GERMANY’S SHOCKING SPRING TRADITIONS FOR US AS AMERICANS

Springtime in Germany has a lot of particularly special things take place that we were excited to check out this year. Unfortunately, a lot was cancelled due to the current situation, but we still are able to experience so much! From weather changes to beautiful flower fields and from rapeseed fields to German Spargel (white asparagus), this Spring has still been something special. 😊
Filmed: Ramstein / Kaiserslautern / Frankfurt, Germany - April 2020
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❤️Aubrey was a Speech-Language Pathologist, Donnie was a graphic designer, but we both had a dream to travel the world and experience cultures. After three years of being married and dreaming about if something like this great adventure would be possible, we decided to quit the rat race and take on the world. We sold everything we had, quit our jobs, and took off! After 9 months of aimless and nonstop travel, we now get to fulfill our dreams of living abroad as expats as we move to Germany!

[@PassportTwo]

Did anybody catch the Easter egg in this video?? 😂 Let us know if you did! I’m sure a lot don’t know, but I plant little Easter eggs in a lot of our videos. Very subtle jokes, references, etc. Keep a sharp eye when watching! 😊

[@andistuttgart9067]

Hm, nein, habe es nicht gefunden.

[@Tom-hz1kz]

1:06 Springtime for Germany references the song Springtime for Hitler and Germany in the musical film The Producers: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6u8YqKorbxrd9k

[@miersdelika5016]

Nope.

[@PassportTwo]

Nailed it 😂

[@guidoscholz7111]

@@Tom-hz1kz Das ist ja gruselig! Lacht man den USA über so etwas?

[@Blazesis]

April is known for having an inconsistent weather pattern here in Germany. There is a saying that goes: "Der April macht was er will." Wich means basically that you never know what clothes you should wear because it's raining and cold and a hour later it's freaking hot and the sun is in the sky as nothing has happened before.

[@PassportTwo]

Haha, I believe it! We had a nice streak of beautiful sunny days with shorts and T-shirts and now we are back to fall clothes and rain 😂

[@jensgoerke3819]

The Schleswig-Holstein calendar takes this one step further: January, February, March, April, April, April, April, April, September, October, November, December - this close to the sea the weather can change rather quickly, including short showers during otherwise sunny days in Summer.

[@madamnicknack]

It's so fun seeing Germany and the Netherlands have many same sayings (but also big differences). In Dutch it's "April doet wat hij wil". 😉

[@barvdw]

@@madamnicknack Or 'Aprilse Grillen', as in the April's tempers

[@Blazesis]

@@madamnicknack I often understand half of a sentence when I hear dutch people talk :D The pattern and words are feeling similar to me.

[@666rsrs]

when i was a kid, i once went hiking with my parents and our dog ran off chasing a deer right through a rapeseed field. he came back emptyhanded and completely exhausted, but also the pollen from the rapeseed flowers had turned his black fur completely green! we had a lot of explaining to do that day, because of fellow hikers asking: "excuse me, why is your dog green?" ah the memories

[@UliFandoms]

One thing I really love about Germany is that it is a country that has seasons due to its location on the upper North part of the globe. When living in mild and steady same climate - I miss the seasons! And the four major changes in the nature/surrounding through the year. Spring wouldn't have its special charm - if there wasn't winter before!

[@PassportTwo]

You’re definitely right! Places that have all 4 seasons are definitely special 😊

[@Brainreaver79]

in my region, Nordrhein Westfalen, many Restaurants have changed from table service to Take away. maybe check if a Restaurant in your region has done something similar. so you can experience Spargel like you want to.

[@PassportTwo]

Great point! Many are doing takeaway here as well in Rheinland-Pfalz. We’ll see what may have Spargel options 😊

[@Brainreaver79]

@@PassportTwo happy to be of help :) good luck and stay healthy

[@madamnicknack]

That was another option, but I didn't know if German restaurants had that option also. They can come fully prepared (heat them up or even take it away warm if not too far away) or in a plastic bag which has been vacuumed (gesaugt) and you heat them up in warm water (never cook!).

