In the Kleve district—in the far west of North Rhine-Westphalia—the asparagus harvest also got underway at the start of week 13. "Due to the weather and generally good growing conditions, we're starting the new season nearly a week earlier than last year," reports Winfried Derksen, who grows the premium vegetable on about 14 hectares in Emmerich-Elten. "The signs regarding quality and quantity are consistently good, which we can tell, among other things, from the consistency of the asparagus beds," the producer continues.
© Spargelhof Derksen
The first white asparagus from Emmerich this season
Derksen is now the third generation to run the family business, founded in 1930, and has transformed the former mixed-crop farm into a specialized, medium-sized asparagus farm. No herbicides or fungicides are used in cultivation; weed control is a balanced combination of mechanical and manual processes, Derksen explains regarding his company's operations. For several years now, the farm has employed almost exclusively seasonal workers from the two African countries, Nigeria and Togo. Thanks to mechanization, such as asparagus harvesters and similar equipment, the farm requires only around seven workers even during peak periods.
© Hugo Huijbers | FreshPlaza.comWinfried Derksen in the asparagus field shortly before the harvest begins. The Prius variety, in particular, yields very good results in Emmerich-Elten.
Diversification in cultivation and distribution
In cultivation, Derksen focuses on a handful of varieties: the Prius variety marks the start of the season, while the Sirius is harvested from May until the traditional end of the season on St. John's Day (June 21). "In recent years, however, we've been able to market asparagus until the end of June," he explains. A few years ago, Derksen grew the green variety alongside the tried-and-true white asparagus, but there was no demand. "Everyone talks about the green asparagus trend, but when we actually offered green spears from our own farm, the response was very modest. So we stopped growing it."
The asparagus farm also operates a little differently from most of its peers when it comes to marketing. "About half of our harvest is sold through our farm store. In addition, we supply selected restaurants—for example, in the Netherlands and the Sauerland region—as well as a regular wholesale partner in Cologne with fresh, regional asparagus. Although we are located on the German side of the border, most of the customers who visit our farm store come from the Netherlands. We've also noticed that the vast majority of our direct-sales customers specifically ask for peeled spears. We peel the asparagus fresh as needed. Furthermore, in our own farm shop, we sell only produce from the refrigerated display case to ensure the cold chain isn't broken."
© Hugo Huijbers | FreshPlaza.comIn addition to homegrown asparagus, Derksen also offers greenhouse strawberries from the neighborhood in the farm shop.
Winfried Derksen
Spargel Derksen
Alter Beeker Weg 80
46446 Emmerich-Elten
Tel.: +49 (0) 2828 2381
[email protected]
www.spargel-derksen.de
