With the sunny weekend behind us, spring has really sprung. Traders at the coast are expecting trade to pick up quickly. Toon Velle looks to the season with optimism. "This weekend wasn't terribly busy yet, but within fourteen days, with Easter, we're expecting lots of people at the coast again." Toon has a wholesale and retail business in Koksijde in Belgium.
Spring
There are still a lot of winter vegetables in the market, but the trader has also started selling typical spring products again: asparagus and strawberries. "Asparagus has been going for a while now, although the larger volumes are of course yet to come. In addition, we have delicious French strawberries again, which I always buy at the wholesale market in Lomme. The strawberries are of the Cléry variety. In Belgium it hasn't started yet, but in France they're already in the middle of the strawberry season."
He says many Belgian traders still opt for Spanish strawberries for quite a long while. "As soon as it begins in France, I make sure I have French ones. In terms of flavour and quality, they are a lot better than the Spanish ones, much softer and tastier. French strawberries are really good. Although the price is higher, customers are willing to pay. The French ones are around 5.40 Euro per kilo at the moment, the Spanish cost about 3.50."
