News at the beginning of 2026 - 725th anniversary - Biofach Nuremberg - Lent and harvest time - Return of the beaver
The year 2026 has begun and, of course, we would like to start by wishing you a healthy new year.
2026 is a very special year for the Aspermühle, as we are celebrating an incredible anniversary.
725th anniversary of the Aspermühle - a special anniversary
The Aspermühle was first mentioned in a document in 1301, which means it has been in existence for at least 725 years - and that's something you have to achieve first.
Aspermühle 20s
Originally, it was closely linked to the nearby Graefenthal monastery and was only allowed to grind flour for it, while fruit, herbs and vegetables were grown in the monastery.
Graefenthal Monastery historical
So even back then, healthy eating was an integral part of everyday life at the mill.
Over the centuries, the Aspermühle has of course been through many ups and downs and has often had to reinvent itself.
It was completely burnt down twice, the first time during the 80-year war and the second time in the 1950s, but was rebuilt each time to ensure the important security of supply.
However, the economic situation made it necessary to do more than just produce food, and so the Aspermühle was also used as a fullingmill over the course of time.
Nowadays, there is no longer any milling activity on site, but even after all these centuries, the Aspermühle still stands for healthy nutrition with healthy food.
If you want to find out more about the history of the Aspermühle, you will find it in our large mill guide.
But healthy nutrition is not only a big topic at the Aspermühle.
Biofach 2026 - the world's leading trade fair for organic food
Nutrition naturally also plays a key role at the annual Biofach trade fair in Nuremberg.
The world's leading trade fair for organic food attracts over 30,000 visitors from 140 countries every year.
4 For several days, curious visitors, retailers and farmers as well as authorities can gather information, exchange ideas, find new products and make contacts.
Around 2,300 exhibitors present their companies and products. The Biofach Congress also offers the opportunity to deal with relevant topics such as the changing food industry and the ecological transformation and to gain an overview of the industry based on figures and analyses.
Aspermühle will of course also be visiting again to meet friendly suppliers and keep an eye out for new products and trends.
One trend that is actually centuries old but has been rediscovered is fasting.
Carnival and Lent
While the Biofach has still opened its doors, a colorful hustle and bustle of a different kind, the carnival, is already beginning.
Just like at the Biofach, the carnival is often also about nutrition, but not necessarily healthy nutrition. Carnival often serves the opposite purpose and often ends in gluttony.
This is certainly not tragic, because for many people it is simply part of the celebration to go overboard from time to time. This may not always be healthy, but it is perhaps good for the soul.
As people are often plagued by a guilty conscience afterwards, some people take advantage of the fasting period that traditionally follows carnival to pay more attention to their diet, whereas in the past fasting was traditionally used to prepare for Easter.
It doesn't just have to be strict water fasting, as there are many forms of fasting. The following video provides a brief overview.
For some people, fasting simply means abstaining from certain products, such as alcohol or meat, for a certain period of time. However, it can also refer to more modern approaches, such as digital detoxing, where you limit your use of smartphones and computers.
There are no limits to your imagination when it comes to diet-related forms of fasting. As described above, these start with a small amount of abstinence from certain products, but can also be longer fasting intervals, such as the 16:8 fast, in which you abstain from food for 16 hours and only eat regularly during an 8-hour phase.
Juice and tea fasting generally involves abstaining from solid food and, as the name suggests, only providing your body with liquids.
Whichever form of fasting you choose, it makes sense to provide your body with the nutrients it needs and also to support the intestines in their natural activity.
Superfoods that naturally have a high nutrient density, such as chlorella, spirulina, barley grass juice powder or Green Trio, are naturally suitable for this. These products contain various nutrients such as B12, iron, vitamin K, magnesium and potassium, which naturally support the body during the fasting period.
In our store you will find green superfoods to support you during the fasting period:
Organic Chlorella Tablets
Organic Spirulina Tablets
Organic Green Trio Tablets
Barley grass juice powder
Intestinal activity can be supported with fiber, for which psyllium husks are best suited, as they consist almost exclusively of fiber, but otherwise have a rather low nutritional value, as they contain almost no carbohydrates, protein or fats. Some of these nutrient bombs are even harvested during the carnival and winter season, as some products require cold and others come from regions where it never gets cold.
Wintertime is also harvest time
One of the most well-known superfoods that usually comes to mind in connection with the cold is kale.
Kale in the field
It is said that kale needs frost to be ready for harvest. It is not quite that dramatic, but it definitely needs low temperatures below 7 degrees Celsius to achieve a good aromatic taste.
This is because kale, like any other plant, slows down its metabolism at cool temperatures and consumes significantly less energy in the form of sugar.
At the same time, photosynthesis continues when exposed to sunlight and the plant continues to produce and store sugar.
It therefore becomes sweeter and tastier. Traditionally, kale is often eaten in winter together with mashed potatoes and side dishes.
However, in order to preserve it and enjoy it all year round, it has been increasingly dried and powdered in recent years, so that its rich nutrients are available to us throughout the year.
For other products, it is not the product itself that requires the cold temperatures, but the processing.
Propolis is one of these products. Propolis is the putty resin that bees collect from buds and trees. This can only be done at warm temperatures, as the resin must be soft for collection and processing.
Propolis in front of beehive
However, the resin is also quite sticky when warm, which makes collecting propolis quite laborious for the beekeeper.
Propolis is obtained in different ways. Either by scraping off the frames or by placing grids with small spacers between the box and the lid. In this way, the bees perceive an opening in the hive and seal it with propolis.
At the end of the season, the frames and grids are removed together with the propolis.
Now the beekeeper can store them in an unheated room and wait until winter arrives.
As soon as it has become really cold, the propolis becomes brittle and also loses some of its stickiness. In this state, it can be easily scraped off the frames or knocked off the bars.
In our store you will find kale powder, rosehip powder and various types of propolis:
Organic kale powder
Rosehip powder
Propolis pieces raw
Propolis powder purified.
Other products are harvested in our winter season, but as they are cultivated in the subtropics, like our chlorella and spirulina, they can still be harvested and processed all year round.
The latest news from the Aspermühle actually fits in with all the topics listed above.
The beaver has returned to the Niers and the Aspermühle
Historically, the beaver has always belonged to the Niers and the Aspermühle. Originally, the Niers was a naturally meandering river, which was increasingly straightened in the 1930s.
As already described in the blog article "The Aspermühle - through the ages", the Niers was straightened in 1932 with the intention of making it usable as a waterway.
Niers before straightening
As a result, the Niers was originally home to a natural and rich flora and fauna, which naturally included the beaver.
Unfortunately, the beaver was highly sought after for various reasons.
Its fur, which is very thick to keep the beaver warm in winter and under water, was highly sought after and well priced, which is why the beaver was hunted relentlessly.
Its meat was also very popular, especially during Lent, as the beaver was not classified as a land animal but as a fish due to its scaly tail and the church therefore permitted its consumption.
Beaver with twig
Unfortunately, the beaver was dealt a bad hand and disappeared completely from the Rhineland in the second half of the 19th century.
Nowadays, you can see beaver lodges on various stretches of the Niers again and, if you are very lucky and don't make any noise, you can even see the beaver itself. The following video gives an overview of the beaver and its way of life.
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