Temperatures are on the rise in Belgium again. The days are getting longer, and the sun is out more and more. It seems spring is slowly approaching, and with it, Belgian-grown soft fruit. "It's the most beautiful time of the year," begins grower Benoit Demedts. "And we're looking forward to it." This year, Demedts-Demey Nursery will for the first time, sell own-grown apricots.
It is still a bit early for strawberries at this Flemish nursery. "We planted the first of these three weeks ago, and we've also been busy with the first raspberries, cauliflower, and potatoes grown under glass," says Benoit. The last Belgian strawberry season ended quite early due to the high temperatures at the end of the year. So, it has been a long winter for the grower.
"A winter in which we could clean up nicely. Outdoor cultivation was hectic in September, so there was still some work to do, but now we can start anew. The first strawberries should be in production by late March. We usually only plant Sonsation in the spring, but this year, we've chosen to have a section of Rendezvous, too. It's a slightly earlier variety, so we can be sure we'll be in full production by Easter."
Until then, Spanish products will rule, though there are many Belgian strawberries grown under lights on the market. "We don't do that; we buy from nearby growers. Customers still prefer Belgian strawberries over the Spanish offer, which genuinely can't compare to this Belgian treasure. Especially now that prices are at acceptable levels. Those Belgian strawberries were very pricey during the holiday season, but small punnets now go for €2 and €3.50 for the large ones. That's quite cheap for this time of year, but I expect those prices to slowly creep up towards Valentine's Day," Benoit explains.
Apricots
While strawberries have always been the Demedts family nursery's mainstay, they are also increasingly moving towards other crops. "We're already very active in cherries, where we had the first sale last year, and do other red fruit, potatoes, and cauliflower, too." This year, they added a new showpiece: apricots. "We started growing these on a tiny scale last year, which went well. They tasted good, and production was certainly satisfactory. So, we decided to expand, and this year, also market the fruit in our farm shop," Benoit continues.
It will be a while before people can buy those first apricots, but the grower has high expectations. "They're still cold, but we'll slowly start creating a warm climate as soon as possible. Then, we'll harvest the first of our three varieties in early July. We expect to add the last one to the range in early August."
"It's an ideal product for us to offer after the cherries. We can get a little more spread, and the products transition smoothly from one to the next. The goal is to, eventually, offer own-grown products year-round. We want to expand this annually and manage to add something to our assortment every year," says Demedts.
He also expects consumers will be willing to pay a little extra for Belgian apricots. "With apricots, we've always noticed that when you offer French and Spanish, people always choose the French ones. They taste better, and our clientele undoubtedly prefers that taste. We saw the same thing with last year's cherries."
"Our cherries weren't cheap, but if they taste good, people will pay a little more. The same should happen with the apricots. We'll have to see how it goes, but we're excited. It's a lovely time of the year when the sun starts shining into the greenhouse again," Benoit concludes.
For more information:
Benoit Demedts
Demedts - De Mey
97z Midden Street
8830, Gits, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 479 690 867
benoitdemedts@gmail.com
www.demedts-demey.be