I’ve been eager to have a tour of Klosterhof Farm ever since I started ordering Vegetables from them back in 2013 when I started El Haso. After El Haso I continued to order my Vegetables from them for the Kindergarten Catering and I am always a regular at their Market Stand on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the Wiehre. Their Veggies are always full of Flavour.
Finally, 4 Years in to knowing each other in June 2017 we finally managed to spend a Thursday morning together on the Farm. It was an honour to have Michael Müller give me a Tour and share so much of his Knowledge with me.
Michael Müller. 
Loading up the van with those recognisable green Vegetable Boxes. The Fields are all just a short drive away in and around Gundelfingen and Heuweiler. 
Here are very young Carrots, Parsnips and Haferwurzel (Purple Salsify). Klosterhof acquire a lot of their young Plants from an Organic provider. The only exceptions being Pumpkin and Kohlrabi. They do this to have better control over the rate in which the Plants grow. Seeds tend to sprout at different Times despite being sown in the same Moment. 
The biggest task on the Farm is pulling out the Weeds. It requires a lot of energy and perseverance. 
When the Plants are still young a Tractor is used to remove the Weeds. The Rake at the back has small Arrowheads that drag along either side of the young Plant and tears out the Weeds. 
The more often they do this when the Plant is young, the less Work is needed to be done by Hand when the Plant is older. 
Nitrogen is a very important fertiliser for Organic Plants. This is a French Bean Plant. On the roots are lots of tiny white Pearls of Nitrogen. All legumes are chosen favourites for a bacteria that fixes Nitrogen. This Bacteria collects the Nitrogen out of the Air and this is released into the Soil helping other Plants grow. 
Row upon row of gorgeous baby Salads. 
And this is what it will look like 14 days later. Ready to be picked! Yum.. 
Michael loves the Salad fields because they are so colourful, they have so many different textures and those beautiful Lettuces look like giant Roses. 
Behind the Field of Sweetcorn is a row of Apple Trees, and a few Walnut Trees. Michael planted the Trees 22 years ago when his daughter was born.The Apples are pressed in the Autumn for Juice. 
The black material on the ground means that it’s warmer for the Courgettes at the beginning of the Season and later in the year it hinders the moisture in the earth from evaporating. 
Look at that Beauty! A mini Melon. 
The “Freiland” Field: Outdoor Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and my favourite Physalis. 
The work of a Farmer is never finished – there is always a Weed to remove or a Branch to to cut away. 
Checking the Tomato Plants for Lice…. 
Friends and Foes of Michael all on one leaf. 
A Ladybird! These are very beneficial Organisms for Organic Farming. 
A wonderful bunch of Dill is being picked for me to take home. 
This is simply Herb paradise. Dill, Rosemary, Coriander, Lemon-Basil.. 
A lot of Fields are next to public Footpaths. To protect the Fields and their Crops from Dogs Michael plants Rows of Flower Bushes. Its multi functional as the Flowers attract useful Organisms that remove Lice from the Vegetables. 
This Bush also produces a Vegetable similar to Mangetout. Very cute, very tasty. 
The field with the best View! 
Michael told me that before they plant young Plants in a field, they turn over the soil and leave it for a few days. During which the weeds grow quickly and wildy. Michael then uses flames to burn away the Weeds. This dramatically reduces the Pests during a planting Season. 
There are certain Fields which have a special system of bringing Water up from deep down on their own. The Plants stay moist and get a lot of their needed Water from the Earth. 
The Flower from the Aubergine Plant – so beautiful. 
Cucumber Plants at the end of the Season are a whopping 8 Meters Tall. 3 Cucumbers grow at one time on one Plant, which is held up on a Line so that the Cucumbers are always at Eye Level. 
These are Flowers from a Cucumber Plant. Their fragrance is like Vanilla, I was totally surprised, they smell really wonderful. 
Every second Stalk is allowed to have a cucumber. Michael comes through every week and picks the unwanted Flowers. 
Tomatoes have 5 stalks with Tomatoes. The Tomatoes at the bottom will only turn red when the stalks at the top Blossum. 
Tomatoes don’t have any Nectar only Pollen. Bees only go to Plants that have both. The Bumble Bee however does go to Plants that only have Pollen, so Michael brings in Bumble Bees. each Year. 
The wonderful Bumble Bee posing for a photo. 
Michael’s favourite Vegetable is the Tomato. Tomatoes which have been fertilised taste a lot Sweeter and have a lot more Aroma. They also have a lot more Seeds. 
Lots of Peppers have been planted for the local butcher Markus Dirr, they are on order for his Italian Sausages. 
The washing and preparation of the Vegetables all takes place at the Farm House in Gundelfingen.
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