Celeriac
THE UGLY ONE. AND OUR MOST IMPORTANT ONE.
HOW IT STARTED
Celeriac is the most important enterprise in our business. We grew just two acres of what was an unusual vegetable in the 1980s but we have seen its popularity increase to the extent that we now plant four hundred acres.
HOW IT’s grown
Celeriac is the same species as celery and, like celery it needs warmth in the early stages. The plants are delivered to the farm in April and May. The first plantings will be covered with polythene for an August harvest.
Celeriac likes plenty of water; we have never had a year that is too wet, yet; until of course we come to harvest!
We will be watching for carrot fly, aphid and disease such as leaf spot or sclerotinia over the summer and we start to lift for sale in August.
HOW IT’s stored
We begin to store the crop in November, in both boxes and bulk store and in a wet time we will cart more soil than crop.
Celeriac is notoriously difficult to store. We say that celeriac is the vegetable equivalent of sheep. While sheep spend their lives thinking of new ways to die, celeriac thinks of new ways to rot! But we do have 30 years of experience and mistakes to guide us.
We expect to store around to the following July and in some years we will be self sufficient but in others, depending on yields and sales, we will have to seek help from Holland.
EXpanding
We‘ve invested in new technology to keep up with sales and our latest project is the new washing line which leaves the crop cleaner and in better condition.