[@gehtdichnixan3200]

restaurants here in rlp can do that to but not all do so you have to check it out ohh and if you whant to buy your spagel i sugest those farmers huts that are on some places near roads not the super markets..... to store spargel wrap them in to a damp not too wet not to dry kitchen towl and put that in the cooler

[@eagle1de227]

@@PassportTwo I already had "Spargelschnitzel" with sauce hollandaise as a takeaway from one of our favorite restaurants. OMG sooo goood!!!

[@reinerjung1613]

In the past we had snow in the winter. Unfortunately, this declined since the 1980s rapidly. BTW lovely video. Great imagery.

[@hayati6374]

C J because climate change is a threat to many forms of life, including ours. In different types of climate it is already very noticeable

[@niddhoeggr75]

Walpurgisnacht. Lest die Bücher "Der Kleine Hexe" oder alles vont Otfried Preußler. Wie der Räuber Hotzenplotz. Oder genießt den Film über den Räuber Hotzenplotz mit Gert Fröbe. Gert Fröbe ist Goldfinger aus der 007 Serie

[@verenak2158]

I also like the yellow fields during spring when everything comes back to live. But I do love the yellow fields in the fall (= mustard fields) better because the sun light is softer in the fall. If you like flowers you should check out Mainau Island in Lake Constance during the tulip season. It's beautiful with the Swiss alpes in the background.

[@KaySan666]

Spargel isn't really for everyone. I don't really like it either, but find myself craving it from time to time, simply because my mom used to make it for me when i was younger. This was the way she prepared it (reciep is severely shortened to not bore the other commenters) Veg: 1kg Spargel - peel the outside and remove the wooden bottom of the stems (you can feel it while cutting if you got all the wood off) prepare a pot (large enough for the spargel to fit in lengthwise) with salt, a pinch of sugar and a bit butter , drop in the spargel and bring to a boil. 10--12 minutes is all it takes for it to be done. Then pull them from the heat and finish the other dishes up. Potatos: peel your potatos and boil them as usual, drain them once they're done Meat: Prepare some Schnitzel (we always made small ones) by flattening the meat (veal, pork or turkey) and seasoning it with salt n pepper once its flat enough. bread it with flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs and drop it into the hot oil in a pan. Sauce: some make this sauce themselves, i simply prefer the store bought one from Thomy. Get yourself one or two packets of Sauce Hollandaise from Thomy (the plain one, not the one with herbs in it). Empty the packets into a sauce pan and put on the low heat. Add freshly ground pepper and about 1-2 table spoons of vinegar (i prefer balsamic vinegar or lemon juice). don't let it boil and pull from the stove. Serve up the spargel with the potatos, Schnitzel (+ a spritz of Lemon on it, or a whole Lemon wheel) and the sauce. Bon Appetit. Now i'm hungry... [Edit] If you have any questions, feel free to ask and i'll try to clarify the recipe some more :)

[@Wolfspaule]

Top 3 Veggis on my list: Potatoes - imagine life without them, pure horror Asparagus - in the season I sometimes just eat 1/2 Kg of it (with sauce hollondaise from Thomy, it is better than what most restaurants serve) Tomatoes - nearly no cuisine on earth without them

[@Wolfspaule]

Here is an american Dr. teaching what the benefits of Asparagus are. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZrWkp2inNmloaM

[@pasixty6510]

I love the way you share, how you are getting to know our country and the traditions and our little weirdnesses. It‘s a loveley experience to see our country through your eyes. Thanks a lot for that. By the way, I am sure that German scientists are pretty close to the real(ly) self cutting flower, so that those medieval knives won‘t be neccessary any longer...

[@miersdelika5016]

If you don‘t like Spargel cooked you have to try Spargelcremesuppe. It's really awesome and I thought I wouldn't like it because I don't like it cooked too.

[@PassportTwo]

Awesome! Thanks so much for the suggestion. We will try and find a recipe 😊

[@mijp]

I was horrified about Spargel, but as I know today, it was old and not well peeled. Than someday I got a fresh one. Cooked, not to long. (mushy Spargel is... not good. So, not longer then 7-8 minutes cooking!) The taste was more subtle. No Spices except salt. Other subtle indigrients made it a delicious meal.

