Nowhere in Europe are more spring onions cultivated than in the 'Gemüsegarten Pfalz' (the Palatinate vegetable garden). Dieter Stubenbordt cultivates the fresh onion vegetables around his Hortulanushof near Zeiskam on 450 hectares; he estimates the total acreage of his farm at 1,200 to 1,500 hectares, depending on the leased land for crop rotation. He also produces colorful lettuce, radishes, kohlrabi, and pak choi here. "But the spring onions are the mainstay of the business. It is the first fresh vegetable of the season, and you can harvest it for a long time," he says, appreciating its advantages as an entrepreneur.
Rebecca and Dieter Stubenbordt.
It can also be "stably traded" in supermarkets because it has a fairly long shelf life. "It has established itself well in the market," says Stubenbordt, who has been running the company since 1996 and is the fourth generation of his family to do so. The farmer, who is based in the southern Palatinate region, employs up to 400 harvest workers at peak times, in addition to 80 permanent employees. According to Stubenbordt, around 240,000 bundles leave the production line every hour during the peak season.
The spring onion harvest has now also started at Sahler Frischgemüse in Dannstadt. Today, the company is the second largest among the Pfalzmarkt members. "The food retail industry sets its own thresholds, which are sometimes well below the legal limits," he explains. The biggest enemy of the winter onion is downy mildew, which attacks the leaves. Since the plants are in the field for several months and are exposed to the weather, plant protection is necessary. Now, in spring, Sahler's winter onions may be stored right next to Egyptian imports. But the competing products from North Africa have a long journey behind them: "They often have limp leaves; they're just not as crisp as our freshly harvested spring onions," enthuses Steffen Sahler about his vegetables.
For more information:
Dieter Stubenbordt
Stubenbordt GmbH & Co KG
Hortulanushof
67378 Zeiskam
Phone: +49 (0)63 47 / 70 07-70
Fax: +49 (0)63 47 / 70 07-78
Mail: verkauf@stubenbordt.de
www.stubenbordt.de
Sahler GdbR
Hinter dem Münchhof 1
67125 Dannstadt
Telefon: 06231 / 91980
E-Mail: sahler-gemuese@t-online.de
https://www.sahler-frischgemuese.de/