Brussels Sprouts Preservation

1. Trim the stems of the Brussels sprouts, remove any wilted or damaged outer leaves, and cut each sprout vertically in half through the stem.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil.
3. Add water and ice to another large bowl.
4. Add a couple handfuls of sprouts at a time to the boiling water, cover and blanch for 3-5 minutes.
5. Using tongs or a strainer remove sprouts and place in ice water for the same amount of time. Repeat until all sprouts are done. Drain.
6. Squeeze excess water from them.
7. Spread the cooled and dried Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet and freeze for about an hour.
8. Once the Brussels sprouts have firmed up in the freezer, transfer them to one or more resealable freezer bags/containers, label and date them, and freeze for up to a year.

Frozen Brussels sprouts will thaw quickly at room temperature, so you don’t need to plan far in advance to use them. After a few minutes they’ll be ready to roast, sauté, grill, or braise, and more. Because they’ve already been blanched, frozen Brussels sprouts won’t work as well in raw salads or slaws, where their crunch is essential, but that softness will be ideal for slow cooker recipes, as well as soups and stews.

The key to dehydrating sprouts in the oven is to use the lowest temperature possible (or 125 degrees Fahrenheit, if yours goes that low).  If your oven doesn’t go below 200 degrees, you might want to leave the door open a crack to prevent the sprouts from getting too hot and burning.

1. Trim the stems of the Brussels sprouts, remove any wilted or damaged outer leaves, and cut each sprout vertically in half through the stem.
2. Blanche sprouts in boiling water for 4-5min. Remove from boiling water and cool in a bowl of ice water.
3. Dry off blanched sprouts before spreading on trays, cut side up.
4. Dry at 140 degrees F (60°C) in an oven or dehydrator.
5. If necessary, turn large pieces over every 3 to 4 hours during the drying period.
6. Dry for 12-18 hours in a dehydrator or 24-36 hours in a conventional oven. Dried Brussels sprouts should be tough to brittle.
7. Allow to cool completely before storing. Properly stored, dried sprouts keep well for 6 – 12 months.

So your Brussels sprouts are dried… now what?
Store in an airtight container and reconstitute by adding to soups and stews or dipping in hot water. If you’ve pre-seasoned the sprouts, they can be eaten ‘as is’ as a healthy, crunchy, snack.

We always recommend processing pickles in a boiling water canner to ensure the safety of your preserved food.

1. Do your boiling water canner prep work (see under Pickling + Fermenting on our preservation page)
2. Trim the stems of the Brussels sprouts, and remove any wilted or damaged outer leaves.
3. Blanche sprouts in boiling water for 4-5min. Remove from boiling water and cool in a bowl of ice water.
4. Combine brine ingredients in a large pot, bring to a boil and simmer for 5min.
5. Fill half pint or pint jars with sprouts and pour hot pickling solution into each jar leaving a 1/2 inch of headroom.
6. Place in boiling water canner and boil for 10 minutes.
7. Remove jars from the canner with tongs and allow to cool at room temperature.
8. Do a little happy dance with each pop of the seal that you hear.
9. Wait 10-14 days before opening pickles. Once pickled, sealed jars kept in a cool dark place will last 12 months. Once opened, a jar will last for 2+ weeks in the fridge.

Not into water bath canning? You can turn these into quick pickles simply by slicing the sprouts in halves or quaters before blanching and putting the jar in the fridge after filling and cooling. Quick pickled sprouts are good in the fridge for up to two weeks.