The halls are beginning to get decked, the high streets are adorned with lights that are switched on by minor celebrities and tomorrow is the first Sunday in advent. Every household has its own traditions over the festive season, we have many. One being that I make a wreath to hang on the door during Christmas. Over the years they have evolved from a quite traditional wreath to last year’s alternative, yet still festive, creation.
Wreaths should traditionally contain green with both the shape and colour representing everlasting life. In 2009 I made a chilli & lime wreath. For 2010 I had the slightly mad idea of making one from Brussel sprouts inspired by a paper one I’d seen on NOTHS. Here we love our sprouts from the common green sprouts to the beautiful purple Falstaff sprouts we lovingly grew and protected from caterpillars to have the generous harvest of a handful of sprouts. We also know them as Fairy Cabbages, a cunning name my parents called them to make me eat them as a child. Up there with baby trees for broccoli.
Due to the extreme cold weather we had in winter 2010 many sprout harvests failed or were frost damaged including the sprouts from my in-law’s veg garden. The sprouts were no longer suitable to served up on the Christmas dinner table as the majority of them had opened up like little sprout flowers, but not one to throw something away I decided to fashion them in to a rather rustic festive wreath. You could call this extreme upcycling. It was funny watching visitors to the cottage doing a double take when they clicked on to what the wreath was really made of. Given the fridge like conditions we had last year, I hung the wreath up 2 weeks before Christmas and this sprout wreath lasted a good 3 weeks before the sprouts began to yellow. This year with the mild weather we’re having I think you’ll be lucky to get 2 weeks out of the sprouts, but it is such a fun project it’s worth doing for both sprout lovers and haters alike.
Now I’m looking for inspiration for 2011′s wreath. Any fabulous festive ideas with possibly a food twist?
Brussel Sprout Wreath
Makes 1 festive Brassica beauty
Takes approximately 2 hours
Moss circle base (from garden centre) or you can make a base from pipe cladding bent into a circle and held in place with gaffa tape.
3 sticks of sprouts
thin floristy wire
glue gun
green ribbon
1) Put aside the prettiest, unblemished, tightly formed sprouts for the final decoration. Use the uglier sprouts for the base.
2) Start with the middle ring of sprouts then work on the sides. Attach the sprouts to the wreath by wrapping florist wire around the base of each sprout then around the wreath. Alternatively they can all be stuck on with a glue gun.
2) Stick the final beauteous Brussels (the few ones that were still tightly formed ) around the wreath with the glue gun.
3) Adorn with a ribbon bow then hang on the door.
12 comments
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Holly B @ Recipes from a Normal Mum
November 26, 2011 at 10:44 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I love this tradition. I am going to steal it immediately.
Karen
November 26, 2011 at 10:56 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I am stood by some stems of stalks at a market and leaving a comment!! This is a fabulous wreath and I shall be making one as a change to my usual dried fruit and nut wreath, thanks twitter for the alert whilst I was out shopping!
Jules
November 26, 2011 at 11:14 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I love the idea of the dried fruit & nut wreath. I have toyed with the idea of making a wreath from Quality Street chocolate. Mainly for the bright jewel-like colours of the wrappers.
Nip it in the bud
November 26, 2011 at 12:21 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
what a fab idea. It looks gorgeous.
Karen
November 26, 2011 at 1:29 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I did of course mean stems or stalks of sprouts! Notice typo!
Karen
Jacqueline
November 26, 2011 at 2:38 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
That is so effective. You are clever!
Miriam Davidson
November 26, 2011 at 4:14 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I love the unexpectedness of it! Very clever.
Savory Simple
November 26, 2011 at 4:16 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
How clever!
movita beaucoup
November 27, 2011 at 3:07 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
My partner, 2.0, hates brussels sprouts. He has, in face, banned them from the kitchen. But now I’m thinking this could be a loophole. A perfectly beautiful loophole…
Helen T
November 27, 2011 at 3:12 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I know this would be the most popular use of sprouts in this household!
Petit Filoux
November 28, 2011 at 10:20 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Aha brilliant!!
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours
December 3, 2011 at 10:39 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I love that and have pinned it. Pinterest is so my new obsession!