Witzenhausen: Organic restaurants, cafes and beergardens

What about a stroll to the banks of the Werra river, a chat with a glass in your hand, a coffee break with gorgeous cake, ice-cream or a savoury snack? Chez Nadine is a relaxed camp consisting of two wooden site waggons serving as kitchen and coffee/bar and two large awnings providing shadow and rain protection for beer benches and tables. A popular and relaxed meeting spot where it's easy to mix with locals while having organic food and drinks – try the local organic beer with a perfectly thin Flammkuchen (the Alsatian alternative to pizza) available both, as vegetarian, vegan and omnivore versions.

However, the beautiful open-air cafe is in danger: The federal state of Hesse has been planning a new massive concrete bridge for goods trailers here, and although this bridge will destroy the waterside lawn and increase noise and exhaust pollution for the citizens living in this touristic town local authorities do not object as alternative, sustainable traffic solutions would have to be paid for by the municipality itself. Local climate and environmental organisations are lobbying for the re-activation of a former train line for the goods transport. Let's hope for the best.

Not only on bad weather days or during the cold season there's a welcoming alternative, the art cafe Bistro Ringelnatz in the inner city, which also sports outdoor seating in a garden in the backyard. All food and drinks are organic, often with biodynamic ingredients grown in the vicinity. During the semester break in summer opening hours are quite restricted, but my guess is that the place is going to open on evenings when the students of the Department of Ecological Agricultural Sciences are back in town, together with concerts readings and exhibitions. The department is the reason for a high density of organic farms and market gardens in the region which provide produce for the Ringelnatz kitchen. This is also the reason why the changing hearty vegetable soups come at an unbeatable low price: Already the small serving is sufficient provided you do not come very hungry.

The cafe's name is taken after German painter-author Joachim Ringelnatz famous for his intelligent satirical nonsense poetry, and it is said that the patron is occationally reciting poems for his guests. If he isn't you may get a poem from the poetry generator in the corner (provided you have a 50 cents coin at hand).

For an organic soft or coffee drink you may also visit Haases Garten-Café, a beautiful garden cafe in the backyard of the Haase household equipment and cocooning shop. The cafe is open when you find a stand-up display on the walkway in front. To enter the cafe you have to pass through the shop. Unfortunately the home-made cake isn't necessarily made from organic ingredients.

If you are lucky enough to arrive during the opening hours of the Röstwerk coffee roasters' use the chance to have a freshly roasted organic coffee. As I had no such luck I wasn't able to ask about the non-certified coffee and the milk.

With its strong focus on regional and organic produce Schinkels Brauhaus, the beergarden of the local organically certified brewery, is the perfect place for beer, meat and burger lovers with a conscience. Organic poultry from Frischgeflügel Roth, beef from the Gut Fahrenbach's cattle fed on Schinkels' draff, cheese, milk (used in the ice-cream of the Griesel dairy farm), and nonetheless the beer made with local organic barley are all produced within a 50 kilometres radius. Unfortunately the vegetarian dishes (with a notable exception of the asparges from the Klenke farm in Bad Sooden-Allendorf during the season) do not have organic main components. As most breweries nowadays they also make lemonades dubbed "WIZ" which are organically certified. There's indoor seating, too, important during the cold season.

• Chez Nadine, An der Schlagd/Bleichengasse, Mon–Sat(Sun) 12(10)–21
• Bio‐Bistro Ringelnatz, Steinstr. 12, Wed–Sat 12–17
• Haases Garten-Café, Walburger Str. 3 (backyard), Mon–Thu(Fri) 9(8:30)–18, Sa 9–14
• Röstwerk, Am Markt 11, Mon–Wed(Fri) 08:30(8)–17, Sat 9–13
• Schinkels Brauhaus, Oberburgstr. 10, Mon–Sat(Sun) 17(12)–22(21), Sat 12–15

More to try

At a significant distance from the town the village of Berlepsch-Ellerode also belongs to Witzenhausen. Here you'll find the Cafe Hofgarten Gut Hübenthal, an organic farm cafe and probably also shop as the farm is the homebase of the organic delivery service Grüner Bote.

