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Thirty-five years between the lines
There is hardly anyone in Őriszentpéter and the surrounding markets who does not know József Cserkuti – or as everyone calls him, Józsi Málnás. He has been a full-time fruit grower for thirty-five years, the very first supplier to Pajta, and his time is spent growing raspberries, blackberries, currants and elderberries. His story ranges from hobby gardening to the challenges of climate change, but fruit has always remained the focus.
Meeting with Pajta
The collaboration began more than a decade ago. “They heard about me, visited me at the market, and then came to see my plantations,” recalls Józsi. Back then, the morning bustle of the Őriszentpéter and Szalafő markets was the meeting place: fresh vegetables, fruit, handicrafts, and the slowly flowing line of regular customers. Józsi’s stand was always full – not only with fruit, but also with curious questions. “Not many people produced as many and of the same quality raspberries as I did back then. Zala County used to be famous for its raspberries – more were produced here than in the whole country combined. Today, there are hardly any left.”
The first shipment to Pajta was – of course – raspberries. It has been the most important fruit in its range ever since.
From hobby to profession
He was originally a forester. At first, the raspberry rows only fit into his life after work, but then, during privatization, he decided to start his own business. “Everything had to be developed: the land, the plantations, the processing. Fresh fruit always came first, syrups and jams could only come later.” In the early nineties, this was a bold move: an uncertain market, changing rules, disappearing buyer networks. “Many people preferred to wait it out, but I thought: if I can rely on myself, the future is more secure.”
In addition to raspberries, blackberries, black and red currants, gooseberries, rowanberries and elderberries also grow. The season starts in mid-June with red currants, followed by raspberries, black currants and blackberries – there is always work and harvest until the autumn frosts.
The new rules of climate change
Everything has changed in three and a half decades. “According to the old textbooks, raspberries need a southern hillside. Today, it needs the opposite: a northern exposure so that the sun doesn’t scorch them.” Previously considered certain dates have also been overturned: red currants, which used to ripen after raspberries, now often arrive in the baskets two weeks before. “Everything has come earlier, and everything has become more extreme.”
Berry crops are sensitive: a hot, dry wind can damage the crop in minutes. Józsi’s plantations are surrounded by forest and lie on a slight north-facing slope – this protects them from the wind and heat. “There has never been a year when everything has been perfect, but the variety helps: if one is not good, another can still ripen.”
Varieties and patience
It takes eight to ten years for a new variety to be determined whether it can withstand the local climate. There is a plantation that has been producing a good crop for twenty-five years. “I tried every variety I had access to. I removed the ones that didn’t work so they wouldn’t get mixed up.” It’s not just what he likes that matters, it’s what works here in Zala. Some varieties are delicious, but if the weather doesn’t favor them and they never ripen, they have to go. They can’t even have any seeds left.
Nature-friendly farming
A short green cover is placed between the rows – the cut grass and weeds remain on the ground, acting as a natural mulch. “Raspberries love the soil covered. I also turn the cut canes back into the soil – that way I don’t take the minerals out of the plantation.” He treats the plants with herbicide once a year, in the spring, and the rest is a matter of mowing and natural rotation. “They used to say that raspberries gut the soil. That’s true when they’re alone, but if there’s life between the rows, they give back what they get.”
The most beautiful moment: “When the plantation is in bloom and the bees are buzzing between the rows, it’s nice to sit and just watch. No two springs are the same – every year is a new story. Even after thirty-five years, it still feels the same: a new season begins, and if everything goes well, the end will be raspberries, fruit, and harvest.”
written by: Márton Király
