Daily Life in Germany: Waste Management

When we were first arrived in Germany (10 months ago!), we already knew that waste management was much more strict here than what we were accustomed to in North Carolina.  I have always been proud of my recycling efforts, but living in Germany requires a diligence to recycling that was not necessary in the US. 


Garbage bin and recycling bin

In NC, we had a massive garbage can, multiple bins for recycling, and the collectors came around on a weekly basis.  In Germany, we have a MUCH smaller garbage can, a compost bin, and special yellow bags for recycling plastic packaging, Styrofoam, and cans.  The worst part, though, is that everything is collected only once every two weeks!!!  Luckily, there is no limit on the number of bags you can put out for recycling, which leads to complete diligence about separating recyclable packaging.

bags for recycling

We have to put food scraps into a city compost bin, which also is only collected every two weeks.  This wasn't such a problem in the winter, but now that it is summer, the heat makes the bin moldy and stinky.  Cleaning the bin after compost pick-up day makes me gag every time!

For glass and paper products, we have to take it to the recycling center and put everything in the correct bin.  Luckily, I only have to go a quarter mile to get to the closest recycling center. 

 

Most glass and plastic drink bottles have to be returned to the store, where you get your money back (25 cents for most plastic bottles). I remember doing this growing up in New York, but I have never had to do this in my 15 years of living the Southern states. 

 

For my family of four, we end up with about 2-3 half-full bags of garbage by the time garbage collection comes around, but the compost bin is full to the top.  We have never filled up the garbage bin, so I guess that means we are recycling everything properly.  I have heard from others that it gets really tricky after you have a party.  Right now I am hording some old electronics in the basement because I have no idea what to do with them! 

Maypole

Yes, this is a month late, seeing as it is now almost the middle of June, but I still wanted to share...

For the month of May this 'Maibaum' stood on the main street of our village.  May 1 (Maifeiertag/May Day) is a national holiday here, similar to Labor Day in the USA, and Dan and the kids had the day off. 

I heard that neighboring villages try to steal each other's poles on the eve of May1, and that people will stand guard under it.  I had been hoping to come across a festival or something, but I never heard of any, which was disappointing. 

Discovering new traditions is one of the many reasons for becoming an expat, and discovering a massive tree on main street definitely brightened my May Day!

Spargel Season!

Germans love spargel.  Over the last month, white asparagus, known as spargel in German, has popped up in the grocery store, in restaurants, and for sale on the side of the road. 

Spargel can actually get quite expensive for the 'premium' varieties, and cost between 0.75 Euro/kg at a discount grocery store, and up to 10 Euro/kg at the farmer's market..  The cost is higher for stalks that are straight, thick, and perfectly white (some can have a lavender color close to the tip).  Apparently it is difficult to grow, and must be shielded from the light so that it stays white. 

Since I am a veggie fanatic, I was very excited to try something new.  Traditionally it is steamed and served smothered in Hollandaise sauce.  I am not a fan of creamy sauces, so I have been sautéing it with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  I also made a spargel and mushroom cream soup, which was good, but not great.  Many vegetables here are only available on a seasonal basis, and I think that adds to the spargel craze, because once it is gone, it will be gone until next spring. 

Fattoria San Donato

While planning our vacation in Tuscany, I had hoped to go on a winery tour, but since we were travelling with our kids, I wasn't sure if that would be a family friendly activity.  I asked one of the agriturismo owners where we were staying (Il Borghetto Tuscan Holidays) if she had any recommendations, and she pointed us toward Fattoria San Donato.

This organic farm is another agriturismo outside San Gimignano, and was much more of a working farm than the agriturismo where we were staying.  We signed up for a tour followed by lunch.  I was a bit disappointed by the 'tour' as it was only a showing of one of the wine cellars, and a brief history of the farm.  At least we had a good photo-op in front of the wine casks. 

After the 'tour', we were led into a beautiful stone farm house, where lunch was waiting for us.  Everything served was from the farm, and included salami and prosciutto, cheese plates, a variety of marinated vegetables, olives, faro salad, and toasted Tuscan-style bread.

My disappointment in the brevity of the wine tour was quickly assuaged by the two large carafes of wine waiting for me- um, I mean waiting for us at lunch.  Of course both wines were from the farm, the red wine was Chianti, and the white was Vernaccia Di San Gimignano.  Of course, the kids were served juice :-)

Needless to say we chowed down like there was no tomorrow.  As I have mentioned before, my kids are adventurous eaters, especially when we are on vacation.  My son Ryan is normally an avid tomato-hater, and when he asked to try a sun-dried tomato I almost fell on the floor.  I was even more astounded when he declared that he loved them! 

 

Since we were enjoying the meal so much, we lingered for almost 2 hours at the table.  My kids have gotten used to European-style long meals in restaurants, and it was nice that they could play a bit since we had the room to ourselves.  Dan and I were served some Vin Santo at the end of the meal, which is a dessert wine that you dip biscotti in, then eat the wine soaked biscotti. 

 

The only other people there for lunch were two groups who came in after us, one group were Americans from Texas (of course I had to chat with them a bit since I don't get to talk to many Americans anymore), and the other group was European.  We found it interesting that the group of Americans that came in to eat an hour after us left before we did, but the European tour group stayed longer than we did.   

