With fresh rhubarb from the region, Landgard already gave the spring starting signal in the trade at the end of February. The first tender stalks of the "Goliath" variety are initially still available in small quantities and come from heated cultivation. From mid-January, they will be grown in large dark halls and foil tunnels at a constant temperature of at least 15oCelsius in the Lower Rhine region and near Cologne. "If the weather works out and we get enough sun, we then expect - similar to last year - the first outdoor rhubarb grown under double and single foil cover from the end of March," Franz Hoener, responsible for purchasing & sales at Landgard West Obst & Gemüse explains.
The yield and quality of the rhubarb are largely dependent on the weather throughout the year. Due to its large leaves, rhubarb has a high water requirement and is sensitive to heat and drought. "By using sprinkler systems, production companies try to prevent water shortages early on in hot summers. The extent to which the associated high additional work effort pays off in the end then becomes apparent in the course of the spring season," says Franz Hoener. "Even though rhubarb yields have been lower in recent years than in the past, as of today we assume that consumers can look forward to first-class delicious rhubarb in sufficient quantities this year as well."
Good quality, fewer quantities
Grower Alexander Gierlich is also cautiously optimistic overall about the 2021 rhubarb season: "Our harvest starts at the end of March, but we can see that the last few summers have clearly affected some perennials. Overall, we therefore expect our rhubarb to be of good quality, but slightly lower in quantity than in recent years."
In Bornheim, the grower grows open-grown rhubarb under plastic film on an area of around seven hectares and is observing an increasing demand for the fresh spring vegetable on the market: "Fresh regional rhubarb is definitely trending and we have the impression that consumers are quite prepared to pay a little more for good quality. That's why we hope that our increasing efforts due to additional sprinkling, strict hygiene requirements and higher labor costs due to the Corona pandemic will pay off again in the end this year."
Fresh rhubarb in particular is a good example of how delicious seasonal vegetables are when harvested at the optimal time in Germany. Much like flower lovers with primroses and tulips, vegetable fans really eagerly await the start of sales of the increasingly popular knotweed at the end of winter. Whether as a dessert, a cake or a drink, the characteristically sweet and sour stalks are the starting signal for spring cooking. Red-stemmed, fleshy varieties such as "Sutton", which have a milder taste and lower fruit and oxalic acid content, are preferred. The green-stemmed variety "Goliath", on the other hand, is particularly characterized by a high yield and is also popular as a forcing rhubarb, among other things.
Rhubarb stronghold in the Cologne-Bonn Bay area
In western Germany, Landgard member farms are growing the traditional spring vegetable this year on an area of around 200 hectares. A yield of around 25 to 30 tons per hectare is expected. Rhubarb production is concentrated in the foothills of the Cologne-Bonn Bay area, where the perennial perennials find optimal growing conditions. In May and June, fresh rhubarb from regional cultivation is then also harvested in eastern Germany before the rhubarb season traditionally ends on St. John's Day - this year on June 23.
For more information: www.landgard.de