The Feldsalat von der Insel Reichenau PGI is a salad belonging to the Valerianaceae family.
Production Method
The soil suitable for the cultivation is constantly cared for and the weeds are rooted out through mechanical instruments; the entire production area is covered by an organic substratum. Biological pest control is used in order to fight damaging agents. The Feldsalat von der Insel Reichenau PGI cultivated in greenhouses is harvested from October to March, whereas the open-air cultivation is harvested from April to June. The harvesting process takes place exclusively by hand. It can be sowed or transplanted.
Appearance and Flavour
The Feldsalat von der Insel Reichenau PGI is a type of corn salad, crunchy, with small leaves growing like rose-cut diamonds, root-free, resistant to frost, with a dark green colour and a taste recalling hazelnut.
Production Area
The production area of the Feldsalat von der Insel Reichenau PGI is within the island of Reichenau, which is on the Lake Constance and is part of the Reichenau municipal area, belonging to the city of Konstanz in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg.
History
The Feldsalat von der Insel Reichenau PGI is a product of the traditional horticulture that dates back to the monastic culture of the island. In 840, Abbot Walahfried Strabo gave way to the tradition of the vegetable garden with the description of his garden in De cultura hortorum. The cultivation of the corn salad is testified for the first time in 1910, and in 1938, it was already numbered amongst the island's main vegetable cultivations.
Gastronomy
The Feldsalat von der Insel Reichenau PGI should be kept in a cool and dry place. It can be consumed raw or cooked. It is particularly tasty as ingredient in salads, such as the salad with smoked ham, chicken salad and potatoes, or with champignons.
Marketing
The product is sold as Feldsalat von der Insel Reichenau PGI. It is marketed packaged in bundles of 1 kg.
Distinctive Features
The Feldsalat von der Insel Reichenau PGI, originally wild, is resistant to frost and is able to survive under conditions of low luminosity; it is undemanding regarding the soil, the nutritional substances and the water supply. Thus, the cultivation of this plant adapts perfectly to the island of Reichenau during the poorly sunlit and cold winter season. The peculiarities of the Feldsalat von der Insel Reichenau PGI consent the cultivation also during the foggy periods, which can last several weeks in this region, especially in the winter.
