The REO Beiling sold the first young curly endives of the new season at auction today. The fresh leafy vegetable will remain available at the REO Veiling until the late autumn. With the national first sale of the first Belgian endives, spring is well on its way at the REO Veiling and the wide supply of fresh lettuces is growing.
Delicacy
The cultivation of fine curly endives is labour intensive and expensive. The number of Flemish producers is therefore limited to ten or so growers. Horticulturalist Dirk Declerq from the West-Flemish Gits has been growing the delicacy for 25 years. He is once again offering the first national sale of the season. "Endives are grown both in greenhouses and in the open ground, which means the vegetable is available from mid-March to December at the REO Veiling," explains the dynamic grower. "My first load of endives came from cultivation under light. As of April I will seamlessly switch to the harvest of endives from cultivation without light. The main season of Belgian endives traditionally starts around the end of March and lasts until late autumn."
"Curly endive is a crop that needs a lot of light. The sunny February month was therefore good for the cultivation. In greenhouses fine curly endives need a warm and tight climate scheme. The young fragile plants do best under glass in temperatures above 15° Celsius at night and 18° Celsius during the day. These optimal growing conditions ensure not only an impeccable product quality, but also that the endives reach the desired weight quickly, which means that our locally grown produce can easily compete with the curly endive grown in Spain or Southern France."
Fine Fleur
The REO Veiling markets its fine curly endive under the Fine Fleur quality label. Fine Fleur endives are grown traditionally in the ground and are not heavily harvest in order to optimally maintain its specific shape and firmness. The heart of the head of endive also colours at least sixty percent golden yellow. "What makes fine curly endive unique, is the light yellow heart. But Belgian endives aren't just popular due to their good appearance and firm texture, but also due to their great flavour and long shelf life. These characteristics draw an audience of a great variety of customers, from wholesalers for catering and speciality businesses to professional chefs and the better hobby chefs," notes Dennis Jan Van der Mey of AGF-online B.V. from Barendrecht.
The Dutch wholesaler was the first to apply pressure in the first sales. 26 boxes of 8 pieces were auctioned for 1.50 Euro per head of fine curly endives. "We will make the first endives available to our customers who like to work with young, fresh, artisanal quality products of ours immediately. The Fine Fleur first endive fits well into this scene," concludes trader Dennis Jan Van der Mey.
For more information:
Reo Veiling
Commerciële afdeling
Oostnieuwkerksesteenweg 101
B – 8800 Roeselare
T +32(0)51 23 12 11 F +32(0)51 23 12 89
info@reo.be
www.reo.be