Family Day in Chiemgau

It was rainy when we took off in Munich to visit Christoph Schwingenstein and his family at his organic farm in Schnaitsee (Chiemgau). We (about half a dozen Rotarians, most of them with spouses and children) gathered at noon in Gasthaus Maier-Gallenbach in 84574 Taufkirchen (and that is NOT the Taufkirchen close to Munich, in case you want to taste their delicious food and enjoy the special atmosphere). Owner Hilarius (yes, no spelling mistake) talked us through the history of the place, gave some insights on organic farming and acted as a local tour guide (check out http://www.maier-gallenbach.de). The Schweinsbraten directly from Christoph's farm was fantastic.

 

After lunch we headed to Christoph's farm. A very unique place, with space for 300 to 400 free range pigs, some sheep and chicken and 6 families of honey bees, carefully taken care of by Christoph's wife Nicole.  Christoph gave us a tour on the farm, explaining the details and secrets of growing organic pigs.  The pigs at his farm have almost twice the time to grow than a "industrial" pig, and they definitely have more fun! Christoph invested recently in a state of the art (google "Welser Bucht") "piglet nursery" which will be operational this September.

 

Nicole showed us her honey bee production, explained the delicate process, and some of us got a sample of her recently produced honey.  Fantastic!  She invited us for coffee and cake (a LOT!) as well, baked and served by her and her daughter Mia.

 

Most of us took the chance to get a glimpse at the atelier of Oanh Pham-Phu, a resident artist who is living and working part time on the farm.  Oanh is a lovable person, and his art is a fusion between East and West. Besides visual arts he creates artsy/design furniture. (http://phamphu.de)

 

Finally, the sun came out, and after a group picture of the two dozen participants (by now) we went back to Munich, full of impressions and food.