No sooner was I plunged into deepest winter than I found myself craving fresh vegetables. The incongruity in this situation should be obvious, given that our winter appetite is supposed to lead us to tubers and root crops and less so to the green and leafy veggies that sustain us in warmer seasons.

But there I was, standing in the supermarket produce section in my bulkiest parka, sizing up the fresh and less-fresh vegetables for sale on a bitterly cold and sleeting day in January. After considering quality and lack thereof, price and the proclivities of my family members, I headed for the check stand with a bag of plump Brussels sprouts. This seemed like a reasonable compromise, given that the zucchini was wrinkled and the broccoli was brown on the edges.

I don’t often eat Brussels sprouts, although I like them. They have a sweeter and deeper flavor than cabbage, pack an astonishing amount of nutrition (vitamin A, potassium, phosphorous, thiamin, riboflavin and ascorbic acid) and are low in calories.

My distant relationship to them stems from the difficulty I have had growing them in my garden. They need about 100 days to mature and they don’t like heat. They’ll survive a light freeze but not a mild heat wave in May, which turns them tough. In my garden, they also were a magnet for aphids. So, after a couple of failed attempts, we went our separate ways.

Most people who have eaten Brussels sprouts have tried them frozen, rather than fresh. Predictably, the freezing alters the texture and makes the cooked sprouts mushy. Working with fresh vegetables, you’ll want to cook them until they are heated through but retain some of their basic crispness.

To prepare them, remove the outer leaves and trim away any stem. Don’t cut the stem down too low or the sprouts will fall apart during cooking. Bert Greene, whose “Greene on Greens” cookbook contains a useful section on Brussels sprouts, recommends carving a small X into the stem of each sprout to speed up the cooking process.

The easiest way to prepare sprouts is to steam them for about 10 minutes or until just tender and to toss them in a mixture of butter and lemon juice. Some people sprinkle chopped nuts on buttered sprouts. The sprouts also can be tossed into a pot roast near the end of the oven time.

Variations of a common dressing for Brussels sprouts appears in cookbooks as Brussels sprouts a la Grecque. Greene’s version, which should be served as a cold salad, follows. The bouquet garni can be made entirely from dried herbs. If you don’t have cheesecloth, you can use a tea infuser.

Brussels Sprouts a la Greque

1 cup water

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

Bouquet garni: 2 parsley springs, 1 bay leaf, 2 tarragon sprigs, 6 peppercorns and 1/2 teaspoon celery seed, tied in a small cheesecloth bag

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon finely slivered lemon peel

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Combine the water, olive oil, lemon juice and bouquet garni in a medium saucepan. Heat to boiling; reduce the heat. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.

Add the Brussels sprouts to the saucepan; return to boiling. Continue to cook, uncovered, until the sprouts are barely tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; let the sprouts cool in the liquid. Discard the bouquet garni.

Transfer the sprouts with their liquid to a serving bowl. Add the vinegar, lemon peel and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well; chill thoroughly. Serve garnished with parsley.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.