At the beginning of November, the campaign will start for one of Navarre's most appreciated products: the Tudela artichoke. "All harvests depend on the weather, and although some produce will be harvested these days, the heat is causing the bulk of the harvest to be delayed," says Sara Oliver, of FHF. "This year, we have 45 hectares cultivated with artichokes in which we expect to harvest about 12 thousand kilos per hectare; that is, over half a million kilos."
The Tudela artichoke production from FHF, the only company with the Reyno Gourmet seal for its fresh artichokes, is sold entirely in the domestic market.
"Fresh artichokes are marketed in several formats: the product with stem and leaves, which is sold by the dozen, and the product without stem, which is marketed by weight," said Sara. "And there is an important difference between these two formats. The artichoke with stem and leaves stays almost entirely in the area of Navarre and the Basque Country, while the rest of Spain consumes the cut product. It seems it is rather unknown that the stem is actually one of the most exquisite parts of the artichoke."
"Besides the fresh product, we also market our PGI artichokes for the processing industry, although that is usually done with the end-of-season production, from mid-May to mid-June, as by then it fails to meet the conditions to be marketed fresh."
After the first harvest season, which will last until the end of January, the geographical area of the Ribera de Navarra, protected by the Tudela Artichoke PGI, has a second harvest season that coincides with spring and kicks off in March.
"This year we are already seeing great interest in our PGI artichokes from buyers. Last year, the demand was also very high because there was a product shortage. The weather was not good and the overflowing of the Ebro River caused many losses in the Tudela artichoke production area." However, according to Sara, this year's problem is the heat. "The plantings are usually carried out on specific dates, and this year the heat has not only delayed the artichoke harvest, but has forced us to change the planting dates of other vegetables, so the next broccoli or cauliflower harvests may also be delayed."
"The Tudela artichoke is highly appreciated by consumers and chefs"
As stated in the specifications of the PGI Tudela Artichoke, this variety is undoubtedly "the most popular and the most appreciated in our country due to its high quality." In fact, its importance transcends consumption itself, since "the White from Tudela is the most widely used vegetative reproductive material in Spain," which is the second largest producer of artichokes in Europe and the third largest in the world.
"The Tudela artichoke is highly appreciated for its flavor and quality by consumers and also by chefs. The restaurants in our area are also strongly involved in the promotion of food from Navarre and are committed to promoting this outstanding vegetable. In the Vegetable Festivals, they offer tasting menus of seasonal vegetables, thereby helping promote the consumption of Tudela Artichoke. In fact, we send our artichokes with the Reyno Gourmet seal to the 12 Michelin-starred chef Martín Berasategui every week," said Sara.
For more information:
FHF – Frutas y Hortalizas de Fontellas
Avda. Navarra 70
31512 Fontellas, Navarra, Spain
Tel.: +34 948 825 916
[email protected]
https://fhfontellas.com
