Results

Catherina Merx of the Kuhmuhne initiative is very pleased; the "salad day" had been a great success. Visitors from all over the region came to taste and see native and some cases almost extinct vegetables, herbs and plants. Many of them bought seedlings and accompanying literature to plant them in their own gardens.

For Mrs. Merx the highlight of the day was when an elderly woman approached her with a seedling of a bean that has almost vanished from home gardens and vegetable plantations in Germany. The old lady smiles and proudly tells her story "This bean has been in my family for centuries. It is a custom that the mother gives some seedlings to her daughter on her wedding day." Through people like her and some private initiatives the Kuhmuhne has been able to save many plants, vegetables and herbs from extinction during the last few years.

Challenge

In Germany many people used to grow a great diversity of native agricultural crops in their garden. However, times have changed. These days most of them don´t even know the native plants and hardly anyone still grows vegetables or herbs themselves. Just a few gardening specialists remain knowlegdable about the diversity and multiplication of the now rare seedlings.

Actions Taken

With the HNUI as a sponsor, the Kuhmuhne built a "show garden" where they planted samples of as many native agricultural crops as possible. Visitors are informed about the plants, are able to taste vegetables and herbs and can also buy seeds.