Harvested the Spreewald cucumber - a year full of challenges!

Harvested the Spreewald cucumber - a year full of challenges!

Dahme-Spreewald, Deutschland - The harvest time has started! On June 18, 2025, the starting signal for the harvest of the famous Spreewald cucumbers and the anticipation is great. According to rbb24 cucumber are harvested on an area of around 500 hectares. Over the next eight to twelve weeks, farmers expect a yield of around 30,000 tons, although they are faced with some challenges in view of the cool and dry corn.

Gregor Knösels, an experienced cucumber manufacturer, reports of suboptimal growth that has delayed the harvest by a week. Nevertheless, Knösel is confident that there will be no difficulties with the acceptance of the cucumbers, despite the personnel loss at his main customer, the Spreewaldhof. Peters Spreewaldhof is still planning to process the valuable cucumbers, which is of essential importance for the region.

challenges and opportunities

The challenges are numerous: from difficulties in recruiting seasonal workers that are needed for manual harvesting to increasing resources and personnel costs, which are reported by many companies from the protective community "Spreewälder Cucumber". In addition, climate changes have a negative impact on cultivation and processing. Another problem is the difficult access to Ukrainian harvesters due to the ongoing conflict, whereby around 3,000 harvest helpers are required annually.

a treasure from the region

The Spreewald Capiculation is not only a culinary highlight, but also part of the cultural heritage of Brandenburg. The famous German writer Theodor Fontane already described her as one of the best agricultural products in the region in the 1870s. Your moist, humus -rich soils and the right climate in the Spreewald ensure a distinctive taste that is reinforced by the careful processing and special spices. This tradition of cucumber manufacture runs to the present and is cultivated by about twenty layers in the Spreewald economic area.

For everyone who wants to learn more about this regional delicacy, there is even a cucumber cycle path. A logo with a laughing cucumber on a bike shows the way through the picturesque landscapes of the Spreewald and shows how deeply the culture of the cucumber is rooted in the region.

The Spreewald Marathon and other events that put the cucumber in the right light ensure that the Spreewald cucumber also finds attention beyond the borders of the region. An example of the pop cultural meaning is the film "Good Bye, Lenin!" by Wolfgang Becker, who once again put the product into the spotlight.

The challenge that this year's cucumber harvest brings with it makes us look at the dedication and the skills of farmers who, despite all adversity, make the best of the situation. The Spreewald with its cucumbers remains a valuable part of the culinary heritage of Germany and a real pleasure for everyone who wants to cost the fine pickled cucumbers.