No pesticides - what are the consequences in the field?
January 2023
This week around half of you lovely veg boxers are getting sprouts. The summer & autumn were particularly tough on the sprouts and we are having to leave about half of them in the field to decompose naturally.
The hot weather meant the aphids had a lovely time and the outer leaf has tiny spots on them from a fungus due to a wetter & much milder autumn.
Therefore, the sprouts are deteriorating faster than other years and there are not many left that LOOK perfect. Hence with this weeks sprouts I recommend peeling a layer before you cook them. They taste great so do let us know what you think!
Compared to sprouts that get sprayed every few weeks to stop aphids and fungus, our sprouts do taste so much better. I just wish taste was considered more important than looks in supermarkets, then we would have a much more sustainable food system.
When I am on the street promoting veg boxes many people tell me they don't like sprouts. But I find ours are much sweeter than the bigger, commercially-farmed sprouts. My observation is that pesticides have destroyed their taste and now a lot of people will not even touch them. It's a shame as sprouts are packed with lots of vitamins.
