The kale harvest so far has been quite good, as Jan Stemmann, a producer at the vegetable growing company of the same name, tells us. "The quality has been consistently good so far, thanks mainly to the low temperature fluctuations. If, on the other hand, the plants are constantly freezing and thawing, the quality suffers and the leaves turn yellow or the crown gets dirty. However, thanks to the good, sufficiently humid weather conditions, the kale has been able to develop very well this year." If the weather and the quality are good, the winter vegetables will continue to be harvested until February.
Meanwhile, sales picked up in October, according to Stemmann, who, together with his parents, also runs a stall at the local wholesale market in Hamburg. "However, we have noticed that everything is needed earlier these days because people are hardly familiar with seasonal food anymore. In any case, demand is already there and will take its normal course and continue to increase towards Christmas. What makes our kale special is that we process it by hand, which is why we can offer excellent quality products without any stem remains. Nevertheless, the current price level at the wholesale market is unfortunately too low considering the high labour costs."
View of the Stemmann family's wholesale market stand.
Fresh vs. frozen kale
In general, kale from regional, North German cultivation continues to be well received. Stemmann: "Young and old look forward to kale every year. In this respect, the article is still valued by consumers. However, the question is how the product will develop in the coming years. Unfortunately, the catering industry tends to use frozen kale rather than fresh kale. At the same time, younger buyers like to eat the vegetable, but they rarely cook the old dishes because they often take longer to prepare." Their own cultivation capacities for kale have remained fairly constant in recent years. "We might have been able to expand cultivation, but we wouldn't be able to manage to harvest and pack even more kale by hand."
Bagged kale in a 1kg bag: the Winnetou variety is still a favourite in northern Germany.
Fine kale with a low proportion of stems
In particular, there will continue to be a market for high-quality kale, according to Stemmann. "Fresh kale with a low stem content will continue to be appreciated. This product is becoming increasingly rare because many growers work with seasonal labourers who are paid by the piece. This in turn leads to a higher stem content and overall poorer quality on the market. Another issue is the packaging of the product: Personally, I don't see how you could get away from plastic, as kale is moist and paper gets soggy," he concludes.
Insights into the kale harvest.
Photo credit: Stemmann GmbH
For more information:
Jan Stemmann
Stemmann GmbH
Tel: +49 (0) 4108 / 416 451
Fax: +49 (0) 4108 / 416 367
e-mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.kartoffel-stemmann.de