Stories from the Farm
How hemp is conquering the kitchen
From chickens to hemp. At the Tameggerhof farm in Gurktal, the ancient medicinal plant is cultivated on a large scale and its health-promoting properties are relied upon - without intoxicating effects. Hemp is also used in cooking and baking. The rediscovery of a regional superfood.
"From the original product to the end product, everything is made on our farm - we attach great importance to this. Organic quality, of course."
Elisabeth Kampl
It's a short journey from field to fork for the Kampl family at the Tameggerhof farm in Gurktal, but it involves many steps. Siegfried Kampl Junior grows hemp plants on around 20 hectares of land, which are then harvested by hand and dried and processed directly on the farm. The CBD contained in the plants has a health-promoting but not intoxicating effect. A fact that had to get around first.
In luck with hemp
The Kampl family first came into contact with the invigorating effects of the plant through an accident involving Siegfried Kampl Senior. His son then had the idea of growing hemp. He has always appreciated the varied work on the farm and continues to run it with passion. And his parents were open to the idea. "We just gave it a try," says his mother Elisabeth Kampl. Together, they embrace change and implement innovative ideas.
Today, the family business harvests the hemp plants by hand and dries and processes them on site. On the one hand, various CBD products are made from them under the name Hemma - a tribute to the nature-loving Saint Hemma of Gurk, and on the other hand, hemp seeds and hemp flowers are used as food in the kitchen.
The switch from chickens to hemp was initially viewed with skepticism. But this has long since changed for the better. An experiment has become a success story. The range of products is constantly being expanded. During their romantic Farm holidays, guests become part of the extended family and can see for themselves how the products are made.
"I have had a passion for the farming profession since I was a child and want to continue running the farm."
Siegfried Kampl
Underestimated hemp cuisine
Yoghurt with elderberry syrup and hemp, spreads for the breakfast buffet, muesli with a light bite or bread made from hemp flour: hemp cuisine is still a great field for experimentation and offers endless possibilities for recipe creations. This is precisely what Elisabeth Kampl loves about the plant. She is always trying out new things and surprises her farm guests with healthy delicacies.
While the breads are refined with the hemp spread and decorated with a hemp leaf in the kitchen and the cookies cool in the fridge before baking, the children run around the pool outside and stroke donkeys, llamas and cats. This is one of many cooking tips that Elisabeth Kampl shares with her guests. This keeps the chocolate chips in the hemp cookies nice and firm to the bite. She mixes the hemp flour for the delicious treats with spelt flour beforehand and also folds hemp flowers into the dough. A treat for young and old!
Plant with power
People have been using hemp as a useful and medicinal plant for thousands of years. The hulled hemp seeds, the fine hemp oil and the hemp flowers are particularly nutritious foods. Among other things, hemp is an excellent source of vegetable protein with vitamins, minerals, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Hemp seeds can spice up any dish and when ground into flour they are a good base for baking. The taste is slightly nutty to bitter. Hemp leaves are used to make tea. This makes hemp an enrichment in the kitchen, resource-friendly and sustainably grown.
For those with a sweet tooth and gourmets: If you don't want to bake your own, you can buy the hemp cookies with chocolate and cinnamon or other great products with hemp in the farm store.
