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Holidays at Michaelshof…
…& what there is to discover!
Best summer weather and the kids are on holiday? Then off to Michaelshof! With us, young and old get their money’s worth! Like this for example…
…you can start your day in the ‹Café am Michaelshof› with a late organic breakfast including coffee and orange juice. For a digestive walk, head into the gardens to experience the ‹Waldsee› in full bloom. Of course, one or, with the children, four laps around the lake and a break on the pontoon by the water are not to be missed. On the way up, make a detour to the cool ‹Waldgärtlein› and then the ‹Vogelvoliere› is on the program. There you can admire many exotic plants (bananas, angel trumpets, cinnamon and more) and the colorful parakeets.
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The next path leads through the ‹Rosengarten› past the two rose circles, via the propagation greenhouse to the enchanted ‹Kleinen Garten›, where you can discover the first water lilies in the pond.
Finally, you come to the ‹Campusgarten› with its pond and the ‹Apple Tree Island›, where you can rest for a while and watch the cute ducks swimming around, preening themselves or hunting for snails.
Then it’s off to the ‹Arche Hof›, which the little ones in particular love a lot. Our animals go out to the pasture every morning and are brought back in around midday – if the weather is too hot, they stay in the cool stables and enjoy the fresh grass.
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After all the animals have been greeted individually, the Lamb cuddling (Saturday & Sunday, 12 & 3 pm) is calling you. The walk then takes you past the cows and the chicken enclosure to the café for lunch, where a variety of tasty treats await you – including chips, burgers and currywurst at the weekend. After lunch, the ice cream to-go is a must-have. You can sit under the large parasol in the beautiful roundel and then take a walk through the summery ‹Arena› and up to the ‹Staudenplateau›.
Now all that’s missing is a visit to the Hofladen, to buy the ingredients for dinner and the day is perfect!
So let’s get going – book a room at the Gästehaus am Michaelshof or plan a day trip! See you soon in Sammatz!
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…Garden Highlights in July!
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Mozartrosen roses by the Waldsee
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At the moment, the Waldsee is a breathtaking sight.
When the sun makes the Waldsee sparkle, the fountains are reminiscent of Italy and the many ‘Mozart roses’ and their relatives, the ‘Bukavu roses’, light up the Waldsee terraces in warm pink, you definitely get that vacation feeling! Enjoy the lake view on one of our green benches and let your mind wander.
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Busy growing on the perennial plateau
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On your next walk through the Michaelshof gardens, don’t miss the perennial plateau, which shines in hundreds of vibrant colors in summer and takes us to the abundance of English gardens. Discover the different characters of the perennials, which are currently growing in an incredible variety of colors and shapes. It’s always amazing how you can feel completely enveloped in plants in the S-shaped flowerbeds. Definitely try it out!
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We are looking for new team members!
…are you in?
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We are now looking for employees (m/f/d) for various working areas at Michaelshof. In addition to experts in the respective areas, we are primarily looking for team players who would like to work in a lively, international and sometimes spontaneous community environment. With us, every day can look different and when it’s tulip season, for example, (almost) the whole village comes together for a huge community action in the gardens.
In addition to exciting tasks, we offer you a positive, human and warm environment in which there is definitely room for your talents and ideas.
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We have the following vacancies:
Library & Archive:
We are looking for versatile book enthusiasts for our library! On the one hand, you will manage and expand our large library and archive with a wide range of topics from history and literature to spirituality, art, politics and science. On the other hand, you will help us to grow our digital library with our new, very powerful book scanner. Interested? Then apply!
Image & text editor:
We are looking for an image & text editor in the marketing department. Your work ranges from text production to text & image correction to the creation of a Michaelshof image database. You will help with the creation of social media posts, flyers, newsletters and other advertising activities. Do you fancy a creative workplace within our Michaelshof setting where you work hand in hand with our social media and marketing team? Apply now!
