Good morning from sunny Cornwall! It’s cauliflower & cabbage week.

Not a bad view from the office! Veg Power Brassica Growers Riviera Produce

Fact of the Day! Cauliflower was first introduced into this country by missionaries returning from overseas in the 13th Century from the Middle East. Originally known as ‘Coleflower’ meaning cabbage flower, this was a white sprouting broccoli type.

We are surrounded on three sides by the sea and the wind direction coming off the sea warms up in the winter and cools down in the summer. Our rainfall in Cornwall is also higher than in other parts of the country, so it gives us better conditions for growing brassicas in summer.

The business is primarily based around growing brassica crops with the addition of courgettes during the summer. Riviera Produce grows cauliflower and spring greens for 12 months of the year with savoy and pointed cabbage, kale and broccoli during the UK growing season.

The majority of their plants are grown outside between May to September, which produces a plant that is ideal to thrive in Cornish conditions. Cauliflower is split between summer and winter varieties. We plant 3 varieties in the summer and over 40 varieties for the winter!

The summer plants are put in the ground between March and July planted weekly whilst the winter ones are planted in June and July. Jeremy Hosking and team are constantly looking at new ways to expand and this year a new tunnel has been built for 16,000 trays! Just under 1 acre!

This year has seen Riviera Produce invest in two new automatic planters, this has made a significant difference in the way that we plant the seedlings by increasing productivity, improving crop uniformity and reducing the need for labour. Ferrari Growtech

Recipe of the Day! Cauliflower Cheese Nuggets 😋 Riviera Produce

Our Crop Walkers regularly inspect the growing crops- Riviera has implemented a minimal cultivation and strip tillage regime that has allowed greater flexibility. It improves soil structure, increases soil moisture retention and increases worm activity. #regenerativeagriculture

Regenerative farming and bio-diversity is at the forefront of the business. Using cover crops to improve soil structure, nutrient management and pest control through increasing the amount and variety of beneficial pollinators while reducing the use of pesticides.Riviera Produce

Cauliflower Harvesting requires a dedicated team of workers who can harvest up to 2-3 trailers per day. The dedicated staff return year after year. You will struggle to find better views than this when harvesting cauliflower! British Growers Riviera Produce

Spring Greens Harvesting! If it is a bagged product the team will cut 2-3 heads per bag depending on weight, these will arrive in the supermarket fresh and green and are a great addition to your evening meal. Veg Power vegpower.org.uk/recipes/lucys-…

Spring Greens continue growing through the winter months with the Cornish climate, this gives them a sweet tender taste through the dark winter’s nights. They are ideal for stir-fry’s and on Chinese New Year are used as Crispy Seaweed!

The main Packhouse is powered by solar panels. This year a ground source heat pump was installed to generate heat for the on-site accommodation, the exchange of cool air is fully utilised within the refrigeration units to keep our produce chilled to maintain the shelf life.

We are also trialling one of our tractors with waste vegetable oil and believe it or not it works just as well as diesel! It is great for the environment and will help us achieve being carbon neutral Riviera Produce Mitchell & Webber falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/fpfalmout…

Thanks for following our journey this week from field to finished product. With Christmas on the horizon do not hesitate to try new recipes with fresh vegetables – there is plenty of inspiration on Powered By Veggies! Have a look out for a few of Riviera's recipes online!@Riviera_Produce

Tier 4 Fears in Cornwall - Shout to people from the South East, please don’t take Pale Shelter here. I Believe it’s a Mad World but you don’t want to be Sowing The Seeds of Covid.

Sarina Wiegman. That's it. That's the tweet.