M adrid

Madrid: enjoying the finest products GUIDE of the Best Fruits and Vegetables

138 www.frutas-hortalizas.com del Prado. -Villa and Humanes- Vegas, Las areas: growing excellent asparagus; thetwolocalitieshave250 haofgreenhousesurfaceareabetweenthem. Vega, CiempozuelosandAranjuezintheLasVegas district. la de Martín San and southwest, the in Navalcarnero and Prado del Villa of palities supplied thecity’s marketswithseasonalproduce. erties like , Alberche, Henares, Bajo Jarama, Tajo and Tajuña, all of which and on the other, and more distant prop- urban ones like Perales del Río, Fuenlabrada and Leganés on one hand and Arganda, sub- as well as gardens market urban veritable as remembered still Vallecasare and China La 60s. and 1950s the of typical were – itself of city the like – region About 2,500 About grows cucumber and runner bean, while San Martín de la Vega grows munici- the areas: two on centres region’shorticulture The commercial present Madrid the of cores urban the surrounding gardens vegetable and fruit of Belts ■ ■ ■ and its tributary brooksandbycapturedgroundwater.and itstributary Alberche river the by watered are properties Prado del Navalcarnero-Villa captured rainwaterandsurfacerunoff. The fruit and vegetable allotments of Humanes-Fuenlabrada are irrigated by Vega, CiempozuelosandAranjuez. Tajuñala de Martín San Chinchón, are: centres major the output, By rivers. and Tagus,Jarama the of banks the on lies Vegas Las of land arable The ha of outdoor fruit and vegetable garden is spread across three across spread is garden vegetable and fruit outdoor of ha 139 www.frutas-hortalizas.com GUIDE of the Best Fruits and Vegetables Madrid www.frutas-hortalizas.com 140 GUIDE of the Best Fruits and Vegetables Madrid irrigation, there has been a strong increase the surface area given over to melon to over given area surface the increase strong a been has there irrigation, drip and greenhousing plastic-sheet of introduction the With garlic. and melons are Chinchón and like towns in importance economic and social great and which comesincountlessformstomeetthemostdemandingneeds. growers areknownforproducingfineBrusselssprouts. me a traditional Christmas vegetable in Madrid – becomes available in winter. – becomeavailableinAugust. threadless and flat straight, narrow, – beans village’srunner same The stalks. white tender its with chard, Prado del Villa of season the is March to through June onion. of lettuce Romaine Fuenlabrada, tender Navalcernero and San Martín the de la Vega, of and of the month ever-popular spring the is May April. in picking for ripe are – da carrotareallavailableformuchoftheyear. tious leeks of Villa del Prado, the tasty Navalcarnero cabbage and the fine Fuenlabra- Other Madridcrops Produce availableallyear Other major crops of the that have a longstanding tradition From late winter to the end of spring, the markets offer artichoke, Cauliflower reaches the market in autumn, while red cabbage – which has beco- The cucumbers of Villa del Prado – of the short kind, as preferred by consumers Visitors can enjoy great quality products 365 days a year. The wonderfully nutri- levels. vegetables, and, where traces were present, they were invariably below legally permitted unit shows that pesticide residues are entirely absent from most of the region’s fruit and development rural and agriculture regional the by Research ‘soft’. is technology of use the properties, greenhouse in even but, techniques, cultivation modern uses quality.It vegetables underthelabel. Villa del Prado Huerta de Madrid, which will help enhance the value-added of fruit and region’s farmers. One initiative among others is the introduction of the guarantee the mark support and with work to effort major a making is innovation technological and themselves, andinlocalday-markets. the MercaMadrid wholesale market, to retailers and consumers on the farm properties fresh and at a low cost. Products are sold at ce can be readily brought to market very Five millionconsumers are keytotheruraleconomyofLasVegas district. and garlic have given rise to a whole range of handling and distribution facilities that Melon crops. leading the of one now is melon and region, Madrid the in production The fruit and vegetable sector of the Madrid region keeps up a high standard of of standard high a up keeps region Madrid the of sector vegetable and fruit The The agriculture and rural development unit of the regional department of economy Produce from the Community of Madrid accounts for 15% of input to MercaMadrid. The proximity of a market of five million consumers means that regional produ-

141 www.frutas-hortalizas.com GUIDE of the Best Fruits and Vegetables Madrid