Where else could she get a job? She had just moved to a very cool beach town up the coast, but there were no jobs – or very few. She had a couple of lunch shifts at a little cafe and an occasional fill in for a bartender down by the wharf, but she needed a real job. She had rent to pay. So, she put in her application at the Brussels sprouts processing plant.
Her neighbor told her, “You’ll get the job. They hire everybody this time of year. I’ll be glad to give you a ride. Be ready by 6:30 AM, I don’t want to be late. Be prepared to work and bring a lunch.”
The hairnets and the white plastic aprons were not the worst part. Standing there… and standing there… and standing there on concrete floors working the conveyor belt pulling out whatever the floor manager said, ” Pull out the extra large, the large, the medium, the small….” and so forth. Whatever he wanted. Managers kept track of the flow and the sorters. They had contracts to fill.
Roots, rocks, snakes, rats, and even birds could make it through the whole process from the fields to the end product to plop right down in the middle of a Birdseye Green Giant package. Many brand names are processed in the same plant at the same time. The top quality sprouts – perfect size, shape, and color would go to the top quality company who pays the most moola.
The sprouts are harvested early in the morning and the processing plant sets in motion. The trucks bring in the sprouts still on the stalk and dump them into the first line of washing and sorting, separating the green balls from their stems. At this point most of the varmints are found, removed or scurry away on their own.
It was considered an honor to work outside. The gals who worked there had been there the longest. It was nice being outside in the fresh air. Several men worked at the dock loading and unloading, driving forklifts, joking around with the gals on the line. Her neighbor worked outside. She had worked there for many years. She had a masters degree in psychology… a dime a dozen, and she liked to surf, so she took this seasonal job to pay for her life as a surfer in a very cool beach town with no other prospects.
Sprouts were sorted and trimmed at every step… “Take out the big ones… take out the little ones…” The second line was for more washing and another sort where any sprouts that hadn’t been properly trimmed are pulled out and cut properly before the steam bath.
The steam bath was a large room-sized cooking pot through which the sprouts traveled, cooking as they go. After cooking they go through a mechanical sort where they are again sorted by size and divided up onto eight to twelve conveyor belts depending on the size of the harvest for the final process – packaging.
On the final line managers are paying strict attention to size and quality. Some sprouts are packaged in plastic bags, some in cartons and frozen in a very large, very cold freezer. Different vendors had different requirements. The small beautiful orbs went to the high class restaurants, the extra large ugly accidentally cut sideways bulbs went en masse to large commercial clients like prisons and hospitals.
On the first day, she had forgotten her lunch and sat exhausted by herself at the noon break. She was willing to do hard work, but what had she gotten herself into? Somebody gave her a Coke, someone else a half of a sandwich, an apple… she got by. Many of the gals already had small sacks of raw Brussels sprouts put aside for their suppers. They had thoughtfully taken only the extra large sprouts, and the management turned a blind eye. Kristie’s only thought was, “How can you eat those things when you work here?”
She lasted about a month until one day she had to use the restroom and couldn’t wait… you know what it’s like to be a woman? She got called out by a manager who then told her that she would have to make up the time by working through the scheduled break.
He had her climb up several haphazardly stacked crates near the top of the building pulling large sprouts off the conveyor before the final sort. Only one line was still going: the primo lovely little delicate sprouts for high end use. Having a natural fear of heights, she was really scared. Luckily someone found a dead bird sitting plop on top of an end product… ready to be frozen! They had to take a twenty minute break so they could clean up and do inspections.
That’s when she decided to quit. The next day when she went back to pick up her check, they said they’d hire her back anytime. She didn’t eat Brussels sprouts for at least three months. Some people will say that she knows too much about Brussels Sprouts. Her advice: Only buy the fresh raw sprouts and process them yourself!
A Recipe: Brussels Sprouts and Crab Dip
12-16 extra large Brussels Sprouts
4-6 oz. fresh or canned crab
one package of cream cheese (4-6 oz)
2-3 Tbs. mayonnaise
1 tsp. horse radish
4 green onions
juice of half a lemon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Directions: trim and wash sprouts, score stem end with a cross
Boil or steam for about 15 to 20 minutes depending on size
Cool immediately in cold water bath
Drain and cut in half from stem end
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Clean and slice green onions using only the white and light green
Mash crab, cream cheese, mayonnaise, horse radish, lemon juice
Mix together
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Arrange sprouts on an attractive platter
Dollop with crab & cream cheese mixture
Sprinkle with cayenne pepper (Be careful not to put too much)
Serve with crackers or other crudites for an unusual hors d’ ouvere
People will LOVE it!
(First published 8/22/11)
