.

Growers are very much in the flirtation phase with the crop. They’re still learning the basics, like which varieties work best and when they should be planted.

Even after that’s settled, another challenge looms.

If small buds do not grow evenly on the stalk, they have to be manually cut as they mature.

“That is where the labor can be prohibitive, because it takes a lot of little sprouts to fill up a box,” said Tim Coolong, an extension vegetable specialist in Tifton.

Mature operations, like those in California, grow the vegetable more evenly and use pricey equipment for harvesting.

That leaves Georgia farmers with a conundrum.

“To get the economics right, you almost need a harvesting machine,” Coolong said. “But you have to see if you can get the economics right before you’re going to invest that sort of money.”

Bill Brim, owner of Lewis Taylor Farms in Tifton, said he found Brussels sprouts to be more trouble than they’re worth.

“When you’re selling it for $25 or $30 and it’s costing you $50 a box to harvest it, it just doesn’t add up real fast,” he said.

The grower tried Brussels sprouts a few times. With the last go, it didn’t even bother harvesting.

“We just mowed it down,” Brim said. “Couldn’t get enough money for it to make it worthwhile.”

As a crop, Brussels sprouts have been compared to another vegetable that has not traditionally grown in Georgia — broccoli.

Lewis Taylor Farms led the effort to introduce broccoli to the state. Now, there are a couple thousand or so acres in Georgia, Coolong said.

If a large commercial grower can do the same with Brussels sprouts, production might just catch on, he said.

Coggins, for one, said he’ll continue to experiment, and he’ll consider adding the vegetable to his lineup if demand continues to grow.

“It was something that nobody wanted and now, all of sudden, you’re starting to see people asking for them,” he said.

Jill Nolin covers the Georgia Statehouse for CNHI’s newspapers and websites. Reach her at jnolin@cnhi.com.