Food of the past Collected vegetables is a concept that includes the synthesis of vegetables that grow in the garden. Basically, cook whatever you want. A few sprigs of spinach, a few tops of amaranth, amaranth, a little water spinach, spinach, jute, purslane, especially when there are a few handfuls of chili leaves… Many people call it the soup of memories. and it is absolutely a “solution” soup when other vegetables are not available. According to the Vietnamese dictionary, the meaning of the word “collection” is only found in the combination of “vegetable collection”. In the North, collected vegetables are usually amaranth, purslane, centella asiatica, spinach, jute… In the South, sage is the common name of a collection of vegetables such as gotu kola, spiny amaranth, purslane, plantain, plantain, coriander, guava leaves, clams, cilantro, cilantro, scallions… According to an article by Dr. Pham Van Tinh, Ph. In Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong’s literature, the word “treasure” belongs to the collection of herbs, which is wild grass, and “collection” is a collection of many types of vegetables. As for the Hue people, for “collection” is to read the sound camp of “decade” (the ten is ten, implying many types of vegetables combined). Vegetable soup is usually cooked simply, because it is mixed with vegetables, so it has a very unique taste, the strong smell of chili leaves, the sour taste of sam vegetables… Of course, it is a rural dish, so it is never available. face on the guest tray. Now, with the trend of going back to the past, vegetable soup suddenly becomes a specialty, it is raised to a higher level when cooked with crab or mussels, shrimp, fresh shrimp or minced lean meat. Of course, no matter what it is cooked with, it is still a special kind of soup. Nowadays, in Hanoi, there are not many gardens that still have vegetables to collect and pick up every meal. But small markets, mainly toad markets, sometimes come across a few baskets of vegetables for sale for only 5,000 VND/tang, as much as you can eat. Of course, it is not a vegetable that is innocently picked out of the garden and sold, but mixed intentionally. When wild vegetables become a specialty Now in mid-range restaurants, the menu sometimes also has collectible vegetables. Vegetables are sold at city prices. Not only the vegetables that suddenly become a specialty, many wild vegetables such as cilantro are also an example. It is a small grass-like vegetable that once filled the garden. People who have been through the difficult subsidy period often have eaten this vegetable. Vegetables are often used to cook soup or mixed in a bowl of vegetable soup. Along with cilantro, there is also nettles. This is a plant belonging to the eggplant family, so it is somewhat similar to eggplant in terms of both leaves and fruit. If you want to find stinging nettle, just wander along the field, along the road or garden corner in the countryside, it is easy to pick the whole basket. In the past, sturgeon was considered a poor family dish, a vegetable to save hunger in rural areas when economic conditions were still poor, people picked it to eat through meals. And until now, sturgeon is naturally upgraded to a specialty, loved because it is a clean vegetable that grows wild, does not contain preservatives, is both delicious and healthy. Dishes made from sturgeon have been improved and are very diverse such as cooking, sautéing meat, boiling, eating hot pot… However, the most popular is still stir-fried sturgeon with garlic according to the old flavor. The best sturgeon is the newly picked young shoots, giving a sweet, sweet taste. And if the vegetables are just plain cake, when cooked, the taste is a bit bitter. Along with that, there are sam vegetables. This is actually a year-round grass, with many smooth, smooth branches. Purslane grows wild in wet places. Although it is liked by many people to eat and use as a medicine, no one seems to question growing this vegetable. Therefore, it is really a plant that only grows wild. When picking purslane, people usually pick the whole plant, cut off the roots and then wash them, use fresh or dry or dry. Spinach is often boiled or mixed with amaranth rice, which is also a vegetable that grows mainly wild, rarely grown officially. Referring to wild vegetables without mentioning ground ginseng would be a big omission. Ginseng grows wild, the tubers are used as a medicine, the leaves are very cool and a bit like spinach. Ground ginseng is also one of the vegetables, which can be included in the bowl of traditional vegetable soup of the Northern people. Although growing wild, it is not difficult to propagate ground ginseng. Ground ginseng usually flowers purple, if grown on moist soil, the plant grows quite quickly, the seeds are small, when the seeds are old, they will be black. Put that seed to sow in moist soil, the plant will germinate very quickly. According to the Vietnamese dictionary, the meaning of the word “collection” is only found in the combination of “vegetable collection”. In the North, collected vegetables are usually amaranth, purslane, centella asiatica, spinach, jute… In the South, sage is the common name of a collection of vegetables such as gotu kola, spiny amaranth, purslane, plantain, plantain, coriander, guava leaves, clams, cilantro, cilantro, scallions… According to an article by Dr. Pham Van Tinh, Ph. In Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong’s literature, the word “treasure” belongs to the collection of herbs, which is wild grass, and “collection” is a collection of many types of vegetables. As for the Hue people, for “collection” is to read the sound camp of “decade” (the ten is ten, implying many types of vegetables combined).

