Vegetable harvest, fruits and mushrooms, discover all the information of this month.

Northern vegetables

The second cauliflower harvest has been completed. Drought and summer heat have had an impact on product quality, but overall yields are decent.

The Brussels sprout campaign is expected to start next week. Sizes in the field are, on the whole, small, and may not grow any larger due to the humidity. So far, there are no specific alerts for this vegetable.

Leek harvesting began in early November, ahead of previous years. 30% of plots have been harvested. In the absence of carrots, this campaign should be completed sooner than expected.

The turnip campaign is underway, with around 30% of parcels still to be harvested. However, these are mainly located in an area that has been affected by bad weather over the past two weeks. Overall yields therefore remain uncertain.

For parsnips, this fairly robust root vegetable is harvested in December and January. Plots in Belgium were less affected by the recent rains.

Following late sprouting of carrot seedlings, the campaign began mid-October. Around 30% of the areas scheduled for round carrot production have been harvested. Over the past 2 weeks, heavy rains have been falling on carrot-growing areas, bringing harvesting to a standstill: some areas are too wet or flooded for harvesting equipment to enter the fields.
The weather over the coming weeks will determine both the quality and quantity of this harvest, which was already looking unsatisfactory following the summer drought.

Southern vegetables

The pepper campaign in Spain remains difficult, as the spring deficit has not yet been absorbed, and final volumes are not yet known. Other origins, such as Poland, are in demand.

Squash

Winter is approaching, and pumpkin, squash and butternut production is underway. We’ll keep you informed of those vegetable harvest.

Mushrooms

So far, the cep harvesthas not been satisfying, and volumes are insufficient. Please let us know your needs as soon as possible.

Condiments

After a 2022 season marked by speculation, the Polish onion market is returning to normality, with high prices. To date, volumes are still limited.

Chestnuts

As for chestnuts, the situation is not looking good. In Spain and Portugal, chestnuts are suffering from mold, which is causing the chestnuts to fall off and the fruit to spoil. Producers are therefore obliged to peel them before sorting them, which increases production costs.

The variety we usually offer is a late-dated variety, so we can’t tell you the outcome, as the harvesting phase has not yet begun.

Fruits

In Italy, the pear harvest is in short supply this year. Flowering was poor, and disease in the orchards affected yield this year.

As for apples, there were few if any imports from the southern hemisphere this summer. Harvests in Poland are well below forecasts, and Germany is short of fruit in wild orchards. As a result, volumes have been directed towards fresh produce, and the factory has received fewer peeling volumes for the frozen sector.

For oranges, the situation is complicated. Campaigns in North and South America are very poor, mainly due to weather conditions. The Spanish campaign is just beginning, and it’s still too early to say what the results will be, but the market as a whole will remain tense in view of the harvests in the Americas.