Step into the German Donkey Mill and feel the touch of traditional, original flavor

Lead image/ Fruits and vegetables sold at the farm's attached shop

In today's world, where efficiency is prized in all things, everyday eating is also all about speed and convenience. Busy modern people no longer have much time to bake bread and pastries for themselves and their families, so chain bakeries supplied by central factories have taken over most of the bread market, offering fast, convenient products with plenty of choices. Buy bread at a chain bakery and what you get is bread of the same quality and the same texture, filling our stomachs but with no distinctive character of its own.

On the outskirts of Stuttgart in the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg, there is a farm called Donkey Mill. It not only grows fruits and vegetables and raises livestock, but also keeps alive the tradition of baking bread in a wood-fired kiln.

The mill began operating 560 years ago and went through destruction, rebuilding and changes of ownership before its name was finally settled as Donkey Mill in 1937. In its early days the farm grew various kinds of wheat, ground it into flour, lit a fire with firewood and baked loaf after fragrant loaf of original-flavor bread fresh from the oven, each loaf carrying the scent of wood.

Wood-fired kiln

Original-flavor bread baked in a wood-fired kiln

The farm's current owner also works hard to preserve the tradition, hoping that future generations will all be able to taste that original touch. The old mill on the farm no longer grinds wheat today; their flour and ingredients now come from nearby organic farmers. Besides using natural ingredients, they also insist on producing raw materials locally.

This mill, kept on the farm, is there so that guests can see with their own eyes how wheat becomes flour. Besides running a bakery and selling fruits, vegetables and handicrafts, the farm also runs a restaurant serving local food, so that nearby residents and even tourists who come from far away can all get closer to nature here.

The bread that comes fresh from the brick kiln every day is always quickly bought up by nearby residents. As we see how closely Donkey Mill is tied to its community, we also sincerely hope that our native wheat in Taiwan, China can spread its branches and leaves on this beautiful land of Taiwan, China, generation after generation.

The firewood needed for the wood-fired kiln is piled in a corner of the farm

A student group visiting the farm

Different pumpkin varieties grown on the farm