As spring approaches, more and more domestic vegetables are available in stores

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Although there is a significant supply of vegetables in the shops throughout the year, starting from the early spring period, Hungarian goods take the place of imports for more and more types of vegetables. According to the overview of the National Chamber of Agriculture and the Hungarian Vegetable and Fruit Trade Association, domestic spring onions are offered all year round at the Budapest Big Market, but in the early spring period, the domestic supply also increases, so foreign spring onions gradually disappear from the offer of most stores. The situation is similar for lettuce and month-old radishes. Spring onions are grown on about 130 hectares in our country, and the annual harvest amounts to around 2,000 tons.

The early domestic lettuce usually appears in the stores in February and from there there is a rapid increase until the end of April

In Hungary, the harvested area of lettuce and the harvested quantity have continuously decreased in recent years. The reason for this is that it is increasingly difficult to grow lettuce economically in our country. Due to the high temperatures, continuous watering is necessary, which increases the appearance of weeds. In addition, more and more pathogens appear, which is why the change of varieties in cultivation is very fast. In addition to newer and newer varieties, more and more new types of lettuce appear and are incorporated into our diet, which can be stored better than lettuce and are suitable for mechanical harvesting and processing. In the future, it is expected that the popularity of romaine lettuce among producers will continue to grow, which can be kept fresh for two weeks when stored in the refrigerator. Today, iceberg lettuce is even more common, the large, plump heads of which are much more durable than head lettuce, which can only be kept for a few days. In terms of demand, the monopoly of lettuces seems to be breaking. Although it is still sought after by many people, there is a growing interest in other types of salad, especially iceberg lettuce and lettuce. Imported lettuce arrives in Hungary during the winter period, i.e. from mid-November to mid-April, mainly from Italy, the total amount imported is around one thousand tons per year.

In domestic terms, month-old radishes are one of the very first kitchen garden plants that can be planted in early spring

Month-old radishes can be planted and sown at the end of winter, in the first days of spring, if the weather is mild in February. Month-old radishes are usually sown in heated or unheated foil. Due to its cold tolerance and short cultivation time, many people plant it as a pre-crop. In cultivation under foil, month-old radishes are the first major source of income, so farmers try to sow them as soon as possible so that the planting of the main crop does not slip. Although its share in domestic vegetable production is very low, radishes are the second most important cultivated, cold-tolerant vegetable after lettuce. In Hungary, radishes are grown on about 100 hectares, typically under unheated or slightly heated foil, flat foil and veil foil with a smaller air space, primarily in the counties of Bács-Kiskun and Csongrád-Csanád. Domestic one-month-old radishes are available all year round at the Budapest Wholesale Market. Different types of spherical radishes are sold in bundles. Month-old radishes in Italy are typical for the winter period, and with the expansion of domestic production, they usually run out of supply.

NAK