November 2007
Fresh from the Fields
getting your hands on regional organic products
Did you know that the city of Munich is one of the biggest farmers in Bavaria? The city operates 11 farms with about 3,000 hectares of land under cultivation. Considering that the average size of a Bavarian farm is only 35 hectares, the city is an authentic feudal lord. This pool of farmland serves two basic functions: First, it is a resource to be used in case the city needs property for a communal project. Land in the agricultural pool that is used for such a purpose is replenished by buying more farm property. Second, it functions as an embodiment of the city’s expressed interest in supporting sustainable and widespread cultivation. Six of the municipal farms are role models for organic production.
All of the full-flavored bulls roasted on skewers at Octoberfest, for example, come from the
Karlshof farm, where animals are naturally-bred and raised. This municipal farm north of Munich (Freisinger Landstrasse 64 in Ismaning) also has a
Hofladen (farm-shop) where you can purchase its products directly: tender ox meat, potatoes, and blue, white and savoy cabbage. The farmers in the north of Munich have always been known as the best cabbage farmers (Krautbauern) in the area. For that reason, you’ll also find numerous plants for processing Sauerkraut in the area. The Hofladen is open Wednesday from 1–5 pm, and Friday from 8 am–12 pm.
If you don’t want to schlep out to a farm every time you need something, you should try a distribution system, or
Ökokiste (organic box). A group of organic farmers from the Munich area instituted this system, which provides direct selling from regional producers and avoids obscene transportation chains. Instead of paying for potatoes grown in the Netherlands, washed in Sicily, shipped back across Brenner and finally sold in a suburban supermarket, your money goes directly to the producer to support sustainable farming and regional distribution. Five local farms (including one near Augsburg) deliver fresh vegetables directly to your doorstep.
You subscribe to a mix of seasonal fruits and vegetables according to your household’s needs and budget: either a box whose content is composed by the farmer (€ 14–22 weekly), or your own mix. Your selection can be made over the Internet, but I suggest that you visit the farm in person before subscribing. The food will taste even better if you see where it is grown, get a whiff of earth and the countryside, and talk personally to the people who devote their skills to growing organic products. The West and Southwest of Munich receive deliveries from the
Amperhof in Olching (
www.amperhof.de); the Northeast, from the
Tagwerk in Riem (
www.oekokiste-tagwerk.de); and in the South, the
Hofgut Letten in Bad Heilbrunn (
www.hofgut-letten.com) supplies households from Munich to Garmisch with a great variety of fruits, vegetables and fresh herbs year-round. Finally, the region between Munich and Augsburg is supplied by the
rollende Gemüsekiste Haas-Hübsch from Gebenhofen. For more details, see
www.amperhof.com/partner.html.
One last tip for people who love to go shopping with a big wooden basket and talk with neighbors while tasting a small glass of wine: the weekly
Bauernmarkt, or
Wochenmarkt. This partially organic farmers’ market rotates through the weekdays in different sections of town. The farmers and gardeners are only allowed to sell products they produced by themselves: from eggs to cheese, meat, vegetables, herbs, bread, cakes, fruit and so on. The intent is to support local small farmers and avoid long transportation circuits, thereby saving energy. Most importantly, after years of homogeneous, glossy, season-less supermarket produce, you can rediscover the taste of an apple picked at the right time, or a tomato storing the sunrays of a whole summer in its flavor. Just try it. <<<
