Dandelions in the cheesecake

The resourceful cook, author and wild herb expert Peter Becker conjures up not only the above-mentioned golden yellow cheesecake from dandelions, he also uses them in hearty tarte flambées or root parfait. He is part of a team of instructors that explains the work of the wild herb plant nursery in practical presentations and culinary activities for visitors to Schlockerhof farm. Project manager Christoph Schuch organises these workshops to demonstrate to the greater public how local herbs make it from the wayside to the plate in the tastiest of ways, and what else they can be used for. The current workshop dates starting in mid-March can be found here.

In addition to the traditional decorative plants that the plant nursery has sold since 1991, visitors can also purchase wild herbs and perennials for around three euros per plant from the farm shop. "You don't throw wild perennials out every year, they are sustainable, good for bees, and also usually much less sensitive to droughts like we had last summer", explains Schuch. Insects, whose numbers have been decreasing ever more in the Rhine-Main region, find their necessary food on the stamen that they often cannot reach or that do not exist on cultivated flowers with abundant blossoms. Despite their plainness, yarrow and its cohorts are truly a feast for the eyes in gardens and have also started receiving more attention again in the last few years, even in the glossy garden magazines.

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The green tips of red beet seedlings and other vegetables are just beginning to peek though the peat-free soil. The vegetable plants are delivered to South Hesse and Baden-Württemberg so that children in kindergartens and schools can learn about environmentally conscious gardening at an early age. The Ackerdemia project that began in Potsdam, Brandenburg has received several awards and has since spread throughout the country. At Schlockerhof farm, only regional Demeter seeds are used. In contrast to so-called hybrid or high-performance seeds, the yield is less but the plants are better suited genetically to the regional conditions. On behalf of a plant nursery in Mainz, together with her staff from the workshop Irmela Harz takes care of several woody plants like the Latvian sugar apple tree and the Melz yellow plum tree – known as heirloom fruits – as well as extremely rare roses. This all serves to preserve biodiversity and saves the genetic material of endangered fruit varieties. "There is always an interplay between people and plants here," she says. This is because meaningful work and support for people with disabilities is just as much in the focus as the love for the environment and plants. In the winter, when the herbs do not grow, the employees process the dried herbs to make teas and put them into packaging they design themselves.

A colourful watercolour on the memo board shows how "Noah's Garden" might look in a while: the still brown field will transform into a fragrant garden to experience, local cyclists and people out on walks will stroll beside the flower beds, stop to smell the peppermint or taste a goutweed leaf. Groups of chairs invite visitors to stop for a refreshing herbal lemonade or green smoothie. Just a vision of the future? Either way, Christoph Schuch has already provided the flower beds.