The Herbal Market inaugurates Taste of Spring

One of the greatest wonders of nature are the herbs that give flavor to our food, beguile the senses with their smells and whose active ingredients heal us, calm us or improve our mood.

In South Tyrol the use of medicinal herbs has a long tradition. This is because the mild, sun-drenched mountain climate ensures that the plants have an intense aroma and vibrant flower colors.
It is therefore not surprising that the Taste of Spring opens with a large festival and herb market in Feldthurns: There is music with the band Die Tanzgeiger, good wine from the vintner Thomas Dorfmann and exquisite rosemary chocolates with verbena from the noble confectioner Benjamin Sellemond from the village bakery. Star chef Egon Heiss enraptures with his wild herb show cooking. There is pouched egg with asparagus and wild herbs - just watching it makes your mouth water.

Suddenly, a deafening noise bangs through the village, again and again. It was not a gunshot, but then what? A Goaßlschnöller stands in the street, swinging his six-meter-long Goaßl - a whip - with both hands. It is still used today for herding cows in the mountains. At the same time, young men in lederhosen (traditional pants made of leather) begin jumping high into the air in the village square, slapping their thighs and the soles of their shoes. The ancient traditional dance, the Schuhplattln is a fun spectacle to watch. 

Regenerate with the power of medicinal herbs

At the various booths visitors can buy herbal products and get to know important things about herbs at the same time. Herb farms from the Ulten and Aurina valleys present teas, colorful herbal blends, ointments and cosmetic products, medicinal herbs, aromatic essences for infusions and wellness treatments. Herbalists know well how to draw strength from valuable medicinal herbs and use them in the best way to take advantage of the beneficial and healing effects.

Brigitte Curti Gamper's stand is particularly crowded. The herbal expert informs about the so-called gemmotherapy. This makes the most powerful of the plants - namely the buds, shoot tips and the young shoots - with its healing effect usable for humans. The Lebanon cedar is considered a peace bud. Its extract strengthens confidence in one's own abilities. The blackberry helps with lack of vitality, lack of love and assertiveness. The ginkgo bud conveys serenity, gives courage and endurance. Absolutely must try.

Meanwhile, a long queue formed in front of the Krapfen stand in the village square. Krapfen are typical of the area, filled with spinach and freshly prepared by 20 women of the village. Accompanied by a glass of last year's Kerner.
Taste of Spring, what could be better!

Text: Sylvia Pollex
Translation: Tourist Association of Klausen, Barbian, Feldthurns, Villanders
Photo: Thomas Rötting
Pubblication: 2022