Healthy & DeliciousA Herb Tour on Mount Höchsten

The taste of licorice from the sweet umbel in your mouth, a refreshing hint of fennel on your tongue, or the scent of lemon verbena in your nose: in the lush herb garden at Mount Höchsten, you can experience a wide variety of medicinal and culinary herbs. On your tour, you can also carefully pick a leaf here and there, rub it between your fingers, sniff it and put it in your mouth. About 150 plants grow on the hillside plot, which was planted by the hotelier family Kleemann 16 years ago as part of a renovation project. Since then, every other Monday evening during the summer months, there are guided herb tours followed by a gourmet herb menu in the hotel restaurant. You can also stroll through the garden on your own.

Why Herbs Are so Helathy

Tours are usually led by herb expert Father Gerhard, a theologian and nature lover with a long history of interest in mindfulness and health. During the walk through the herb garden, he always focuses on a few plants and explains their effects and history in a very entertaining way. It could be a simple kitchen herb like borage, a lesser-known Hildegard of Bingen herb like hyssop, or an exotic herb like the Chinese herb of immortality, jiaogulan. "What actually makes herbs so valuable?" one participant asks. And Father Gerhard explains that these plants often contain a particularly high concentration of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. And what is the best way to consume them? The best way to eat herbs is simply to eat them fresh. So pick them and try a leaf. Hotel manager Regina Kleemann also uses the herbs to make teas and fine herbal salts, which you can buy. The hotel's own herbs are also used in the spa.

Cooking with Herbs

And even though many of the plants at Mount Höchsten are medicinal, most of them can be used in the kitchen, too. They simply unfold their beneficial effects along the way. And they look beautiful at the same time: The 3- to 4-course herb menu at Mount Höchsten is a feast for the eyes and the palate. The decoration of herbs in all shades of green and flowers also provides exciting nuances of taste. How about a cucumber and elderflower salad as a starter, followed by herb and cream cheese dumplings?

From Berggasthof Höchsten chef Roman Rössler

Ingredients for four People

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp butter

500ml vegetable stock

200g crème fraîche

200 ml cream

1 bunch of parsley

1 bunch of dill

1 bunch of chives

1 bunch of chervil

Salt and pepper to taste

Nutmeg to taste

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

100ml milk

1 handful lemon verbena

Edible flowers to serve

Preparation

Serving Suggestion

The soup is best served in a (glass) cup with a dollop of milk froth on top. Garnish with an edible flower and serve the herbal cappuccino fresh.