German-French farmers market takes place Sunday at Trippstadt Palace

The fourth German-French Farmers Market of the Palatinate Forest Nature Park Biosphere Reserve for 2009 takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in the park of the Trippstadt Schloss (Palace).

Farmers and food producers from the two nature parks, Palatinate Forest and North Vosges, will present their products such as beef, horse meat, wurst, ham from game, goat cheese, juice, wine, sparkling wine, marmalade and honey. Visitors will have the chance to see, smell and taste these nature products and get information from the producers.

Trout breeders, who raise their fish in clear water, will cure them at the market and sell them to hungry visitors. Other specialties will include dishes made from game meat.

The farmers market will also highlight wurst and meat products made from a special local cattle breed called “Glanrind,” ox from the Glan River area. A display will inform visitors about this Palatinate Glanrind. Palatinate restaurants will start their special week today to highlight this cattle under the motto, “Tasting Nature.” They will serve dishes with meat from this ox, which drinks water from crystal clear creeks and is kept on meadows with many herbs. For details, visit www.pfaelzerwald.de.
The Trippstadt community will offer food delicacies such as  Glanrind beef with horseradish and Palatinate potato soup.

In the Trippstadt Palace the forestry research center, the federation of environmental protection and nature, the Neumühle school and research center and the biosphere reserve will present a variety of their projects. A tourist information stand will inform visitors about leisure activities in the region.

A tractor display will show off vintage tractors and in the nearby smithy museum a smith will demonstrate his skills.

All German-French farmers’ markets are under the patronage of Kurt Beck, minister president of Rheinland-Pfalz. It is intended to emphasize the important role of the regional agriculture, and organizers want to let consumers know how important it is to buy environmentally sound products from the region. Buying these products can help to maintain the cultivated landscape and contribute to the environment, since there are no long transportation routes. 

(Courtesy of Palatinate Forest Nature Park)