Of course I’m very conscious of where my produce comes from and how it’s farmed. But it’s tricky to continuously be super aware of exactly how your lettuce, pumpkin, meat and all the other ingredients that go into a dish are handled from seed to harvest every time you shop at the supermarket. So I was delighted when Ja!Natürlich started the project “Aus Bauernhand” (directly from the farm) which gives interested consumers who want to shop sustainably the opportunity to look behind the curtains. This means being able to get a 360° view of food production via portraits, videos, stories and a huge feast with 4 to 5 courses featuring sustainably farmed products.

Was ich mit dem Arlberg verbinde? Endlose Tiefschneepisten, die wunderschönsten Winterurlaube und natürlich Heimat. Auch wenn St. Anton bereits zu Tirol gehört, verbinde ich mit diesem Ort Heimatsgefühl. Vergangenes Wochenende durfte ich den Arlberg einmal in seiner vollen Sommerpracht genießen. Das bedeutet grasgrüne Wiesen und stolze Berge!

You have probably heard of „Urban Gardening“ or of projects that let you rent or buy a piece of land or an allotment and grow your own vegetables. A very practical option if you don’t have your own garden and your balcony is too small – particularly for a tree. So I was delighted when last April, I received my very own cherry tree for my birthday – well, a tree sponsorship, rather.

This is an hommage to Bernadette Wörndl… and a sad goodbye to the Betonküchen! As a bit of a consolation, I’ll share with you Bernadette’s cover image recipe: Colourful Carrot Tagine with Ras el-Hanout, Millet, Celery Mash and Saffron Quince A vegetarian dinner by Bernadette Wörndl at the last Betonküche event. I just had to be there. Reason 1: The Betonküche is ending (sad face), 2. Bernadette Wörndl (she’s actually been Bernadette Salinger for a little while now) and 3. because: a vegetarian dinner (particularly when it’s made by Bernadette Wörndl).

SCHNURALN. Ever heard of it? I hadn’t until recently. Now, I’m not only familiar with the name, but I was lucky enough to have been asked to spend an entire weekend in the wonderful Leogang in Salzburg. Lucky bugger that I am, I was invited to the Pinzgauer mountains by the Saalfelden Leogang Tourisitk in order to eat the best multiple-course menus in the area, make my own soap, experience an E-Bike tour, go on a hike and, last but not least, attend a cooking seminar featuring local delicacies.

As many of you know, my blog is my private and KochAbo my business realm of activity. There, I create 6 new recipes every week and road test them.  Recently, I had the pleasure of cooking lots of vegan dishes with Andrea, the owner of a new vegan hotspot in Vienna called deli bluem. So KochAbo will feature vegan recipes for two whole weeks, all powered by deli bluem. More info and three great vegan recipes are coming up…