Apparatus for removing brussels sprouts from the parent stalks

Apparatus for removing Brussels sprouts from a stalk, said apparatus comprising a rotatable blade assembly defining an aperture for receiving a stalk bearing Brussels sprouts, said assembly including at least three disc blades arranged generally in truncated pyramidal form to define said aperture and a substantially wheel shaped blade support for each of said blades;

• each said wheel shaped support including a generally dish shaped support element having an internal annular inclined surface and a wheel shaped spring loaded element located within said dish shaped support element, said spring loaded element also having an annular inclined surface against which surface said inclined surface of said dish shaped support element is slidable, compression springs acting between said dish shaped support element and said spring loaded element normally maintaining said two support elements in co-axial disposition, but allowing said dish shaped support element limited axial movement relative to said spring loaded element upon pressure being applied to said dish shaped support element by a stalk passing through said apparatus, said limited and relative axial movement of said two support elements on said inclined surfaces also causing a variation in the angle of inclination of said blade carried on said dish shaped support element.

Apparatus for removing Brussels sprouts from a stalk, said apparatus comprising a rotatable blade assembly defining an aperture for receiving a stalk bearing Brussels sprouts, said assembly including at least three disc blades arranged generally in truncated pyramidal form to define said aperture, a blade support for each of said blades, said blade supports being resiliently mounted so that said aperture defined by said blades may change in response to pressure exerted on said blade supports by a stalk passing through said aperture, said apparatus including a pulley mounted for rotation on a ball race, means for drawing the stalks through the bore of the ball race to exit from the blade assembly, the pulley having three arms spaced apart by an angle of 120.degree., each arm providing on the free end thereof one of said blade supports for one of said disc blades, each of said blade supports being independently and freely rotatable.