A field full of treasures

The best things often happen all by themselves. All Marko Seibold has to do is discover and collect them. On his leased land just to the south of Bremen, delicious wild herbs and vegetables grow just as nature intended.

He does not sow anything, yet he has a lot to harvest. Nature itself gifts him his treasure free of charge – all he has to do is leave things to take their natural course. One of the most striking characteristics of this gardener is his unshakable faith in nature and the great serenity that he gets from it. Whatever happens in his field, Marko Seibold is firmly convinced – as the past 20 years have given him reason to be – that everything has purpose and that the best thing that he can do is not interfere. Like this winter, when mice dug up his soil and fed on the fine roots of his plants. Sounds unpleasant, but the process aerated the soils in a natural way, and it never occurred to Seibold to use chemicals to get rid of the small rodents. Instead he preferred to leave the undergrowth around the edge of the field for weasels to hide in, as they are natural predators of mice. Since he has let the mice have free reign, he has also noticed more and more kestrels flying over the field. Some nights, he even hears the “tuwhit tu-whoo” of an owl and has no doubt that the mouse infestation will eventually come to an end naturally. In his experience nature always rebalances itself, and this is especially true for his field.

The curious gardener

Around 20 years ago, Seibold, who originally hails from the Swabian Alb (his accent gives it away), and his wife ended up here in Syke. The landscape is a hilly paradise and Seibold, who actually trained as a communications electrician and then chose to follow an additional special educational training course before ultimately becoming a gardener, was searching for a purpose. The couple moved to a small farm and began looking after physically or mentally handicapped children and young people and then set out to see what else they could do with the surrounding land. They got their hands on some chickens and sheep, and Seibold discovered a field that he could lease just above the farmyard. It was too small for farming but big enough for a curious gardener who “wanted to see what happened if I didn’t do anything. What I noticed next was amusing. Lots and lots of wild plants grew, and I thought to myself: I wonder what they taste like?”

Thousands of plant on each square metre

Today, almost 25 years later, he can see what happened on every square metre of land. The ground is covered with small plants. When Seibold bends down, he can spot purslane and watercress, field chervil and ground elder, colourful European field pansies, ground ivy, sweet fennel, mouseear chickweed and shepherd’s purse. He is always finding something new, “I am constantly surprised by nature’s gifts. That is the beauty of my field. There are thousands of plants in each square metre. Nature really uses up every last square inch of space.” Over the years, he occasionally planted something here and there (plants like spring onion or rhubarb, for example) but then he always leaves the plants in peace and watches what they do with their new-found freedom.

With his handy pocket knife, he cuts off a few of the fine leaves and gives them a taste – and what splendid flavours he discovers! A spring onion that is more complex and elegant than any other he has ever eaten, mint, which could be used to make cologne, sweet and delicious peas, a herb with a flavour that is strongly reminiscent of aniseed, wild sorrel, rocket and Helgoland cliff cabbage that tastes hearty and fresh, not at all like the dull cabbage we are used to. Yarrow has also sown itself here (“It has a really lovely flavour”) and the geranium plants thrive under the protection of the wild asparagus. Some top chefs order up to 10,000 of the wild sprouts, like field chervil and wood sorrel, each month.

„Ich wollte sehen, was passiert, wenn ich gar nichts mache. Was kommt da nach und nach? Wie schmeckt denn das?“

Marko Seibold

Blatt für Blatt von Hand geerntet

Alles darf wachsen, wo es will. Wie es das auch auf den meisten anderen Äckern tun würde, wenn man die Pflanzen nur in Ruhe ließe – und wenn es sein muss 20 Jahre. Seibold: „Die Natur ist ja so, dass die im Endeffekt überall Fuß fasst. Die muss halt dann mal machen dürfen.“ Eine Ausnahme gibt es: „Wenn das Gras zu hoch wird, zäunen wir den Bereich ab und schicken unsere Schafe drauf“, erzählt Seibold. „Wir haben ein gutes Dutzend Ostfriesische Milchschafe, die wir auch – aber erst mit eineinhalb Jahren – schlachten. Unsere Schafe sind braun gefleckt, dann sind sie auch für den Wolf in der Dämmerung schlechter zu erkennen.“

Die Köche reißen sich um Seibolds Kräuter, die er in Packungen ab 50 Blatt per Express versendet, um Kerbelrübchen und Nachtkerzenwurzeln. „Ich schicke immer wieder neue Proben raus und manche Küchenchefs rufen gleich an: ‚Das ist ja genial‘ und bestellen sofort und experimentieren damit.“ Manche Restaurants nehmen 20.000 Blatt pro Woche ab.

Die muss Seibold zusammen mit einem Gärtner, einer studentischen Hilfskraft und einem weiteren Helfer alle von Hand und mit größter Sorgfalt Blatt für Blatt auswählen und ernten – auch im Winter. Manche Kunden machen sogar Vorgaben, wie groß ein Blatt maximal sein darf. Das Schneiden kann eine Kunst sein: Das säuerlich schmeckende Weideröschen schneidet Seibold unten ein, so entsteht eine kleine, dekorative Rosette. Köche lieben so etwas.

Text: Peter Würth Photos: Ricardo Wiesinger

feldfrucht-seibold.de