CASTROVILLE, CA - Slice, shave, halve, broil, BBQ them—Brussels sprouts continue to rank high in the vegetable category across holiday dishes and menus. With their earthy flavor and hearty texture, Brussels sprouts consistently play a versatile role on the plate—shifting between savory to sweet applications, sides to centerpieces.
“We know they’re full of all kinds of good stuff—vitamins, protein, fiber—which offer help in everything from regulating blood sugar levels to supporting digestive health and fighting against lots of bad diseases that are brought upon us largely by a bad diet,” Lori Bigras, Communications Manager with Ocean Mist® Farms, shares.
Ocean Mist Farms offers Brussels sprouts in its lineup of gold-standard vegetables, a boon for retail and foodservice partners. The company grows them in three different growing regions throughout the year, ensuring a steady year-round supply to the marketplace.
“For the holiday push, quality is looking excellent as we are currently harvesting from Northern and Southern California growing regions—giving us promotable volumes to meet the demand of fulfilling our customers’ holiday orders,” Ben Wilson, Commodity Manager, advises. “Knowing how Brussels sprouts demand increases over the fall/winter holiday season, we make sure to have the volumes to support our customers’ orders.”
The beauty of this category is in its evolution in flavor and preparation. Today, Brussels sprouts are enjoyed in a variety of ways including sautéed, roasted, stir-fried, air-fried, in salads, on skewers—even on pizzas.
“They are here to stay with more and more unique ways to enjoy them popping up regularly from culinary professionals and food influencers near and far,” Lori tells me. “We continue to help restaurants and at-home chefs innovate on the plate with recipes and usage ideas from around the flavor palate.”
One tasty holiday Brussels sprouts recipe from Ocean Mist Farms is featured in The Snack’s December issue: Brussels Sprouts Salad with Poppyseed Dressing.
With cross-merchandising a continuous hit in driving sales, recipes prove an ideal place to begin building displays.
Keep checking back with AndNowUKnow as we highlight the produce department and all its holiday category highlights.