Baker:
We have been baking bread and rolls in Demeter quality in our bakery since 2014. After a renovation last year, we now have a beautiful, bright bakery with plenty of space and two modern wood-fired ovens in our former garage cottage. Your tasks will include preparing dough, shaping and baking bread and rolls and, of course, cleaning the bakery afterwards. Knowledge of English is desirable, as the team is regularly joined by our volunteers from all over the world.
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Printer & laminator:
For our small and large print production, we are looking for technology-savvy employees who are ideally already familiar with printing and laminating. Our products range from labels and posters to banners and large format images on Aludibond and acrylic glass. We are still in the test phase and are happy to try out different materials and uses. Would you like to be part of the print team?
Wood processing & distribution:
We love sustainable energy generation. In recent years, we have equipped the majority of our houses with solar panels, operate a wood-burning stove that produces heat and hot water and, in future, a combined heat and power plant unit. The latter two require good quality wood, which we prefer to cut, store, chop and dry ourselves. At the same time, we would also like to expand our wood processing for external customers.
Are you a wood fan, ideally already have experience in this field and are looking for a meaningful area of work? Feel free to apply!
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Food & sales:
Our food area is looking for a sales professional! At Michaelshof, we produce high-quality and delicious organic food in our processing plants. We are looking for someone who can bring these to the region with heart and brains, get in touch with organic stores or new customers through the online store and loves our products as much as we do. Be our sales talent for vegetable boxes, ice cream, cheese, bread and more – we look forward to meeting you!
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More open vacancies:
Social:
Office:
Hands-on:
- Service helper in the Café at Michaelshof
- Gardener
- Construction worker
- Pharmacist
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Daniel is our ‘vegetable pope’ – he has been looking after the vegetables in Sammatz for about 6 years and would love to spend day and night there. From the very beginning, it was important for him to know how we grow the different types of vegetables so that we can supply not only ourselves, but also many other people in the region. The vegetables are ‘in Daniel’s blood. He would do virtually anything to ensure that the vegetable patch is doing well and that it grows and thrives. Daniel is supported by the Green Village team with Hannah and Nadja, who work together on the cultivation planning.
He and Gabi are out on the field every day, preparing, sowing and cultivating the land and, of course, harvesting when the time comes. You can see the two of them every morning and in the beautiful evening hours in the vegetable field and during the day also weeding, from time to time with a large team of students or volunteers.
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His second great passion is agriculture, i.e. everything that has to do with civil engineering, infrastructure or large machines.
He was already passionate about this type of work when he was building the gardens and has been, together with Malte B., a constant part of the landbauteam ever since. Whether it’s laying pipes throughout the village, paving or landscaping areas or currently working on the exterior design of the Flachsenberg, Daniel and his team are always on the ball. The boys and girls are used to special construction sites and to work with their hands.
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Daniel is also part of our ‘historic’ gardeners’ team, which was formed in 2010 and is completed by Emmanuel, Anton, Janosch, Malte B. and Jakob. They work together on short and sometimes longer projects – from removals and agricultural work to joint building, farming and other activities.
They all love Daniel’s quiet but absolutely goal-oriented manner – and so do we!
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Els from the Netherlands
Volunteer stories…
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“I am Els. I’m originally from the Netherlands and have lived in the community at Michaelshof for the last three years. Those were incredibly interesting years!
Before I came here, I was a biodynamic vegetable farmer, but this community gives you the opportunity to discover new things – in my case it was building.
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I already had some experience with building houses, so the team welcomed me with open arms. The construction site became an important part of my life in the community and the construction team really grew on me. I actually love everything about it, the constant learning process and the creativity it takes to work on the site, the smell of wood, the teamwork, the long hours of filling and painting and the finishing touches.
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But I’m not someone who likes to do just one thing, and there are so many great areas to work in here that when spring starts, some days and evenings you’ll find me in the medicinal plant field, in the greenhouse or watering the young plants. At the weekend, I also like to do a challenging marathon of dishes in the café and you see me making music in any free time.
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I am a passionate musician and will soon be starting a degree in music therapy, which is aimed at helping people through the difficult things in life – at Michaelshof I did this regularly with the kids in Peronnik.
