On our Wednesday walk this morning we traversed the yellow fields of recently harvested crops of barley and wheat. Heather, Ken and Thelma recalled the fields of Brussels sprouts that used to be grown all over the county of Bedfordshire.  There were sheds for storing sprouts and the left over leaves in the fields produced a smell that was not altogether “delightful!”.  It seems that sprouts originated in Belgium six hundred years ago and and when introduced to England they grew well in the firm, well drained soil of mid and east Bedfordshire.  But with changes in tastes and the onset of freezers we no longer need to rely on winter sprouts and they have declined in favour and so Bedfordshire farmers no longer devote large acreage to their production.