In the farming community of Meschenich on Cologne's southern edge, the Huckelmann couple cultivate high-quality open ground vegetables for the regional sales market year-round. Seasonally, mainly white and red cabbage, as well as savoy cabbage and the increasingly popular cabbage florets, now grow and thrive on the fertile Rhineland soil. We inquired about this year's cabbage crop and spoke with owner Bernhard Huckelmann about the current challenges regarding open ground cultivation.
White cabbage and savoy cabbage for the local market
This year's drought has significantly stunted crop growth in the Rhineland, Huckelmann said. "Fortunately, water resources are plentiful on our farm, or we would not have had any crops on certain plots. We have had to irrigate the crops intensively to get them to grow at all. Nevertheless, this year the heads are considerably smaller than usual, which in itself would not have been so problematic. After all, the consumer trend has clearly shifted toward smaller cabbages for several years now. However, we have now gone from one extreme to the other: last year we had a unit weight of about 3kg, which corresponds to about 4 heads per crate. This year, we had 1kg heads in some cases, which is why 8-10 pieces per crate are necessary."
Bernhard and Stephanie Huckelmann
Long family tradition of growing outdoors
Huckelmann is from the 4th generation of growers to run the family farm and he is still dedicated to producing potatoes and open ground vegetables. "My great-grandfather founded the business in 1913, and my grandparents then offered their produce as direct marketers at the Cologne wholesale market. Later, my father specialized in selected crops, including cabbage vegetables, and supplied a steady buyer. We then moved to the current location in 2020 and were able to build an insulated warehouse."
A look into the potato warehouse
At the product level, savoy and pointed cabbage in particular are enjoying increasing demand, Huckelmann observes. "White and red cabbage in the Rhineland has declined noticeably over the years, However, we have always held on to cabbage and even increased cultivation. Despite this substantial increase in capacity, we have been selling out quite quickly in recent years, which is precisely thanks to the cooperation with Früchte Rosenbaum and the associated regional concept."
Cabbage as an attractive niche
In addition to the standard white, red and savoy cabbage, Huckelmann has also been involved in the production of new types of cabbage florets (flower sprouts) for four years. "I came across the crop by chance through a TV program and added it to the portfolio. Although the plant is extremely susceptible to whiteflies, we have been able to gradually expand its cultivation. Because cabbage florets will even grow and thrive in subzero temperatures, we were once able to harvest them from November through March. Even though it's more of a niche product, with these cabbage florets, we can stand out as a grower."
At this time, the cabbage florets are not fully sprouted. The first marketable product is expected to be available by mid-November
Prompt marketing desired this year
By joining the regional concept 'Rosenbaum Regional', quantity purchases are secured throughout the year. Even in summer, when the temperature was over 30 degrees, early cabbages were cleared quickly. In mid-November, the Cologne-based vegetable producer normally starts storing its cabbages. Huckelmann: "Of course, electricity prices have skyrocketed. But if the cabbage is marketed by Christmas, as it was last year, we can mostly do without cold storage. A speedy marketing would definitely be advantageous, given the current energy crisis."
For more information:
Bernhard Huckelmann
Huckelmann Gemüsebau
b.huckelmann@web.de