Rudentiņš is a rich man, but the great summer made him richer this year. Also in the organic farm “Krūmiņi”, which has been growing quinces since the beginning of the 90s, this year they are in surplus, however, they will most likely remain in the bushes.
Quince is a healthy plant enriched with vitamin C, and right now would be the right time to pick them and prepare them for the winter, both as juice, candies, and as other delicacies. In the biological farm “Krūmiņi” both quinces and apples are grown. Although apples are for self-consumption, juice is made from quinces and sold fresh, as well as candies made for personal use.
Quinces from generation to generation
The farm started growing quinces in the early 1990s, and it was started by the parents of Līga Birze’s husband. “Because they are so old, they are without variety. Now it is the case that you can buy all kinds of varieties, but these can already be called the “good old ones”. Then when my husband’s parents started, they were one of the first. They even joined the association, which once had a different name, but is now “Cido Grupa”, Līga Birze reveals. She says that since 2014, the farm has been certified as an organic farm, and this is followed by strict controls, also unplanned, when they go to the field to take soil and fruit samples. “Since we are an organic farm, we have covered some bushes with wooden mulch. We don’t sprinkle anything on the berries, so there is grass here and it looks a bit overgrown. When it is cared for and mowed, it is much easier to pass through, but quinces also like to grow in overgrown environments. I admit that now those who are just starting to grow quinces are covering the film, but for us to do that now would be a mission impossible. This year we’ve taken a break from all of that, but next year we’re jumping back in, and then the berries go away a lot. We usually hold a clean-up in September, where the whole family and friends are invited – all the extra forces are brought in, and then we also harvest as much as possible. My sister-in-law and I squeeze juices. It’s a whole venture because we both really enjoy it. It’s such a physically demanding job, but we completely switch off, and so much for both of us wherethat we read each other even by every movement and look in the eyes. This year, most likely, the berries will remain on the bush, and it must be said that every year a large number of berries remain on the bushes. This is a very rough figure, but on average one to two tons are harvested per season. Only two years have passed since the field has been read from beginning to end. One of them is last year, when nobody produced anything. This is also one of the reasons why we want to take part outside, because the berries are rotting,” reveals the quince grower.
This year, everyone has everything
When asked if quinces are the hostess’s favorite berry, she laughs that she would agree to say so, but she likes working with quinces more, likes their smell and preparing candies for family needs. “We squeeze juices and also sell them fresh. We don’t always manage to realize everything, that’s why there are people who also go to the Riga market. It’s a quieter season this year, but we’re running self-readers, but there’s still an awful lot of berries. There weren’t many people, and I think it’s because everyone has a lot. There really is an abundance of everything this year. Even the cherries that never produced were full of berries for us,” Līga Birze shares his experience.
The future plan of the farm is to reduce the field and leave only what is needed for myself and a couple of others, but this is a long-term work, because quinces are very difficult to get out due to their strong root system. They are just like weeds, the more often they are mowed, the stronger, more productive they remain.
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2024-09-24 06:45:04