Barbara Aliesch

Text and photo: Marietta Kobald, luaga.ch

Of fragrances and other

Barbara has not only become accustomed to the various scents of a farm, in fact she couldn't live without them. "This is my world," she says, who can be found in the barn twice a day, mucking out, milking and feeding the 19 cows, 34 sheep, 25 lambs and 2 donkeys. While she is telling all this, there is another scent in the air; the indescribable scent mixture of garlic, wine, spices and raw meat. And now from this mixture 200 thick sausages, red and white speckled - Salsiz. Then the next sausage dough, prepared the day before, is waiting to be processed. It is visibly finer in consistency and smells somewhat different. "That makes about 100 Landjäger, er, Luzeiner Brügäli," Barbara explains, picking up the first half-meter of sausage strand, which is being driven through the machine by her husband Hanspeter.

The two harmonize well, you can feel, hear and see it. Not a loud word, just quietly concentrated work; everyone knows what to do. "No, no, Barbara is responsible for the sausage dough, she's better at it," Hanspeter responds to the question with a smile, paying his wife a small compliment and following it up with a big one: "If I hadn't found a woman like Barbara, I wouldn't have taken over my parents' farm."
 

A farm without children? "No, no, except for the youngest, they are out of school, in apprenticeships or have already completed one," Barbara says with a laugh. There are four of them: Noah, Lea, Josi and the youngest, Simon. The Aliesch family lives in an old, weathered knitting house that has been adapted to today's needs, together with Öhi Fluri, who lives on the top floor in a cozy, small apartment built especially for him. Hanspeter's parents live right next door in the newly built "Stöckli", in the basement of which they are now doing their mash. The Hofladä is located next to their home.

Barbara and Hanspeter run their farm, which covers 34 hectares of land, organically. "This means that even the ingredients for Salsiz, Luzeiner Brügäli and Ehni's house sausage have to be organic," Barbara explains. Three cows and two pigs have to be slaughtered for the approximately 3,000 sausages the couple makes and sells during the cold season. Eight young cattle, so-called gobblers, find their buyers here in the Hofladä, portioned and packaged. Another 8 gobblers and 60 lambs are sold to Coop for the organic meat customers.

Jam, liqueur and herbal tea

While Barbara and Hanspeter are cutting the sausages, smoke is rising from the Räuki hut outside in the garden. "I took over the smoking of the sausages from my father-in-law," says the farmer's wife, wiping a strand of blond hair from her forehead with the back of her hand.

On the shelves in the farm shop are countless lovingly decorated jam jars; Barbara also cooks these herself, and recently there's even pumpkin jam, which her young team also likes, although they turn up their noses at pumpkin.  In addition, you can find homemade liqueur and herbal teas.

Barbara, who worked as an aupair in America for two years after her apprenticeship and didn't really want to return home, now feels most at home in Luzein. Hobby? "My hobby is animals, "so hann i alls in eim." House and farm and man and animal. Barbara, a farmer with heart and soul.

Barbara und Hanspeter Aliesch
Scanfs 82, 7242  Luzein
+41 (0)81 332 41 05