Sprout Tops

Hi everyone it's ages since I've been on this forum and I've missed you all. My question(s) is -I seem to recall that the tops of sprout plants can be treated as cabbages ie. cut off and cooked. When should you do this- before or after you have eaten the sprouts on the stem. I have 8 sprout trees and it seems that the sprouts themselves don't seem to be growing bigger anymore. I seem to be harvesting smaller sprouts :( There are lots of sprouts still on the trees so just how long will they keep going?

 

My sprouts were a complete disaster - only a few tiny useless things. So I cut off the tops (onl 3 plants anyway) and we had them for lunch yesterday. Delicious. Rather like spinach

 

Poor you, mine look to be doing OK they all have good, substantial cabbages at the top. So that's one part answered - yes you can eat the top, but if I chop the top off will it affect the sprouts on the stem?

 

the last time i did it, it helped the srouts grow!
so no it wont have a bad effect on them, i know of people who grow for tops rather than the sprouts, they do look strange though without there tops on though.