Brussel sprout stalks -- edible?

Question

I keep seeing brussel sprouts sold on their stalk for what seems a reasonable price -- if the stalk is actually edible. (if not, then it's just like buying "tomatoes on the vine", which taste incredible but do cost more).
 
I've had zero luck finding any recipes that use the stalk. Most searches I've done result in descriptions like "cut an X in the stalk", referring just to the hard base of each sprout.
 
Anyone have suggestions?

Answer

Chop the stalks, sprouts removed into about 4 inch pieces (any size that fits into your steamer will work but 4 inches is a nice manageable size for eating. Smaller takes time) with a cleaver (whack it!) and steam them for 25 minutes or longer. 

There is a tasty skin over its bamboo like "bone structure" that tastes like Brussels sprouts only with a different chewy texture. I like to chew off with my teeth. Then I pull off the "bamboo" layer that can be used as home siding or tooth picks, off to reveal the soft inside. The inner stem is similar to a broccoli stem but the flavor is sweeter, richer and creamier. 
If this seems like a giant waste of time to you, I also love eat steamed whole artichokes as tv watching nibbles. I like the pulling it apart and discovering and chewing the soft tasty meat off each leaf, stem etc. 
Brussels sprouts are better just off the stem but the STEMS are my new favorite, can only get it in the fall, snack food. I may be the only person who likes it...

Answer

Thanks Greygarious.Good to know I'm not alone. I love broccoli stems also, especially raw in a crudites scenario. Wonder if farmers are growing smaller stem varieties.

Answer

They're edible (for some value of edible) but the stalks tend to be tough and somewhat woody. When I buy them, I keep them in water, like flowers, and cut the ends off periodically: the last one was hard to saw through with any of my kitchen knives (the sprouts, btw, will stay fresh and scrumptious for a couple of weeks this way).

If anything, I'd either use them for stock, or try pressure-cooking them, but I don't think they're worth the trouble. After all, in some other B oleracea cultivars those stalks are used as walking sticks!

Answer

I hack them into 6" lengths, braise them in chicken broth for an hour or two, and then cut them lengthwise. Then I scoop out the pulp and spread that pâté on slices of French bread or crackers. Great appetizer. Needless to say, the resulting broth makes for an excellent soup base.

Answer

At Trader Joe's today, I got them on the stalk for $2.99, and one stalk yielded 1.5 lbs. Ready to microwave bag of sprouts cost $2.49 for 8 oz. They all look very fresh and I don't expect to have to trim the individual sprouts. I WILL be trimming the stalk to cook up. I just love broccoli stems, more than the flowers. Here's to more veggies in our lives!

~Alaskan Transplant

Answer

At my local farm stand the Brussel sprouts on the stalk were the same price as a pint that had been picked.
The stalk yielded at least 3 times the sprouts. It was very easy to remove the sprouts from the stalk. I played Huck Finn and said to my sweetheart: "Honey, this is so much fun. Would you like to snap off the sprouts." She was thrilled!!
I cut the larger ones into quarters and smaller ones in half. Stir fried with chopped bacon, pine nuts, spices and a drizzle of maple syrup and then roasted lightly. Yummy!!
Sorry to be so off topic but I never considered eating the stalk.

Answer

Inspired by this thread, I microwaved my stalk, hacked it open to see if there really was sprout marrow inside, and there was! I took out the funky middle hard squiggly tube, sprinkled it with salt and garlic powder, and ate the marrow with a spoon! Once I got over the mental image of "this is what I imagine a dissected penis would look like," it was actually very tasty!

Answer

The stalks are edible but you need a good whittler to remove the tough outer layer it might be too much work for the payoff for some. They are similar to broccoli stems.

Answer

Hi all,

I tried chopping my purple Brussels sprout stalk into chunks and microwaving for 2 mins in covered bake-ware container.

Chunks can then be chewed to get soft inner out, yummy, and if you want, then keep chewing (takes a while to breakdown), outer bark.
Or you decide, what you want to do with outer bark, e.g. use is soup, etc, or compost, etc

Answer

This is crazy, I bought Brussels sprout stalk @ the market ate the sprouts and through the stalk in the compost pile 6 mos later I found it starting too root, so I planted it and its starting to grow, am I going to be able to get editable sprouts off this baby again? I am not sure how to care for it or how to prune it? If there is anyone that knows this stuff can you get back to me with the right stuff on what and how to do or grow this baby....Nothing buit Love from me! TY....Cliffy

Answer

F.W.I.W. I dug up some black gold worm rich compost from my compost heap and noticed a Brussels stalk that had hardly begun to break down since sitting from last Fall. I had a hard time cutting it up with a shovel. Tough stuff!!

Answer

Tomatoes "On the vine" are sold by the pound. I only buy two or three at a time. I take them off the vine. Why pay for the weight of the vine?

Answer

I know I'm about 15 years late to this, but I did a search myself to see if anyone else has done what I do with the brussel sprout stalks.

I serve them as a vegetarian "bone marrow".

After harvesting the sprouts, I neaten up the exterior slightly, in that I trim down the branch/roots of the sprouts. Then I saw/cut the long stalk into no less than 4" up to 6" logs. I slow roast them for about 45 minutes at 275. Let them cool, and then slice them in half. I take those, and face/meat down pan roast them slightly in butter (or lipid of choice)

Serve them with crackers/toast points, a little salt, maybe some mustard or whatever other condiment you want. The interior will pull out like a pate, and taste like all the best parts of brussel sprouts.

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Brussel sprout stalks -- edible?

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