• Cafe Hofgarten Hübenthal, Hübenthal 9, Berlepsch-Ellerode, Fri–Sun 13–19

Witzenhausen: Organic groceries, supermarkets and delicatessen

As almost all West-German small towns with an intact historic centre Witzen­hau­sen has both, a health food shop in the tradition of the Lebensreform movement at the beginning of the 20th century (the Reformhaus "Schön und gesund"), and a Weltladen fair-trade shop driven by volunteers.

But there's also a traditional organic corner shop offering all you need for food, household, hygiene and recreational treats: the Schach­tel­halm (German for "horsetail", the plant). Unfortunately I arrived too late a Saturday to catch more than a glimpse from the outside.

The local brewery, Schinkel, a start-up of the university milieu, was Hesse's first organic brewery, but to date only a few of their beers are certified organic. You can get (and taste) them at the brewery's own salespoint, Schinkels Biershop.

Unterrieden

If you come to Witzenhausen on the Werratalradweg from Bad Sooden-Allendorf the bicycle route is running through the village Unterrieden, a part of Witzenhausen on the Eastern side of the river Werra right before the river turns to the West. On the main road through Unterrieden, the Ludwigsteinstraße, you'll find no less than three farm shops, described here from South to North.

The farm shop of the Absatz­ge­nos­sen­schaft Unter­rieden (AGU), a co-operative of both, organic and conventional farms in the village famous for its cherries, offers a wide range of locally produced food and beverages: fresh greens, sausages, cheese, bread, honey, preserves, fruit juices, wines and spirits. Only a fraction of it is organically certified, and unfortunately you cannot tell how much inorganic fertilisers and poisonous pest control has been used to produce products missing a certificate. When I asked about bread and rolls the shop keeper told me that the bakery had been organic in the past, but since the baker retired the products have been coming from the only remaining artisanal bakery in town. Some of the (fruit) wines and honey definitely sport the European organic label.

The AGU shop also stocks organic jams and spreads of Knofi & so ("garlic and such") in very small glasses, perfect as a small gift. The label belongs to a community of passionate market gardeners with a focus on direct trade. They are operating a small manufactory and market boothes. The one in Ludwigsteinstraße is unmanned, with an honesty box to put your money in. When I was there in August there were lovely tomatoes, but when I returned in September the booth was temporarily put down, so I suspect it is there only when excess greens are available. The "Knofis" also offer basic guest rooms for cyclists and backpackers.

Poultry lovers must not miss the poultry butcher's shop Frischgeflügel Roth. Unfortunately the shop is open only two days a week and was on vacation when I was there, so the vending machine in front of the shop was empty, too. The butcher co-operates with almost all organic poultry farms in the region.

• Reformhaus "Schön und gesund" Walger, Walburger Str. 8, Mon–Thu 9–13,15–18, Fr(Sat) 9–18(13)
• Weltladen, Brückenstr. 16, Mon–Sat 10–13, Mon,Wed,Fri(Tue,Thu) 15–18(19)
• Schachtelhalm, Walburger Straße 19, Mon–Wed,Sat(Thu–Fri) 9–13(18), Mon–Wed 14:30–18
• Schinkels Biershop, Am Sande 9, Mon–Fri 8:30–15, every first Wed/month 17–20
• AGU-Hofladen, Ludwigsteinstr. 6, Unterrieden, Tue–Fri(Sat) 8(7)–12, Tue–Fri 15–18
• Knofi & so, Ludwigsteinstr. 32, Unterrieden, daily 24x7 during the main harvest
• Bioland Frischgeflügel Roth, Ludwigsteinstr. 40, Unterrieden, Fri(Sat) 10(9)–18(13)

Witzenhausen

Historically important small towns, even when they sport an abundance of beautiful historic building, often struggle with the loss of importance compared with the big cities. An exception are small historic towns with a university (and a train station), where you'll often find a thriving cultural life. Witzenhausen is one of the latter: Located on the regional train line from Kassel to Göttingen it is the home of the Department of Ecological Agricultural Sciences of the University of Kassel and as such the smallest university location. It's also part of the bicycle route along the river Werra, the Werratalradweg. The town prides itself of being both, organic pioneer and a Fair Trade Town.

If you are interested in tropical plants and how pests can be efficiently controlled using natural and minimally invasive means, pay a visit to the Greenhouse for Tropical Crops run by the Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences.

• Daily necessities: Supermarkets, groceries and speciality shops
• Restaurants, cafes and beergardens