For 4 people: 400 g lamb's lettuce, 200 g medium Gouda, 2 cup cress sprouts, 4 tbsp sunflower seeds; vinaigrette of mild mustard, fruit vinegar, salt, pepper and sunflower oil.
Clean, wash and dry the lettuce, and cut the Gouda into small cubes. Dry roast the sunflower seeds in a pan. Mix the lettuce, gouda and cress sprouts together and fold in the vinaigrette. Mix and serve sprinkled with the sunflower seeds.
Sprouts, the highest quality greens for human consumption
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As "addicted to agriculture" and "fan of comprehensive school" at the same time, that is how Wolfgang Keller characterizes himself, revealing a rare profile. In the 1960s he considered moving out of his parents' farm, which had existed for four generations, but then refrained from doing so in order to become a teacher of German, biology and religion. Of course without giving up farming, at first he financed his studies with it. His two daughters brought him to organic farming, as they simply liked organically produced products better; for his part, he was already fed up with spraying. Then, ten years ago, a health food company asked Bioland for permanently available, larger quantities of organically produced sprouted seeds, and Wolfgang Keller took up the cause.
After years of experimentation, he now sows "whatever works", this motto is also part of the concept of organic farming. So with these special crops today "so really money comes in", and Keller could reduce his teaching position.
Today he is the sprout Pope at Bioland or better: the sprout seed Pope, because the customers themselves let the grains sprout at home. They taste not only "like what", but also very versatile. The sprouts of garden cress are spicy and hot; those of golden flax or brown flax are mild and have a fine oil taste; radish and chive sprouts have a fresh and hearty note. The seeds cost between 2.40 and 9 marks per kg and are available at Kellers Hof or in health food shops (brand "Davert-Mühle"). With the radishes, however, it was nothing last year, because the earth fleas, against which there is no remedy in organic farming, had made themselves over it.
Keller's sprouting seeds are absolutely residue-free, are cleaned and dried with cold air for at least six weeks, cleaned again, twice. This way, Keller can guarantee 100% germinable seeds, with no duds or even mold: they "go off like the post".
For three thousand years, people in China have been making use of sprouted seeds. In the kitchen and as a remedy. Because sprouts, according to the organic farmer, represent "the highest quality green food"that exists for human consumption, no other food is so rich in valuable amino acids that the organism can easily absorb. You eat them raw, of course, the easiest way is on a sandwich. For example, at a picnic at Keller's flax fields with their wonderful blue blossoms. Since Keller grows wheat, rye, naked oats and spelt in addition to poppies (an opium-free variety since last year) and supplies bakers, bread made from his organic grain is also available. Jürgen Fuhr in Bad Schwalbach bakes five varieties of it (Bäckerei Weller, Tel.: 06124-2235). But sprouts also excel in refining soups or in salads. Like in lamb's lettuce with cress sprouts.
Bioland farm
Wolfgang Keller
Bahnhofstr. 4 (between ALDI and Tengelmann)
65307 Bad Schwalbach
Phone: 06124-12495 (also fax)
Please call first
from Waldemar Thomas