GREEN PEARLS® – curated for sustainable impact
If it weren’t for elephants, Thailand’s culture wouldn’t be the same. For centuries, elephants have been worshipped as symbols of good fortune, used as means of transport or riding animals and today, they also play an important role in tourism. Too often, however, the gentle…
Cooking vegan means going completely without animal products – not just without meat and fish, but also without eggs, milk, honey and cream. So, what can I eat, after all? Won’t I miss something? Does it even taste good? Isn’t it monotonous? Will it really…
On our blog, there are already quite a few enthusiastic posts on the Wadden Sea and we hope that meanwhile you had the chance to explore this unique natural landscape by yourselves. Today, we would like to present you an extraordinary mudflats experience: eight years ago, the Wadden Sea was declared a World Heritage Site and the island of Juist celebrates this anniversary in a very special way.
As early as 2011, the Wadden Sea was included in the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. And rightly so, because the mudflat is a special and sensitive ecocsystem. It developed due to very specific conditions: a gently sloping coastal strip covered with sand or mud in combination with the tides. Over time, numerous plant and animal species have adapted perfectly to the conditions. Therefore, the Wadden Sea is very sensitive to external influences and its protection is particularly important.
The small North Sea island Juist celebrates the Wadden Sea and its recognition as a World Heritage Site with a very special program: you can spend a night at the dike. Starting point is the Nationalpark-Haus Juist on June 25th2018 at 8:30 p.m. In a group of 15 people at most, you will take a walk to the sea with Jens Heyken, head of the Nationalpark-Haus, and Thomas Vodde, the island’s sustainability officer. These two experts will provide you with plenty of information on the North Sea and the island of Juist. Afterwards, you will set up your camp bed at the dike and spend an extraordinary night at the Wadden Sea: lying beneath the starlit sky and surrounded by the characteristic sounds of the gurgling and splashing mudflat.
In the morning, you will wake up with the birds’ twittering and enjoy a delicious organic breakfast at the dike. Afterwards, there is another highlight on the program: a mudflat hike! And can you imagine a better start into the day than walking barefoot through the soft mud of the Wadden Sea? In addition, you will learn a lot about the sensitive ecosystem and most certainly meet some of its inhabitants in person. The registration fee is 98,00 € and you can book this excursion on the website of the island of Juist. Here, you will also find a packing list for the mudflat adventure.
If you go to Juist, you should definitely take some time, because the island is known to be the perfect place to wind down: for example by enjoying relaxing walks along Germany’s most beautiful beach, the local specialty Rosinenstute (a kind of raised pastry) with butter and black tea in the restaurant Domäne Bill, or one of the numerous certified Thalasso treatments. There are countless possibilities to spend a recreative break on Juist. Strandhotel Kurhaus Juist is a remarkable historical hotel: the “white castle on the beach”, as the hotel is called, does not only look impressive from the outside. The interior design will take you back to times long past, and the spa area with its own seawater well and certified Thalasso treatments leaves nothing to be desired.
It is often difficult to keep track of what is currently growing in the region you live in, nowadays – at least in the urban centers, you could think that basically everything is in season all year round. And it is not unusual that spoiled…
Since 1970, every year on April 22th people all over the world take action for the protection of our planet. The initiatives range from reforestation projects, fundraising and environmental education events to political agreements. And each contribution helps to make our world a bit greener…
“A dish about one ingredient (onion) across all its lives, inside an ocean of umami.” – Aggeliki Charami
Ageliki Charami, the executive chef at the Paradiso Pure.Living vegan hotel, LA VIMEA and the OMNIA plant-based restaurant, has a penchant for Asian and Japanese cooking techniques, as well as umami flavour. This vegan recipe, which she shared with us, is the most elaborate one on our blog so far and is perfect for special occasions. The noodle dough, which is coloured with a little turmeric, is the easiest part.
The onion-umami filling, on the other hand, requires a trip to a Japanese speciality store. The flavour of the caramelised onion is enhanced by kombu (seaweed), shiro miso (Japanese seasoning paste), umeboshi (fermented Japanese fruit) and rice wine.
Sustainability fact: seaweed is considered the vegetable of the future. It grows without the need for freshwater or fertiliser, and it absorbs huge amounts of CO₂. However, importing it from Japan undermines its environmental sustainability due to the long shipping distances involved. A more climate-friendly alternative is to source seaweed (kelp) from Europe, for example from France or the Baltic Sea.
But the dish is far from finished yet . As we work our way through the recipe, we’ll make our own rosemary oil (it’s easier than it sounds!) and prepare three different onion toppings for more experienced cooks, as well as a seaweed bisque and a lemon potato cream. We’ll then “dab” these onto the dish before serving.
By the way, this is what Aggeliki says about the recipe:
“This recipe is really simple. I created it so that you can easily make it at home, without needing any special restaurant equipment or complicated techniques.”
Well then! Go for it and surprise your guests (or just your favorite person) with this special dish. We hope it turns out great, and enjoy your meal!
PS: If you would like to tell your guests about the creator of this dish when you serve it, take a look at the interview with Aggeliki Charmi here.
You need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from Turnstile. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from reCAPTCHA. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information