In addition to rutabagas and celeriac, Florian Jochims is focusing on the cultivation and gentle processing of beet for the first time this year. "Together with our main customer Küsten Gemüse, we have been serving retailers with peeled, cooked and vacuumed beet since December and have built a completely new hall with state-of-the-art plant technology for this purpose."
The new processing hall
"With the 500 gram packs (four to six pieces), we have found an interesting product that meets the spirit of the times. Accordingly, we are keen to further expand production in the coming season so that we can offer the product twelve months a year in the future," the Dithmarsch farmer continues.
Beetroot processing
Turnips: good quality, volume is lacking
Due to the cold weather in the spring and the subsequent drought in the summer, Jochims had to accept considerable yield losses for turnips at harvest time in July/August, he says. "The poor yields resulted in a relatively high price level and the product flowed well throughout. Overall quality was good, but there was a lack of mass," concludes Jochims, who expects to be able to offer German rutabagas by early March. "The high prices were also in proportion to the rapid increase in costs, such as storage and production, although the new power contracts will not apply until Jan. 1, 2023, and we won't really feel the consequences until next season."
Beet fresh from the field
To be able to fill the gap until the new harvest, Jochims traditionally relies on produce from Scotland after the year's season is over. "Despite the Brexit agreement, we still have imported produce available. However, the transport and logistics around it take a bit more time these days and also come with higher costs." There is also likely to be less merchandise available in Scotland this year due to the weather.
Jochims mainly produces product for the fresh market: fresh consumption is relatively stable, while sales of celeriac in the processing sector are up slightly.
Celeriac: price increase welcomed
Compared to rutabagas, the celeriac market is much more volatile, Jochims points out. "In the first months of sales, the product was marketed quite high in price, then it went down rapidly and currently we are observing a gradual upward trend again. I consider this price increase in January to be quite positive, but the decisive factor is how the quality of the stock will develop in the coming months. The lots that are still good in April can usually be marketed at pleasing prices. As of today, we will be able to extend the marketing season quite long, meaning into June/July."
Images: Florian Jochims
For more information:
Florian Jochims
Jochims Steckrüben-Handels-GmbH & Co. KG
Hohe Str. 1
25704 Elpersbüttel
+49 4832 2287
f.jochims@gmx.de
Küsten Gemüse GmbH
Klinkerstraße 2
25718 Friedrichskoog
T +49 4854 90698 0
F +49 4854 90698 10
info@kuestengemuese.de
https://www.kuestengemuese.de/