The strawberry season began at the first berry yards in Baden-Württemberg. “It starts very slowly in the early areas,” says Simon Schumacher from the Association of Southern German asparagus and strawberry farmers (VSE). «The very first fruits are probably now really going to Easter ripe.” The most important questions:
What does the bowl of strawberries cost?
At the start of the season, Schumacher expects a price for the 500-gram shell like last year: four to five euros. But: “You never know if a big hail comes across the board or a really strong frost, then of course the quantities go back very much.” That would also have a negative impact on the price. “The cold nights have already left their mark,” says Schumacher. “Some flowers are frozen.” Claudio Gläßer, market analyst at the Agrarmarkt Information Society, also assumes comparable prices such as 2024.
The sale of strawberries officially started this week at the Beerenhof Ell in Oberkirch (Ortenaukreis). According to the fruit architect Dominic Ell, the 500 gram shell is available for five euros. The courtyard is growing strawberries on a total of 13 hectares.
What does the association expect for the season?
According to VSSE, there will only be larger amounts of strawberries after Easter or in May. “We see that the plants got through the winter very well, although it was relatively frosty.” However, the strawberry also needs cold over a certain period of time so that they drive out good buds. “The plants are very nice, they are beautiful, large flowers, which also suggests that there are beautiful, big fruits,” says Schumacher, looking at the expected quality of the strawberries. “We are actually pretty optimistic.”
What should consumers pay attention to when buying a strawberry?
Consumers should buy regional strawberries and eat them as quickly as possible after buying, advises Schumacher. Basically, the following applies: softer varieties are usually a bit more aromatic. “As you know it from the open-air earth berry, when it melts a little in your mouth and where you don’t chew on it like on a carrot, then the strawberry aroma really gets through.»
How have the quantities developed in recent years?
Both the number of farms and the size of the acreage has decreased in recent years. In 2021 there were still 502 companies in the southwest, last year it was 357 – a minus of around 25 percent. The acreage went back from 3,047 hectares to 2,381 in the same time – around 22 percent less. The predominant proportion is outdoor cultivation, the smaller proportion of protected cultivation under film tunnels and in greenhouses.
Why are there fewer and fewer companies that grow strawberries?
As the reason for the decline in companies, Schumacher gives the increasing wage costs due to the minimum lighter increases. The harvest therefore requires a lot of staff. The association sees the minimum wage planned by the CDU and SPD from currently 12.82 euros to 15 euros per hour as an enormous burden for the companies. “It’s just a sword of Damocles,” says Schumacher. Around 50 percent of the operating costs are currently wage costs.
What does the expert advise the ideal strawberry enjoyment?
It is best not to cool or at least eat warmed up and wash it just before, says Schumacher. “Then there is a nice, very simple idea, as dessert, also for children’s birthdays.” Take a chocolate, cut your head and take out a spoon width in the middle. Small strawberries or strawberry muscle come into these hollows. “Then you can spoon it up wonderfully,” says Schumacher. “And if you are keen to experiment, you will briefly put it into the microwave that the chocolate is so melted.”
What are the trends in strawberry cultivation?
A special feature is the breeding of white strawberries. “We don’t know exactly yet, is it more of a gag or really a new entry?” Says Schumacher. The white strawberries would not differ from regular strawberries in taste – only in color.
When the season is running until when?
Basically, the season starts in mid -April and at the end of October. In addition to the early and late flowering varieties, the always flowering varieties are coming, says Schumacher. “It’s a very clear trend that is now starting.” There are more and more farmers who do not produce strawberries in the ground, but on the position – chest -high channels from which they can be easily harvested. These would also bear fruit until autumn. The main season is basically from May to the beginning of July.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 250415-930-440312/2
