Tag: cultivating herbs

Papné Manufactory – herbalists

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Driving in the countryside on gravel roads and finally on a muddy one, we arrived at the property of the Szabó family.

We were met by Ms. Szabó Adél-Júlia, who was a very agreeable woman. She was taught about herbs from a young age by her grandmother and her mother and her husband also learned about herbs from an early age.
The company is run by Ms. Szabó Adél-Júlia and her husband, who work as a minister in a unitarian church and as a manager, respectively. In their spare time, they spend some of it growing and collecting herbs, drying them in the attic on hot summer days and using electrical dehumidifiers on cooler ones.

A mixture of dry herbs

First, we went to a small house where we were shown their dehumidifiers and their storeroom. All the herbs were stored in transparent plastic boxes. They had started storing them in cardboard boxes, but the dried herbs extracted humidity from the air and after some time, mold appeared. Then, they had to throw away the whole harvest and turn to plastic instead.

Ms. Szabó Adél-Júlia opened each box and helpfully picked up some of the herbs from each one.

The unitarian church and the old oak tree

After having showed some of the contents of each box, we followed her outside where we could see a huge 600-year-old oak tree located between the church and their house, while a tower was next to the church.

Next, we crossed a cemetery before arriving at their field of herbs, where the field had been covered by canvas through which rows of holes had been perforated. An herb was growing in each hole, as expected. Some of the herbs were being grown without a canvas and they also were growing some currant bushes. They also go outside the property to pick herbs in the nearby forest.

She teaches kids about herbs for free.

They are producing herbal and fruit trees with the following ingredients:
⦁ spearmint
⦁ oregano
⦁ rose petals
⦁ lavender
⦁ lemon balm
⦁ stinging nettle
⦁ dog rose
⦁ chamomile
⦁ horse mint
⦁ elderberry flower
⦁ acacia flower
⦁ marigold
⦁ yarrow
⦁ eastern purple coneflower
⦁ stinging nettle
⦁ walnut leaf
⦁ isop
⦁ horse mint
⦁ spruce tips
⦁ monarda didyma
⦁ cowslip
⦁ raspberry
⦁ blueberry
⦁ apple
⦁ dog rose fruit
⦁ wild cherry
⦁ blackcurrant, white currant, and redcurrant

The teas are sold in Romania and Hungary.

I have also visited the herbalists Halasagi Csibi and Balazs Dávid .

08/10/2024
Halasagi Csibi herbalists
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Having driven some time in the countryside of Harghita with mostly meadows ans scattered houses, we have to descend down to a valley, pass a small village and drive on a muddy and bumpy road for some minutes until we arrive at a house in the middle of a forest. Upon arrival, a young woman led us to a room where an old lady was using a sewing machine. Since I don’t know any Hungarian, I just have to listen to my guide talking to her, wondering why he’s talking to an old lady using a sewing machine. In fact, we had come to visit the house of a herbalist, not a seamstress. Fortunately, after some time, I’m told that she’s 83 years old and that she started collecting herbs many years ago. She was sewing dried herbs into insoles when we arrived, but she’s doing the same with waist belts and pillows . In this way, it’s possible to be in close contact with herbs. She almost quit collecting herbs when her husband died, but somehow she was able to go on doing it. Her grandson, who now runs the company, was introduced to herbs when he was 3 years old.

According to their web site, the heat of the body will lead to that essential oils of the herbs will start to evaporate, ensuring a pleasant fragrance and a refreshing effect on the entire body.

Afterwards, we went outside where her granddaughter showed us their herbal garden with various herbs like lemon balm and peppermint. Since the season lasts from May to July and we arrived in September, the garden wasn’t as colourful and fragrant any more, but that’s part of slow pix: visiting once and just having to accept whatever is available.

Next, she served us one their own herbal teas while we were sitting on the veranda. In fact, they are offering
After having enjoyed drinking a cup of tea, we went up to the attic which was used as a drying room for their herbs. This is different from other herbalists I have visited who were using solar-powered ovens to dry them.

Finally, we walked around on the property and we passed a poster announcing that there is music festival for three days in June. Then, anyone can come, set up a tent and join the festival.

Just before we should go, we were invited to dinner, but my guide had some plans, which made him turn down the offer. Anyway, it was great to visit such a beautiful place inhabited by such relaxed people.
10/09/2017
Saxon cakes and Austria pro Romania

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Photo gallery of Saxon cakes

Photo gallery of the visit in Stejarisu

We visited a Romanian family in a town called Agnita in order to have a look at the cakes they were making. We were met by Viorel whose mother and wife are making cakes using recipes which have been used by the Saxons in Romania for centuries. Unfortunately, no baking was taking place during our visit, but we were shown three of their cakes, all of which tasted delicious.

Although Viorel’s parents are Romanian, Viorel convinced his mother to start baking Saxon cakes since he had always been interested in healthy food. During our visit, we were offered three types of Saxon cakes. When I started photographing the cakes, Viorel brought a doll showing a woman dressed in a typical Saxon dress. The dress was a copy of a dress Saxon women used during processions when the Saxons were in the majority in Agnita.

While his mother and wife make the cakes, Viorel brings the cakes to various outdoor markets organized by Slow Food, always trying to make the Saxon cakes known in Romania. He also wanted to buy a house in a village called Stejarisu and he joined us for a car ride there in order to show us a very enterprising small-scale food producer.

Having arrived in Stejarisu, another Saxon village, he led us to a large building where we would be served lunch. The building housed a company called Probstdorfer Naturprodukte, founded by an Austrian woman, Mrs Schöfnagel, selling honey, several types of jam, liquor and herbs, serving meals for visitors and providing accommodation. The locals were working in the kitchen, the garden, the workshop, etc. In fact, Mrs Schöfnagel has been tirelessly helping the Romanians since the 1970s.

Having assisted in two reconstruction projects in 2005 and 2006 after major floods, she was one of the founders of a foundation called Au-Ro or Austria pro Romania in 2007. It seems like Au-Ro has been replaced by the Augustinian Humanitarian Foundation.

Stejarisu has about 800 inhabitants and when she first started helping them, the buildings were run-down and most of the locals were unemployed living on social assistance. Now, the village has a kindergarten, a school, three small shops, a milk collection centre, a post office and a village inn.

The organization aims to provide education and vocational training in addition to offering work for everyone. In this way, the persons managing Au-Ro think that the locals are able to solve their own social problems and getting out of poverty.

After having eaten a delicious lunch, we were free to walk around on their property where lots of herbs were being cultivated, chickens were walking around freely, some local women were tending the garden, while the local men were doing some kind of practical work.

Last but not least, the foundation accepts volunteers who want to work in Romania.

26/06/2012