But wherever I go, I have found friends for life in Sammatz and will always come back.”
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Dear Els, thank you so much for your full-power element, which we were able to enjoy with you. Thank you for all the completed houses and all the renovations to which you have dedicated your attention to detail and which we were able to tackle together with you! Thank you for your very special nature connection and your love of music.
All the best for the future! We will miss you! See you soon!
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Dragonfly walk…
– a short event review from June!
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Despite the changeable weather conditions, the day had many nice surprises in store – ‘Banded dragonflies for example, which danced across the water, or a ‘Blue-green mosaic dragonfly’, which hatched fresh from the larva!
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The walk took us through the gardens to the various ponds with lush banks and to the “fish ponds” a little further away, where we were promptly greeted by a young grass snake. ‘Large blue darters’ whizzed across the water, while ‘horseshoe dragonflies’, ‘large dragonflies’ and ‘blue feather dragonflies’ sat on the banks. Our nature walk team caught many of these beautiful creatures with landing nets, viewed them up close or photographed them from a distance and released them back into the wild. Michaelshof biologist Sara Groß was able to share a lot of knowledge about the largest and perhaps even most fascinating native insects. 🌿
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Strawberry jam
Enjoy the taste of summer! Our strawberry jam made from sun-kissed strawberries is lovingly processed into our delicious organic fruit spread.
Especially delicious for breakfast on a butter croissant, in quark or simply pure!
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BRAND NEW:
Ice cream from Michaelshof!
From now on we only serve ice cream from our own production! We are very proud of our ice cream masters Johanna and Nadja, who have quickly set up our ice cream production with the competent help of an expert! Together with Lilianne, Gino and the ice cream team, they use organic milk and the finest organic ingredients to make the many delicious flavors that will later end up in your waffle or in a sumptuous sundae.
You can of course get our ice cream on site at the Café am Michaelshof and also on Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Lüneburg market!
Our favorite flavors:
- Hazelnut: creamy, hazelnutty, delicious!
- Vanilla: definitely underrated as a classic. Our vanilla ice cream is made with lots of real organic vanilla and is unbeatable!
- Mango: probably the tastiest mango ice cream you’ve had in a long time! Happy customers rave about it!
But: try it for yourself!
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Michaelshof up to date – all opening hours at a glance!
Arche-Hof:
Mon-Sun 9.00 – 19.00
Café:
Mon-Sat 8.00 – 18.00
Sun & holidays 9.30 – 18.00
Hofladen:
Mon-Sat 10.00 – 19.00
Sun & holidays 10.00 – 19.00
Der WAGEN in Lüneburg:
Wed & Sat 7.00 – 13.00
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Sat, 13 July– 12-15.00
Wild bees – Nature walk 3
On our nature walks, we take you into the fascinating world of plants and insects and focus our attention on one of their species. Today: the wild bees!
The secret heroes of pollination are often unknown. We want to change that! Explore the world of trouser bees and shaggy bees with Sara and sharpen your senses in the search for the masked or furrow bees, which are just a few millimeters in size. We will not only discover the amazing abilities of these insects, but also their essential role in our ecosystem.
Free admission, donation requested!
With Sara G.
Registration required
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Sat, 20 & Sun, 21. July – 11-17.00
Family festival with farm festival
Welcome to the family festival at Michaelshof! Two colorful days especially for the little ones and their families – everything you can experience in the child-friendly atmosphere of Sammatz combined in one great festival package! From fun and entertainment including a bouncy castle and outdoor games for young and old, delicious ice cream and other food, a children’s make-up station and a rally through the village to action on the Ark farm, we have a lot in store for you. We will be celebrating a small farm festival at the same time – you will have the opportunity to get very close to our farm animals and many a child’s dream will come true with donkey petting and horse riding. There’s also plenty for the grown-ups to learn on our Ark farm with its seven old domestic animal breeds.
Summer, vacations and relaxing in a place as child-friendly as the Michaelshof are a great mix. A fun day for everyone!
