Shopping at a Local Farm
Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to be living in Switzerland. We don’t have any worries about GMO foods or CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feed Operation) raised animals. Our happy Swiss cows eat grass and there are farms scattered everywhere. I probably have at least 20 little farms within a 5 mile radius of my house.
Früchtehof Kunz Farm in Grüningen
Julie and I recently went shopping at a local farm (Früchtehof Kunz) that’s located about 5 to 10 minutes from my house. Our lovely friend Rita gave us the inside tip on this particular farm. The farmer actually has a website that you can take a look at. It’s all in German, but there are some lovely pictures of the farm and the farmer’s family. Many small Swiss farms have little stores called “Hof Lädeli” where they sell whatever they have grown or produced on their farm. Most of them even work on the honor system….there is a little box to put money in for whatever you decide to buy. And no, people here would never think of walking in and stealing the money box.
The farm is home to two very friendly donkeys who are happy to greet you as you arrive.
Friendly donkeys begging to be pet
Here is the entrance to the little farm store.
Farm Store
Who wouldn’t want to shop here?
The sign says “Open”
You can get farm fresh eggs.
Fresh eggs from free range chickens
The farm has lots and lots of fruit trees (apples, cherries and pears) and they make their own apple cider vinegar, fruit jams and preserves, dried apples and pears and fresh pressed apple cider.
Julie and I each bought a large package of mixed cuts of grass fed beef. I got 5.5 kg (about 12 pounds) of various cuts and paid 27 francs per kilo. It cost me about a third of what it would have cost me at the grocery store. The meat is in the store in a little freezer and you just pick the packages that you want.
Grass fed beef
You can also order an 1/8 or a 1/4 of a cow and choose which cuts you would like to have.
Buy 1/8 of a cow
All those grass fed cows are not only tasty, they are also incredibly cute.
Baby cows in the barn on this rainy day
Julie bought some raw milk. We feel sad for all you poor Americans who can’t get raw milk because it’s against the law.
The farmer showing us where the raw milk is stored (right next to the cows it came from)
I love being able to support local farmers by buying my food from them. I feel good about the animals and products that I consume. These animals had a very good life before ending up on my plate. This particular farm is also labeled as IP Suisse which means that absolutely no soy is added to any of their animal feed. Major bonus. Heck, I would shop at this farm just to be able to pet the donkeys 🙂
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Interesting post, it’s sad that there’s no bio farmer close by. By the way, apart from anything carrying the ‘bio’ label, the conventional cattle (IP and ‘natura’) is still high performance (which includes the dairy cows and the meat producers). They may eat some grass but in addition to that need a certain percentage of high performance feed to reach their target of productivity, which usually is soy, which usually comes from the places we don’t want it from (rainforest deforestation, monocultures). Only starting 2015 all IP farmers have to make sure their soy feed comes from sustainable sources. Currently there are no restrictions, as long as it’s not GMO. Have a look here: http://www.ipsuisse.ch/CMS/ModanFileHandler.axd?DateiGUID=9df9022f-8bfc-4b63-88ec-5f35416f7748.
I personally keep my hands off anything labelled IP and ‘natura’ and stick with bio, given that bio has the strictest criteria and very tight checks.
Hi Heidi,
Yes, I always go for the bio label myself and usually get my stuff from a bio farmer that I found through kagfreiland (he calls me up for an order and then delivers it to my house). My friend Rita told me about this farm in Grünigen and it’s so close that I wanted to check it out. Rita asked the farmer lots of questions (he feeds his cows grass). I think that farmers have to go through a lot of red tape to get the “bio” label and so many don’t even though they may follow the same bio practices. Overall, I feel that the quality of what we get here is leaps and bounds above what is typically available in American grocery stores. Next, I want to check out a little farm store between Egg and Maur. Have you ever been to it?
You are definitely right, we are so lucky to live in Switzerland!
What a beautiful place to shop! I love to support our local farmers, every thursday i go with the kids to the farmers market! I buy most of my vegetables and eggs from the farmers!
P.S This weekend i made your Lemon Brownies, they were so so good! I was happy we were having a company, otherwise it would have been hard not to eat all of it at once! Next I’m gone try your Chocolate orange Hazelnut Biscotti!
Thanks for all the cool recipe and have a wonderful afternoon!
Hi Christian,
I’m glad the lemon brownies worked out for you 🙂 and I hope you’ll also like the biscotti. Did you know that you can do very affordable family vacations here in Switzerland at local farms? It’s a nice little get away on a weekend with small kids. You can choose to sleep in the straw/hay in the barn or in a room with matresses or beds (depends on the farm). Here is the website for all of the farms around Switzerland who offer this: http://www.schlaf-im-stroh.ch/en/ Some of the farms offer special activities like cheese making or helping with the farm animals.
