Greetings. Franconia is a land for connoisseurs. The sunny and mild climate is perfect for more than just famous Franconian wine. Small manufacturers and family businesses produce their own raw materials and use them with passion to create food products typical of the region.
Our culinary journey takes us to the Altmühltal to meet Martin Lettenmeier, who is dedicated to the use and preservation of the region's characteristic walnut trees. The Kreiselmeyer family has been farming in the Frankenhöhe Nature Park for generations and grows the seeds for their edible oils themselves. And near Würzburg, the Tante Fine team is living out their ecological herb dream, which results in aromatic spice blends.
Lively cultural landscape in the Altmühltal
Millions of walnut trees were once native to the Altmühltal. Charlemagne brought the tree to the region a thousand years ago. The nuts provided precious nutrients for the people who harvested little from the barren soil. With industrialization, many walnut trees disappeared from the landscape. “The nuts were no longer utilized, and the trees just meant more work for people,” explains Martin Lettenmeier in our conversation. The Franconian is a long-standing member of the Gelbe Bürg cooperative. Since 2014, the manufacturer has been successfully committed to the use and preservation of walnut trees. It buys walnuts from private owners and processes them into walnut oil, walnut pasta, and walnut fruit spreads.
Rediscovering the old
“Many people didn’t pass on their knowledge about the walnut trees,” Martin Lettenmeier knows from experience. “Then the walnuts were stored while too damp or too dry.” Gelbe Bürg provides the owners with help and advice. They offer tips for the proper harvesting and storage of the nuts. The members are also knowledgeable about tree care and new plantings. Due to climate change, Lettenmeier recommends, for example, only certain varieties for new plantings.
Traditional processing is modern
In Sammenheim, the cooperative owns its own cracking machine. After the mechanical run, employees sort the walnuts by hand. In the spirit of zero waste or following old traditions, the manufacturer also utilizes by-products. When pressing the oil, a press cake remains, which Gelbe Bürg processes further into flour or walnut pasta.
For the fruit spreads, the manufacturer also uses regional value chains. Production follows the seasons, starting in May with the rhubarb harvest. Then sour cherries, mirabelle plums, and quinces ripen. Gelbe Bürg sources the fruit from meadow orchards whose trees no one else harvests in the autumn. Surrounding communities support the cooperative because their work has an identity-forming character for the locals. Gelbe Bürg does not focus on profit maximization, but on the communal appreciation and maintenance of the cultural landscape.
Family tradition in the Frankenhöhe
The Frankenhöhe Nature Park stretches across western Franconia. Here, steep slopes meet gentle hills and graceful valleys. The Kreiselmeyer family is deeply rooted in the region and runs their farm with heart and soul. The family business grows flax, camelina, rapeseed, and hemp in their fields. Sun, rain, wind, and soil influence not only the growth but also the taste of the seeds. By hand, the Hof-Manufaktur Kreiselmeyer presses high-quality edible oils from their own raw materials.
Quality requires manual work
The harvest begins in July, when the seeds are fully ripe. “Before we start, we check the seeds for their water content,” says Tobias Kreiselmeier. “Only when it is right do we begin processing.” If the seeds have too much water, they must be dried further. The family presses the seeds by hand using small machines. This allows the pressure and resistance to be adjusted individually for each variety. “The temperature must not exceed 37 degrees Celsius. Otherwise, the nutrients will be destroyed,” Kreiselmeier explains. After cold-pressing, the sediment settles on its own through an appropriate resting period, and only light filtering is performed. The family bottles the edible oils by hand in small batches. Tobias Kreiselmeier is proud of the products from his own farm-based manufactory. He knows exactly what is in every bottle. Through quality and manual work, edible oils with a variety-typical taste are created.
Herb dream near Würzburg
In Greußenheim near Würzburg, the team from Tante Fine lives in harmony with nature. The farm collective grows herbs there using purely organic methods. From sowing to harvest, the employees lovingly tend and care for every little herb. Pilar Hammerl, the managing director at Tante Fine, wants to inspire others with the philosophy of the entire team: “We all love what we do and want to share beautiful taste experiences with others.”
Reliability in the rhythm of nature
Through experience, the team knows where each plant grows best. Some herbs love the sun, while parsley, for example, only thrives in partial shade. In Greußenheim, fertilization is done only with leaf litter and hedge trimmings. Tante Fine intentionally creates habitats and nesting sites for small animals on the grounds. This cultivation and working method contributes to the preservation of a biodiverse landscape.
“With us, there is only nature, nothing else,” says Pilar Hammerl. The employees process the herbs in rhythm with nature and harvest them in the late morning. That is when the nutrients have migrated from the roots into the stems, leaves, and flowers, providing the most aromas. Hand-picked, the plants are dried in a custom-built drying cabinet. The team tests the composition of the recipes for the spices and mixtures over many weeks. Tante Fine shows how fair treatment of people and nature ensures magnificent, regional enjoyment.