Free admission, donation welcome!
With Johanna, Klara, Malte B., Anton
Just drop by!
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Sat, 27 July – 15-18.00
Medicinal plants – nature walk
The Sammatz medicinal plant field is a very special place. It radiates tranquility and the healing effect of the plants is a tangible feature of the atmosphere in the beautiful grounds. Our medicinal plants are at the height of their bloom in July – diverse and healing. We explain which plants grow here, what they are used for and also show you how we process them at Eichenhof in our medicinal plant manufactory. Breathe in the intense fragrances of nature and enjoy the vibrant colors of arnica, calendula, echinacea and co.
Free admission, donation requested!
With Claudia & Hannah
Registration required!
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Summer in the countryside
Stories from our Green Village…
We love our healthy, grandchild-friendly and chemical-free soils, where wonderful vegetables can thrive in the fields and our plants can bloom healthily in the gardens. But Demeter farming also often means extra work or developing good organic alternatives to conventional methods. See for yourself:
Tomatoes
Our tomato team with boss Hannah and Hilke, Anke, Nadja Tok, Ceri, Gabi & Co. have been looking after the tomato greenhouses together since this summer. They nurture and care for the plants until they produce their first fruits at the end of July. This includes regularly tying up the tomato bushes and pruning them (cutting them in the right places so that other areas can grow better). But natural treatment with Equisetum (homemade horsetail tea) is also an important part of the tomato team. This practice is very common within the Demeter nursery and keeps harmful fungal diseases away from the tomato plants. Apply to the plants at a ratio of 1:10, i.e. 1l tincture, 9l water – we recommend once a week.
Equisetum extract from Michaelshof is available in our farm store!
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The fight against slugs and snails
This year is an absolute year for slugs and snails, because all the rain means that slugs and snails are multiplying even more than in previous summers. And although all living creatures have their right to exist, the slugs in our gardens are definitely a thorn in our side. They particularly love the new plantings that we have grown in our greenhouses with lots of patience, and which are then eaten away by the snail colony within a few days. Sad!
That’s why we have a daily snail team that collects as many snails from the plants as possible as soon as it gets dark outside and the snails become particularly active.
Then there’s our highly motivated 24/7 snail team, which has recently expanded – our 14 runner ducks, whose favorite food is: snails. Maybe you’ll see them roaming the gardens the next time you visit.
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+++ NEWSTICKER +++
Impressions from everyday life in our community…
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…here many diligent hands of students and volunteers harvest the wild plant ‘St. John’s wort’. As we do every morning from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., we also harvest medicinal plants here, which are then processed into great teas or cosmetics at the Eichenhof. St. John’s wort, for example, has a calming effect in evening tea and is also the main ingredient in St. John’s wort oil.
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Precious almond oil is mixed with the fresh flowers of St. John’s wort. As if there wasn’t already enough sun in the plant, the filled jars have to be left in the sun for several weeks and stirred daily to extract the red oil.
The result: deep red St. John’s wort oil, which has a soothing, warming and enveloping effect on stressed skin. It promotes skin regeneration and relieves pain.
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…Oscar and Mira in a romantic evening mood in the forest and arena…
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…our chefs Gabo and Jéronimo with fresh vegetables on their way to the café kitchen…
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…community vibes with João, Camila and Sienna…
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…and Lea, Mikael and Noah high above…
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…and finally: vibrant colors from the gardens!
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Reason Nr. 12: Nature walks on a donation basis
We think it is important to introduce our guests to biodynamic farming and life in and with nature wherever possible. That’s why we offer several nature walks and hands-on seminars every year on various topics from insects and medicinal plants to vegetables and ornamental plants. Here we share exciting information and tips and answer any questions you bring along.
We offer the walks on a donation basis to make it possible for everyone to participate, regardless of their financial means.
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…a sight that only happens a few times a year!
When the boat is launched onto the Waldsee in spring, our boys like to take an extra lap 😉
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Best wishes from the bed and see you next time – Anna ❤️
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