Nice blog today! We get organic eggs from a neighbour .They have a secret fridge in the side of their shed. I also fetch raw milk right here in the village, from a coin operated vending machine. It’s conventional ( cows probably eat some soy and corn but mostly grass and hay ) and A1 – but what a luxury nonetheless! I have been using the same two bottles for several years ( zero waste ) and this also pleases me no end.
Hi Miriam,
Don’t you just love those milk vending machines? Cracks me up every time I see one. I’ve got to take a picture sometime because readers from outside Switzerland would probably be highly amused 🙂
You are so lucky, so so lucky. I am extremely jealous 🙂 Despite living in Europe it is hard to find quality meat here. I have to drive across the country to even find something decent. Swiss are lucky people 🙂
Vita, you are so right. We are very lucky indeed (in many ways).
Hi Lisa,
Thank you so much for this site. I was wondering if you knew of any of these farms that sell their product direct to consumer in Kusnacht?At present i dont have a care so it makes traveling too far quite difficult if no public transportation exists. Also, do you know where i might find grass-fed/bio butter? I have been using the brand that is sold in migro’s figuring if it was Bio it had to be from grass fed cows, though im not certain if that is a bad assumption.
Hi Brent,
I know there is a farmer right behind the Coop which is on the road going up the hill towards Zumikon (it’s along the bus route for the bus that goes to the Kek iceskating place). This is the link to the Coop (so that you can get an idea of the location) http://www.coop.ch/pb/site/vstinfo/node/76518709/Lde/index.htm?#id=1728 This farmer I think also sells Christmas trees in winter. You should be able to take the bus and then walk from there as he is located just behind the Coop. I’m sorry I don’t know the opening hours or exactly what he sells or even his name or address. I found a farmer through Kagfreiland that delivers to me. I order grass fed beef and pastured pork and say how much I want and what cuts I want. You can have a look at Kagfreiland here: http://www.kagfreiland.ch/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=278&Itemid=252
I also buy the bio butter from Migros. The label “bio” is very strictly controlled here and bio is the about the highest quality (above Natura, IP Suisse, Terra Suisse etc…)so I think the butter is fine. I have found butter made from raw milk from grass fed cows at a little cheese stand that is always at the Burkliplatz market (Tue and Fri mornings) and at a little shop in the Viaduct (the Viaduct is great…http://markthalle.im-viadukt.ch/ ) I wrote about shopping there and posted a picture of the butter I found (you can read that post here http://swisspaleo.ch/fat-purple-carrots-and-a-trip-to-the-viaduct/ )
I’ll ask around and see if I can find some more farms for you in Kusnacht. 🙂
Lisa
Thank you so much Lisa! Also the Egli at HB has a full range of natural/bio butter and they even sell Ghee, albeit at 7.50ch for about 150g. Which cuts do you go for from the farmer? That seems to be the best option.
Yes, I get my ghee at a little bio store over in Uster and have found ghee to be very expensive everywhere here. Sometimes we make our own (easy to do). I usually just ask for a “mischpakett” which has a little bit of everything in it (ground beef, roasts, steaks etc…)I always ask them to leave out any sausages or pre-formed hamburger patties because they often use spice mixes with who knows what in them. Migros sells grass fed beef (at the butcher counter “weide rindsfleisch”) and Coop sells bio chickens (but only whole roasting chickens) so I get my meat there or at my local butcher when I run out of stuff from my farmer. Usually little butcher shops know the farmers they got their meat from and they can tell you what is grass fed or bio. Honestly though, the quality of meat is very good here even when it’s not totally grass fed. Animal husbandry regulations are quite strict and the animals eat mostly grass anyways.
Brent,
Here is the farm I mentioned in Kusnacht. He doesn’t seem to have a website but this shows his address. It is a bio farm 🙂
http://www.knospehof.ch/profil/?tx_unkknospehof2_knospenlive%5Bhof%5D=8&tx_unkknospehof2_knospenlive%5Baction%5D=show&tx_unkknospehof2_knospenlive%5Bcontroller%5D=Hof
Lisa, sorry to bother you, but might it be possible to share with me which farmer delivers the meat right to you? I tried looking at the website you sent, but my german is terrible and google translate isnt helping much. Any help would be much appreciated.
