Anthony De Ieso at Thorndon Park Produce grows bunchline vegetables near Adelaide in South Australia.
Parsley is now in season at the company, which grows two types: curly parsley, which has a curly leaf and is more known to be a garnish, and continental parsley, which is also known as flat leaf, and is more used in cooking and has a strong flavour.
© Thorndon Park Produce
"Continental parsley is one of our biggest sellers, so we use a fair amount of land on our 90 acres of growing land. A rough guess, I would say we have 30 acres dedicated to our parsley crops, which we grow all year round," said Anthony.
"Parsley is very durable and can tolerate a lot, so it works well for us during winter and summer; however, spring is tricky as the weather changes suddenly, that's when we see the parsley crop flower prematurely."
© Thorndon Park Produce
It is very hot at the moment, Anthony said that they are heading into their third heatwave in a month. The next few days will be in the 40s.
"It takes a lot of work and investment to get a good crop when it is hot, especially when there is no rain. The cost of water and pumps to run the irrigation are added cost you don't normally have in cooler months."
Demand in January for parsley is fairly strong. "We do have a drop in orders after Christmas for the first few weeks of the year. However, demand for parsley is always good."
For more information:
Anthony De Ieso
Thorndon Park Produce
Tel.: +61 8280 9722
[email protected]
www.thorndonparkproduce.com.au
