Thyme
The thyme smells, a cicada jumps over the small bushes and chirps, and right in the middle of it stands Christian Hennings, a satisfied organic farmer. He grows the thyme for the organic gourmet spices – in Schwebheim, the so-called herb garden of Franconia. Here the light, sandy soil is ideal for herb cultivation, a basic requirement for the special taste. Nevertheless, thyme cultivation remains a real challenge.
Organic farming from the heart
“I’ve seen many farmers give up,” laughs Christian Hennings, “because thyme has to be taken care of intensively every day.” He bends down to pluck out a tiny remnant of purslane between the thyme bushes. Christian Hennings is not afraid of the enormous additional costs of organic cultivation without chemical-synthetic fertilizers. He is an organic farmer by conviction. After studying agriculture, he leased the small farm in Schwebheim and restructured the entire 30 hectares into organic land. Now thyme, marjoram, ysop herb and many other herbs of the highest organic quality grow on his fields. “I couldn’t imagine treating my herbs with fungicides and other active ingredients. I grow my plants the way I would like to eat them myself”.