 

The kids really enjoyed visiting this farm because they had a couple of friendly dogs, and a few farm animals (pigs, chickens, and goats).  We took a stroll down one of the dirt roads and let the kids explore and pick flowers, which they later fed to the goat!

Dan and the kids played foosball under the wisteria while I shopped at the small store where they sold wine, faro, honey, and other items produced on the farm.  We got to try a few more wine samples and learned about how their wines are named after the women in the family.  I picked out three bottles of Chianti Riserva and three bottles of Vernaccia Di San Gimignano Riserva to take home as a souvenir, and Dan picked out a bottle of grappa. 

We loved our visit to Fattoria San Donato, and it was one of my favorite parts of our trip.  Even though I didn't learn too much about wine making, the good food, beautiful atmosphere, and hospitality of the owners more than made up for it! 

It Was Mom: A Mother's Day Tribute To Moms #itwasmom

Happy Mother's Day!  Frohe Mutter's Tag!



This is a very sweet video 'thank you' to all moms.  You are all amazing women!

Cherry Blossoms on the Danube

A few weeks ago I took the kids to Friedrichshau Park, in Ulm, to take some pictures by a beautiful cherry tree, and I thought I would share...

 

 

Tastes of Tuscany

 

Of course, the most important part of going on vacation is to spend quality time with your loved ones, and taking a few days to disconnect from the daily grind.  Another important aspect of travel is having the opportunity to try new foods, and not have to clean the kitchen when the meal is over!

Trattoria Chiribiri-San Gimignano
See the laundry hanging above the door?

I have to think that there is not a person alive who does not like Italian food.  Growing up in New York, I was surrounded by fantastic Italian restaurants and Italian friends, and I have been on a quest for good Italian food ever since I moved South.  Lucky for me (and my family), our trip to Italy gave us the opportunity to indulge in delicious Tuscan cuisine, and expand our gustatory horizons.

  

Tavernetta Della Signoria in Florence
Meredith is sleeping through lunch!

It is pretty easy to take kids to an Italian restaurant, because the choices of pizza and pasta are agreeable to even the pickiest eaters.  I am very grateful that my kids are not picky, and I am always impressed when they are willing to try new foods, especially when we are travelling. 

Yummy pesto!

Luckily the kids are finally to the point where we can have a pleasant, and almost relaxing meal in a restaurant.  The kids have grown accustomed to sitting in a restaurant for longer meals and can stay occupied with some pens and paper.  Having a meal in a restaurant is much more leisurely in Europe, and not at all hurried like it is in the USA.  Waiters will typically not badger you every three minutes to see if everything is okay, and will never pressure you to finish your meal so another group can sit down.   

Dinner with an amazing view!

One of the important factors is quality Italian cuisine is the use of seasonal produce and locally sourced ingredients.  In any great restaurant, the menu will change on a regular basis depending on what is in season.  Luckily, fresh pasta is always in season! 

Picnicking at the agriturismo

Since we were staying at an agriturismo, we were able to have a couple of picnic-style meals.  We visited the grocery store and  bought some salami, pecorino, strawberries, artichokes, and Tuscan-style bread.  I have always loved artichokes, and I almost shrieked with delight when I saw the bins full of long-stemmed purple artichokes for sale for only 0.39 each! 

 

Delicious (and cheap!) artichokes

 

It goes without saying that Dan and I also drank quite a bit of excellent Tuscan wine, and the kids had quite a bit of excellent Tuscan gelato!  I am partial to cannoli instead of gelato, and I had to go engage in cannoli defensive maneuvers to keep the kids from pilfering my precious cannoli!

 

This place has won the gelato World Championship

 

 



 

So, in case you are wondering, my favorite meal of the week was at our agriturismo and here is what was served:  appetizer- tomato bruschetta; primi- homemade tagliatelle pasta with baby zucchini, peas, and carrots in a creamy saffron sauce; secondi- sliced pork loin topped with a carrot and leek sauce, and roasted potatoes; and dessert was a chocolate lava cake topped with raspberries. 

 

My afternoon indulgance

 

The one dish that I had wanted to try was pasta with a ragu made with wild boar, but somehow I went the whole week without ordering this local specialty!  Apparently wild boars are everywhere in Tuscany, and Dan and the kids were lucky enough to spot some one day while walking through the vineyards at the agriturismo.  The boars were very far away, so there was no danger, and they kids came running back to tell me what they had seen.  The kids now have a game here at home where they pretend they are hunting wild boar in our house, and when Meredith 'catches' one, she pretend carries it to the fridge, and tells me we are having 'wild board' for dinner tonight.  I wish!

 



Putting a coin into the fountain of the wild boar in Florence



 

I wish that I had been able to take the cooking class offered at the agriturismo, so that I could cook these wonderful dishes at home, but unfortunately the only day it was offered was the day of our departure.  It occurred to me that maybe exposing my family to authentic Italian cooking was not such a good idea, because my pasta dishes that I make at home will pale in comparison.  I guess if I hear complaints I will just plan another trip next year so that I can learn to cook like a Tuscan!