The small little balls looked ready to harvest. Our community garden manager, high school intern, and I looked at them for about a week. “I’ve never grown Brussels sprouts before,” we confessed to one another. At the next staff meeting we consulted with Jack – technically the ASPI Librarian, but also eater of all things growing, including enough wild things to make a salad of native plants for supper each night.

“Oh, they’re ready. I was wondering if we had a plan for them.”

The plan was market. We have a steady group of folks who regular the Mt. Vernon Farmers’ Market, and they want tomatoes, beans, corn, and cukes. People hesitantly eye the eggplant and basil. There is a little market for herbs and squash. How to price, then, those little round balls?

First, we taste-tested. We didn’t want to put anyone off Brussels sprouts forever with a bitter, late-harvested batch. Glorious – there is no comparison with the frozen supermarket sprouts I had cooked for my family.

Our garden manager, Sarah, labeled (ambitiously, I thought) the quart baskets $4.00. Our intern and Sarah have taken them to the last two markets. I have arrived half way through each market. The Brussels Sprout baskets were empty. I will be arriving at the start of the market today, $4.00 in hand.