The Roller Coaster Journey of Swiss Brussels Sprouts
The development of the area under cultivation for Swiss Brussels sprouts is like a roller coaster ride: from around 55 hectares in 2010, the area almost doubled in eight years and was almost 100 hectares in 2018 before collapsing again.
Now, folks, this isn’t just a tale of veggies taking a sudden nosedive. Oh no, this is a saga worthy of the West End stage with all the drama of a Shakespearean tragedy mixed with the laugh-out-loud antics of a sitcom! Picture it: Switzerland—yodelling, cheese, and, of course, Brussels sprouts. But as it turns out, not all green vegetables enjoy the limelight equally.
It starts in autumn Rosenkohlsaison, where everyone thinks, “It’s time to tuck into some good old-fashioned sprouts!” But apparently, they come with more ups and downs than a teenager’s mood swings. While our friends in 2010, 2013, and 2018 could barely manage around 200 grams per head, by 2017, the sprout enthusiasts went wild! Almost 350 grams were consumed! But like an overzealous party guest, they quickly dwindled back to average in subsequent years. Honestly, it’s as if Brussels sprouts have their own version of the stock market, rising high one moment and crashing down the next.
Speaking of market fluctuations, let’s talk about those cultivated areas, shall we? It’s like watching a very confused game of musical chairs. From just around 55 hectares in 2010, sprout land ballooned to nearly 100 hectares by 2018! But, alas, dear friends, due to the disappearance of pesticides and probably some very grumpy farmers, the cultivated space took a sharp dive, much like my hopes of becoming an Olympic sprinter! After all, who wouldn’t want to grow more sprouts and embrace that fancy “organic” label, right?
But it gets worse! Here we are in 2022, strutting around with our 93 hectares, yet somehow only managing to harvest around 942 tons of these little green globes. Back in 2018, we were basking in the glory of a whopping 1,200 tons from the same swath of land. If only our Brussels sprouts could attend a motivational seminar on personal growth!
So let’s raise a glass in toast, not to the Brussels sprouts, but to the unpredictable drama they bring to our plates! What will the future hold? Who knows? Maybe next year they’ll join a gym and bulk up for the showdown. Or perhaps they’ll just resolutely cling to their mediocre reputation. One thing is certain: the saga of Swiss Brussels sprouts is sure to keep us munching—whether it’s through joy or reluctant acceptance.
In conclusion, fellow vegetable aficionados, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter in this verdant adventure! Will there be a comeback? Will we finally learn to love our Brussels sprouts? Stay tuned, because if there’s anything we’ve learned from the dizzying plot twists of agricultural statistics, it’s that you can never really count a Brussels sprout out!
The development of the area under cultivation for Swiss Brussels sprouts is like a roller coaster ride: from around 55 hectares in 2010, the area almost doubled in eight years and was almost 100 hectares in 2018 before collapsing again.
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It starts in autumn Rosenkohlsaison: But the vegetables are – or so it seems – not always equally popular. This is also reflected in the figures for per capita consumption and the figures for Cultivated areas in Switzerland.
While in 2010, 2013 and 2018 only around 200 grams eaten per head were in the peak year In 2017 almost 350 grams. In the remaining years, per capita consumption was somewhere in between.
And those too Cultivation area for Swiss Brussels sprouts varies: The cultivated area increased from around 55 hectares in 2010 to almost 100 hectares in 2018. Due, among other things, to the disappearance of pesticides, the cultivated area in Switzerland has since collapsed sharply before recovering somewhat. The harvest volumes, on the other hand, have hardly recovered: in both 2018 and 2022, Brussels sprouts were grown on 93 hectares – but in 2018, a harvest of a good 1,200 tons was produced on this area, and in 2022 there were only around 942 tons of Brussels sprouts harvested on the same area. (Source: lid.ch)
