Medicinal and culinary herbs taste fantastic—and many have unexpected powers.
It's so green
It is only in summer that the herb garden unfolds its full splendor and enchants guests with an impressive variety of plants. The medicinal and culinary herbs taste fantastic—and many have unexpected powers.
Softly buzzing bumblebees, colorful butterflies fluttering through the air, and busy bees searching for flower nectar. The herb garden at the Vier Jahreszeiten am Schluchsee is a true paradise. But not only because of the unusual variety of insects. Many guests also enjoy this wonderful facility, learning the names of the herbs from the signs and sniffing the flowers and leaves.
The kitchen team created the herb garden themselves with a lot of love and dedication—and it is maintained with devotion. Lavender, chives, oregano, lovage, rosemary, and lemon thyme of unusually good quality now grow here, among other things. This green wealth is not only a boon for the insects; the hotel's kitchen also benefits enormously from the fresh herbs.
Herbs are not only particularly tasty, most of them also have healing powers that have been used for centuries. Lavender, for example, is effective against headaches and migraines thanks to its essential oils. Placed in a small, soft pillow under your head in bed, it helps combat stress and difficulty falling asleep. With over 120 active ingredients, lovage ("Maggi herb") relieves stomach pain, cramps, and heartburn. No wonder it is one of the most important ingredients in bitters.
But it's not just plants from the herb garden that turn out to be true "miracle weapons" in the fight against ailments. Even everyday plants found along the roadside can help. Stinging nettles, for example, became known in the Middle Ages for their "fiery soul," which helps old horses regain their youth and revives "tired" men in bed. Mugwort is a healing giant that is often overlooked despite its height of up to two meters. It has antibacterial properties and was already known centuries ago as the "mother of all medicinal plants" and, due to its antispasmodic effect, as the best friend of all women.
Guests can learn more about herbs and their uses on guided tours of the garden. Those who wish to can simply relax amid the lush greenery. That, too, is likely to be healing.
Home-grown lemon thyme and rosemary are infused in natural, single-variety oil made from Cretan Koroneiki olives. This oil won first prize for purity, quality, taste, and excellence at an international competition in Madrid. Refined in the kitchen of the Vier Jahreszeiten am Schluchsee, it is not only enjoyed every evening in the Panorama restaurant. You can also take it home with you in a 0.5 liter swing-top bottle for around ten euros.
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