Quince confectionery, flower cake and hawthorn concoction: Marion Putensen from Waldkräuterey on Lüneburg Heath makes her Christmas gifts from plants in the area. “If we go back and think about what was going on Christmas“, then it is not a gift for a lot of money, but a gift made with love,” said the herbalist trainer.
“Gifts from nature” was the theme of a two-day seminar in November in a magical wooden hut in the Lopausee forest near Amelinghausen. Ten participants and two fellows meet once a month for an intensive weekend throughout the year. There are final exams in the summer.
Bringing humans closer to nature
Erik Schütte from Neustadt am Rübenberge packs almonds with wild herbs in small plastic packages. He worked in aviation and became familiar with wild plants through his wife. “I want to offer herbal hikes to bring people closer to nature again,” he says as we sample home-cooked food together.
It is suspected that weeds such as nettle leaves and seeds as a source of vitamin C and iron are his favorites. Local seeds are trending as a superfood, Putensen reports. She uses dried quince to treat colds in her tea: “You can use the whole fruit, the seeds help thin mucus.”
Eat a cigar for Udo Lindenberg
Tarts in all fruit variations, decorated with gold leaf or mint created by Tina Herzog, are very popular. He trained in a pastry shop and his last jobs were at the luxury hotels Adlon in Berlin and Atlantic in Hamburg. For Udo Lindenberg He’s made unusual cakes and edible cigars on several occasions, he said.
That Love Therefore, he moved to Haselünne in Emsland, where he became self-employed and worked to order. With his small works of art, he recently won the title of “Master of Sweets” in the RTL format where the best pastry chefs in German-speaking countries compete against each other.
He wants to broaden his horizons with training in the health sector. “I just wrote a book based on my grandmother’s old recipes. You can always expand and change them,” Herzog said of the title “Garden, Forest & Meadow.”
Course fees for culinary basics and facts
The course on the prairie cost 2,600 euros – money well spent, Tina Herzog believes: “It was a decision that was 100 percent worth it. I wanted a grounded education, less esoteric, but more culinary,” says Herzog. “The facts are very interesting.”
He had been planting and collecting the wild plants he bought for a long time. The best example is chickweed, which contains vitamin C and can still be found as a weed in northern regions even in October/November.
Tell fairy tales with herbal knowledge
Anke Heins from Celle will also be able to use her new knowledge. He is a storyteller and can imagine combining many herbs. “It gives me a different perspective on fairy tales,” said the 62-year-old.
For example, hawthorn is said to play a role in Sleeping Beauty’s deep sleep and protects her. All course participants contribute something to the miracle of Advent on the first weekend of December in Waldkräuterey, and they use the proceeds to go on an herb discovery tour to Thuringia. “We bounce ideas off each other, that’s what’s great,” Putensen said.
Certified nature and landscape guides will take courses in January to dismantle and recycle entire Christmas trees. “It doesn’t matter if it’s pine, spruce or spruce – we recycle it all.” In February, antibiotics such as a pain-relieving ointment made from tree sap were included in the program. Herbal medicine with local plants is also a natural cosmetic.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251124-930-332207/1
