For six days it was celebrated, now the coal days in the Dithmarschen growing area comes to an end. Even before the farmers really get started on their harvest, it's clear that the summer's drought has also left its mark on cabbage. "The plants have really polluted the soil," says Agriculture Minister Jan Philipp Albrecht (Greens). As a result, growth was significantly slowed until the end of August.
Unsaleable cabbages
Also Karl-Albert Brandt of the vegetable farmer association Dithmarschen counts on a below average coal harvest. Cabbage heads with brown edges or with so-called blackened interior are not for sale, said Brandt. In addition, the cabbages are rather smaller this year.
Whether quality and yield are right this year can only be said in mid-2019, according to Brandt, when the last cabbage leaves the cold stores. The price for the vegetables was okay. For a kilogram of cabbage, the trade pays between 20 and 30 cents.
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Want to learn more about the current cabbage season? Read our interview with Matthias Bartels of FreshField trading company