Broccoli, kale, cabbage, turnips, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts – possibly not the the sexiest vegetables, but you can’t deny how hard-working they are.

These veggies – in season now – are part of the brassica family, and are perfect in gratins, as sides to roasts and grilled meats, as well as in stews. Too often overlooked or avoided due to bad childhood memories of being made to eat them, it’s time to show brassicas some love.

Here are some of the amazing things you might not know about them…

1. Cabbages can get seriously big… According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the heaviest green cabbage was a whopping 62.71 kg. The red versions aren’t quite as hefty, with the world record coming in at 31.6 kg. And if you were wondering, the largest cabbage dish was made in Romania in 2014, weighing an eye-watering 2,960 kg.

2. Cabbage was once used to treat hair loss… In ancient China, white cabbage was thought to be a cure for baldness. While there isn’t strong scientific evidence to prove this, last year research suggested kimchi – the spicy fermented cabbage dish – could potentially promote hair growth.

3. Broccoli is essentially a big flower… The part we tend to eat is actually where the plant has flowered. In fact, the name comes from the Italian word ‘broccolo’, meaning ‘the flowering crest of a cabbage’. The name didn’t immediately catch on in the UK – when it was first introduced in the 1700s it was referred to as ‘Italian asparagus’.

4. You might want to reach for kale next time you overindulge… Apparently it was boiled and eaten as a cure for drunkenness in ancient Greece. While we can’t guarantee it’ll sober you up, kale is packed full of antioxidants and vitamin C, so it’s probably better than opting for a late night kebab – although not so satisfying.

5. Brussels sprouts are actually named after the city… You might think there’s a mysterious story behind the name of Brussels sprouts, but there really isn’t. The veg was grown near the Belgian city as early as the 1200s – thus earning its name.

6. Cauliflower comes in four different colours… Bored of plain, white cauliflower? It might be time to branch out into the other colours: purple, orange or green.

7. Mathematicians love Romanesco broccoli… Like a mix between broccoli and cauliflower, Romanesco has a beautiful spiral structure. The pattern of the florets is repeated at increasing scales, meaning it’s an example of the Fibonacci sequence – where each number is the sum of the two numbers that have come before. This pattern can be repeated infinitely.

8. Turnips used to be the heroes of Halloween… “Long before the pumpkin became the Halloween decoration of choice, people across the British Isles carved scary faces into turnips and placed them near doorways to frighten away evils spirits,” says English Heritage. “The practice originated from a folk tale about a man named Jack who after trying to trick the devil, was cursed to roam the earth with only a burning coal – inside a hollowed-out turnip – to light the way: the original Jack-o’-lantern.”