From Lucretia Gather, SWR Mainz The “Weiselhof” is located on a hill about 15 kilometers outside of Mainz. Located between two villages, surrounded by vineyards and fields, with a wide view of the Rheingau. Anne Berk has lived on the farm for two years with her husband Bernd and their children Aaron, 3, and Caspar, 1. But also with 13 other residents. Each of the six parties has its own apartment. And they all have a common goal. “We want to live as environmentally conscious and self-sufficient as possible,” says Berk, “and we believe that you can do it better together than alone.”

Potatoes, leeks and beans – home-grown

The community grows its own fruit and vegetables. Almost one hectare of land belongs to the farm. Each party has its own garden, and there are areas that are cultivated together. Carrots, potatoes, leeks, beans and lettuce grow there in summer. The vegetables thrive on the principle of so-called permaculture, a form of organic farming that relies on biodiversity instead of monocultures. We do not use any kind of fertilizer. What Anne Berk appreciates about life at the “Weiselhof” is that she has planted and watered almost everything that ends up on her plate herself. And everything in organic quality. “It couldn’t be more regional,” says Berk. “It’s great that my children just casually see how leeks and spinach actually grow – and then they prefer to eat the vegetables.” Today the Berk family has fried eggs for lunch – and they come from the chickens that run around the “Weiselhof”. There are also three beehives that provide their own honey and sheep. They are primarily used as lawn mowers – but their wool is also used as fertilizer.

Anne Berk planted almost everything that ends up on her and her family’s table herself. Image: SWR Mainz

Buy groceries together – avoid rubbish

As a rule, whatever groceries the residents of the “Weiselhof” have to buy, they do it together. There is a large warehouse in the basement – with pasta, rice, flour, but also detergent and soap. Here, too, the community makes sure to choose organic and regional products as far as possible. “This is our Weisel store,” says Anne Berk. “We try to buy bulk packs for basic foods in order to avoid packaging waste.” Anyone who needs something can help themselves in the basement and write down what they have taken with them.

Agricultural scientist Silke Steinbronn started the project. Image: SWR Mainz

Own power generation through photovoltaics

The project was founded by Thomas Hahner and his wife Silke Steinbronn. They had the idea for such a residential project for a long time. In 2018 they bought the site between Ingelheim and Wackernheim in Rheinhessen – and gradually expanded and renovated the former inn. “We want the people who live here to have good living conditions and that these conditions are also good for the environment,” Steinbronn describes the shared vision. As a PhD in agronomy, she worked a lot abroad and gained international experience in the field of organic agriculture.

Renovation with sustainable materials

Even when the courtyard was being renovated, they attached great importance to ecological renovation using sustainable materials. The facade is insulated with hemp, the roof with thatch. “With this type of eco-renovation, we now only use half the energy that was used here before the renovation,” says Steinbronn. The photovoltaic system on the roof donates so much energy that the farm is almost completely self-sufficient. “We have so much electricity that we can be 99 percent self-sufficient.” The community receives hot water from a solar thermal system, and wood pellets are used for heating.

With the “Weiselhof” the residents want to show what is possible when it comes to environmental protection. Image: SWR Mainz

Share instead of owning

There is also enough electricity to charge the two electric cars that belong to the yard. Sharing instead of owning is particularly important to the residents of the “Weiselhof”. This doesn’t just apply to the cars. In the hall there is a cupboard with everyday items that everyone can use: from the iron to the hand blender to the waffle iron. “At some point we realized that we all have way too much stuff that we don’t need all the time,” says Anne Berk. “And it’s nice to share that.”

Goal: To be a “beacon” for environmental protection

The residents of the “Weiselhof” are aware that their way of life is somewhat exotic. And also that their life model is not the right one for everyone. “We don’t judge anyone who can’t or doesn’t want to live like this, that’s very important to us,” says Berk. The group wants to “be a lighthouse”, she says, and “show what is possible in terms of environmental protection.” And Steinbronn adds: She is already happy when someone simply decides to grow his tomatoes on the balcony himself instead of buying plastic-wrapped foreign tomatoes in the supermarket: “Every small step is good for the environment.”