Good morning everyone. As I am once more across the country- here is my first guest from The Fellowship: Gerlinde. We are beginning our international small farm tour in Germany. She writes, cooks and travels over at her blog The Sunny Cove. 
I am tickled to be asked to post here, as The Kitchengarden has become one of my favorite blogs. Reading about Cecilia’s life on her farm reconnects me with my childhood on our family farm in the middle of Germany. It brings back memories that have been pushed aside by living in the United States for so many years. During those years, I went home to Germany to visit my parents and the rest of my family as often as I could. Once I retired from teaching, and my mom’s health started to fail, my visits became more frequent. Last year, I must have spent three and a half months in Germany.
Our farm has been in the family for generations. When my dad married my mom, he took over the farm from my maternal grandfather. We had a dairy, as well as pigs, chickens, geese and other farm animals. As a farmer, my father grew wheat, sugar beets and potatoes. The beets were delivered to the nearby factory to be made into sugar, and the milk went to to a local creamery. I have early childhood memories of sitting on a tractor with my dad and selling eggs with my grandfather to the local store. As a child, we often played in the village and would escape to the forest when the adults had chores for us. Life was free and full of adventures.
When I was 15, I went to boarding school for a better educatIon. As my father got older, the hard work took a toll on his body and he had to quit farming at the age of 55. My brother had to find another way to make a living because farming in Germany was no longer profitable. So, he became a hobby farmer. To this day, he raises sheep and any stray animals that come his way. The picture shows him with some orphaned wild pigs that he raised until they were released back into the forest. My nephew’s wife brought home a rescue goat named Lenin and some tame geese for her children. She also has two horses.
In our village, the era of the self-sustainable farm is over. There is still one farmer who farms his land with large machines. And there is only one dairy left. Instead of growing their own food, most people go the supermarket. My mother’s beautiful vegetable garden has become grazing land for the sheep and horses. Maybe one day, the old way of living off the land will return. The neighboring villages have a few smaller farms that sell their produce at the local farmer’s market. Some have turned old barns into cafes. Homemade sausages and cheeses are sold on roadside stands. There will always be people like Cecilia all over the world who will find alternatives to large scale farming
Cecilia asked me to post a recipe for potato pancakes. You can find the recipe on my blog here
The Kitchen's Garden 
89 responses to “Gerlinde”
Danke, Gerlinde. My father’s parents were from Schleswig-Holstein, both Pruessan, not sure where my mother’s German ancestors were from though. I saw a photo once of the tiny house my grandmother Engel and her family lived in (16 people lived in that very tiny house). It was in an open grassy rather flat place which looked like it was probably windy. I wish I knew where that was, the person that had the photo had promised to send me one with the location, but never did. Your family farm is beautiful, such a shame that it isn’t possible to actually survive farming there. The Kartoffelpuffer is the same recipe both sides of my family used, Grandma used to call them kartoffelfankuchen (her spelling), she always retained a German accent, Grandpa didn’t. Lovely to see your childhood home.
In some regions of Germany the potato pancakes are called Kartoffelphfannkuchen. Schleswig-Holstein is windy and flat, if you have more information on that house I could try to help you locate this place.
For my Frankfurt(er) Mami, Kartoffelpuffer – hmmmmmmyummm! Wonderful post, Gerlinde, and hallo to you from Frankfurt! Behrensen, had to look it up: near Hameln? What a lovely village. How I would love to live in the country! No wonder your kind brother found orphaned Frischlinge (baby wild pigs), seeing as how the village is located between Schweineberg, Saupark and Naturwald Saubrink!! – Enjoyed your post. All the best to you!
Hi Nuri, I think you got another Behrensen. My little village is now part of a town called Moringen. We are near Nörten Hardenberg and Northeim. You drive through our forest when you are on the Autobahn. We are still a village , only the address has changed. I am sorry about that.
Danke, Gerlinde, found it! Amidst fields and forests and beautifully uncrowded!
oops, I mean Kartoffelpfannkuchen
Thank you for sharing your story, Gerlinde. I am in N. NSW, Australia, and I try wherever possible to support the Aussie farmers and also buy as local as possible. In our area small farms and hobby farms are becoming more and more popular, with many farmers markets taking off in the last few years. I was born in England and still retain my London accent (I’m told) and my father in law came from Austria and never lost his accent. I love your photos. Similar to English countryside. Joy
Hi Joy, I’m so glad that you support the small farms. I love going to markets wherever I am. I still have a german accent , I’m ok with that , I just wish I could write a little better.
Such a beautiful post, Gerlinde. Thank you so much for taking care of us today. I’m quite addicted to Celi’s blog…so it’s great to have it keep coming. It’s sad about the way the farming is going in Germany…really sad. Speaking of needing to go home and visit mothers, I need to get back to the States to visit mine. Take good care of yourself. x
when you do.. Swing By Charlotte! ..and bring your pencils. love love.. c
I am also addicted to Celi’s blog….I can identify with so many things she writes and i enjoy meeting people like you and all the other guests.
Hello Gerlinde. Such a delight reading and hearing about the farm and Germany. It is sad that so many family farms are gone. My dad and his family moved to “town” and ran a boarding house so all the children could go to school other than the one room school house he attended and to go to college. They still had gardens and chickens. So many of the small towns in east Texas have shrunk and almost disappeared as the young have little way of earning a living (and everyone wants all the newest things now.) Dad worked and saved so in retirement he could return to the farm and do what he loved there.
I see some younger people gaining interest in farming – it’s hard to learn if you weren’t born into it, but they persist. With more of the population wanting healthy organic foods and wanting to buy local at farmers’ market, maybe there’s hope for small farming ….outdoors is a pretty nice luxury and is as entertaining as a lot of electronic “stuff”! Cecilia is so good at spreading the word (as well as the reality)
Really enjoyed reading your post
I often had discussions with my sister in law’s father about todays farming. He would tell me how the price of milk and wheat had not been raised while the animal feed and machines to farm had tripled. Farming has changed over the years in so many ways. We need more people like Celi who are committed to clean and healthy farming .
Gerlinde, I enjoyed your story and the photos. How sad that small farming is being squeezed out.
That first photo looks magical! Thank you for sharing. It was fun going to a different place.
Hello Gerlinde – loved your post anbd reading about the family farm 🙂
Nice to meet you! Lovely photos.
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