In southern Germany, growers are currently in the middle of the celeriac harvest. Even on the vegetable farm of Nuremberg family Sippel, freshly harvested produce is washed immediately, and is put in boxes. This means they are ready for sale in no time, either at the local wholesale market or at regional supermarket outlets. After the miserable harvest of the previous year, for the time being owner Willi Sippel is assuming an average production volume this year.
The green goods are washed immediately after being harvested, after which they are packaged and shipped out.
Since the end of June, fresh celeriac is already being harvested in the Nuremberg area. This first celeriac is primarily traded in bundles, because these products are usually too small for marketing as loose wares. "We deliver both variants," says Sippel. "The loose goods are sorted by weight, but the green celeriac is mainly sold per piece.The former is the best known and is continuously available - the green goods are available only for a short time."
Loose goods for regional wholesale or food retail.
Impact of summer drought continues to be felt
The heat wave of last year have also affected the celery market, confirmed Sippel. "Already in May of this year, there were hardly any goods left in stock, neither in Germany nor in Holland. At the moment, there is enough celeriac at the normal price. "Nevertheless, the prices are still higher than in the previous year. "If I do not like the price, I do not feel the incentive to get rid of the wares right now. I can play some bluff poker there: as long as the goods are safely in the warehouses, we growers do not have to sell for just any price."
Now it is time to wait and see how the total return will be this year. Due to the current conditions, people expect it to be a normal harvest. "However, since last year, the water balance has still not been able to fully regenerate, which means the soils are still too dry and growers without proper irrigation systems already have problems," said Sippel.
Celeriac fresh from the field.
Acreage increased by 50%
The vegetable and wholesale business offers its own celeriac exclusively at fresh markets, both retail chains and at the Nuremberg wholesale market. The importance remained the same for both sales markets, says Sippel. "Because of the higher demand in the trade, I have expanded my celeriac acreage by about 50 percent as compared to last year .. Everything we grow is regionally marketed, going as far as Regensburg."
Packaged goods.
For more information:
Gemüsebau Sippel GbR
Höfleser Hauptstraße 88 
90427 Nürnberg
T: 0911/30700750
F: 0911/30700755
E: info@gemuesebau-sippel.de
Web: www.gemuesebau-sippel.de