Hi Brent,
No bother at all. I’ve found a new farmer located about 10 minutes from me that I am using now. The other guy was located out past Lucern. The new farmer delivers as well and also has a farm store with a meat counter. We ordered 1/8 of a pig and 1/16 of a cow just recently. They have bio beef and bio pigs (bio pigs are a bit harder to find). Here is the website:
http://www.schloessli-hof.ch/hofladen/ The farmer lady is super nice but I don’t think she speaks English. The farm is located in Oetwil am See which is near to Stäfa and Egg (about 30 minutes outside Zurich).
If you tell me where you live, I can try to find one closer to you. You could also contact the old guy we used to use. We got a delivery from him a few weeks ago and will still use him if the new one we found is out of meat when we are needing to buy. His name is Herr Burri and we contact him via phone at 079 827 4928 and email is e.burri@regiocom.ch I’m not sure if he speaks English or not.
I really want to make the switch to grass fed beef and fresh raw unpasterised milk. Do you possibly know of a farm up at Aegeri Aegerital you can recommend. I have a cheese maker(not a farm) right below my flat and will go out this afternoon and start finding out. We also have a big butchers shop here in Unteraegeri, and I wonder if these sell pure grass fed beef and lean meat cuts…I am now learning from your posts about “bio” in CH as being “a good start” – as well as making sure I’m eating a heap of organic fresh veggies and fruits, nuts and seeds daily… Your farm you recommend is not too far away and worth it for the grass fed meat and nice half day out with the kids to visit the animals. Thanks for your post.
Hi Rebecca,
You might try this farm
http://Www.biohof-ueberwurf.ch
They have bio beef and eggs. I haven’t ever been to it, but it is listed on the bio farm site. Let me know if you go and if you like it. My Migros sells grass fed beef at the butcher counter….it’s called weidebeef I think. Good luck 🙂
…also, still not come across any farmer’s markets around Zug, Aegeri region????
I did a goggle search “farmers market Zug” and one site popped up with a ton. Do the google search and click on the foursquare.com link. I’m on vacation and just on my iPad and I don’t know how to copy paste the link for you 🙁
Hey Lisa, I have been looking for raw milk near Geneva to no avail. Do you know if it is possible to find it in any of the Swiss shops, or do I need to find a farmer in the know?
Thanks!
Desiree
Hi Desiree,
Nice to hear from you 🙂 I have only ever seen it at farms and not in stores, but must also admit that since I don’t really drink milk myself,I haven’t spent much time hunting it down.
I just found your blog while searching for sources of grass-fed butter in the Zurich area, and I am so happy I did!
I get fresh eggs from the local farmer, who is IP Suisse and whose chickens I see running around happily outside every day when I drive by 🙂
However he doesn’t usually have butter and when he does, I don’t know if it’s grass-fed. How can you tell, aside from asking? Is there a term they use when the butter or other dairy is from grass-fed cows?
I checked out your post about the Viadukt and saw all the pics but wasn’t able to read any text or comments, it just wasn’t showing for me 🙁
I know that shop, that’s where I got my kale the last couple of times – will definitely go back for the butter!
Hi Elisa,
Grass fed butter is called weide butter. I’ve found it at the Viaduct and the Bürkliplatz farmers market (Tue and Fri mornings). Weide means grass fed (you can get weide beef from the butcher counter at Migro!). Kerrygold brand is the most famous one, but I have never found it here…only in Germany so I buy it there when I go and then freeze it. Switzerland has quite a high import tax on foreign dairy products to protect their own farmers and dairy industry. Bio butter (migro and coop) comes from bio certified cows. I think they have to have something like 80% of their diet come from grass and they have to be allowed to graze freely for a certain number of hours every day. If you are into ghee, most reform hauses sell that. Brat butter (migro and coop) is actually ghee. If you are big into coconut oil like I am, the best place to get that is online from iherb.com. They have a standard shipping fee of 8 dollars and I ordered 1 liter of organic coconut oil which came in 3 days time and cost 33 dollars including the shipping! 250 ml of quality coconut oil costs 22 francs here. Huge savings 🙂
Best of luck in your hunt for butter!
Lisa
Ahhh, you are so blessed to enjoy good food, good air, green grass and you even can boast about your hometown boy, the composer Adrian Von Ziegler! Yes, we know lots of things about Switzerland here in Arizona. Oh, and this is one state where raw milk can legally be sold! So glad I stumbled on your site and I wish you continued good health and blessings as you keep up the paleo lifestyle in your country!
Hi Carol,
Yes, it is truly lovely here 🙂 If you ever get a chance to visit Switzerland, you totally should! I don’t get around to putting up new content on the blog very often, but I post almost daily over on instagram and I include lots of pictures of Swiss natural beauty (also lots of food and some recipes 😉 ) Thanks for stopping by.