[@karl-berndselk7711]

@@mijp ....und 3 Würfel Zucker ins Kochwasser.. .. Grüner Spargel ist noch etwas kräftiger im Geschmack und man spart sich das Schälen.

[@eagle1de227]

@@PassportTwo Also if you have experienced green asparagus (and didn't like it), try the white one anyways. Its not the same taste...

[@LythaWausW]

Oh I love that stuff! It comes in Knorr powder packets at Aldi! I know that's probably not what you mean but if the powder is that good, I can imagine what homemade is like. Then again if you don't like asparagus, you probably won't like the soup. The flavor is so potent.

[@4stringm]

The rapeseed blossom is my favorite time of the year, I met my wife in April 2009 and we fell in love on a motorcycle tour through blooming rapeseed fields. So we are reminded of these days, every year. We got married exactly a year later, again in the middle of yellow fields. I love you Sabrina! :D

[@PassportTwo]

Wow! That's so beautiful! Thanks for sharing your story 😃

[@scanalive]

Favorite for May or Juni: Strawberrie Fields! Don't buy Strawberries in the supermarket, buy them on the fields. U can eat strawberries only in May or Juni!

[@PassportTwo]

We will look out for some of those! That sounds awesome!! 😃

[@theta3]

@@PassportTwo Strawberry fields can be found only a few kilometres away from you in "K-town" - East. You drive in front of Sam Kullman's Diner (Mainzer Str.) to the parking lot of the University of Maryland. Normally you will find the strawberry fields in the season (end of May - beginning of June) for you own picking. Walk about 500m in direction highway / forest (Wartenberger Hof). For more information during Corona time, better call Erdbeerland Ernst & Funk (also currently for fresh asparagus). Stay healthy - cu Rainer! Addendum: Selbstpflückfeld Kaiserslautern Telefon: Funck 06351/42000; E-Mail: [e-mail] Website: www.erdbeerlandfunck.de Saison: Saison beendet (Because of Corona restriction?) Visit the website yourself: erdbeerlandfunck.de/english-funck Standort / Beschreibung: Selbstpflückfeld 67657 Kaiserslautern, Wartenbergerweg dann der Beschilderung folgen Öffnungszeiten: Erdbeeren Mo-So 8:00-18:00Uhr

[@sevenlux7093]

I love your open-minded way of doing things. Aubrey's "Tschüss" is so lovely. Preparing asparagus is not rocket science. You only have to be careful when peeling. But there is a thing called "Sparschäler" for that. There are many asparagus recipes on youtube. Try and enjoy!

[@PassportTwo]

Thanks so much for all of that! 😊 We will definitely give that a try! We want to give them the best chance we can!!😃

[@andreasbraess3759]

@@PassportTwo For a long time my parents where very pruritic white asparagus with only melted butter, potatoes and black forest ham. I like the green one more and you even to peel him full. He had even a different taste. I like also with sauce Hollandaise.

[@whattheflyingfuck...]

if you are trying to make the white asparagus there is a "hard" peel on it that actually flicks of kind of easy, but there is a silvery very tough thin skin under the peel that you need to peel off too. if you don't the asparagus will be stringy and a pain to eat without making a mess. peel asparagus from top to bottom leaving 1/4 of the top untouched using a peeler (not a knife). cut of the dried out bottoms too. try to steam instead of boiling it, which conserves more of the sweet/bitter taste. or try to find a recipe where you cook the asparagus in a baking sheet in the oven with some butter, salt, a lemon slice and a pinch of sugar. the "king of vegetables" lacks the clorophyll of the green asparagus therefore having a way milder taste. the queen of vegetables, by the way, is the artichoke. by the way: Rapsfelder FTW!

[@MRecke7]

I hate Raps!!! i have to clean my house every other day. You forgot to mention the pollen :) the reason for the big amount of "Rapsfeldern" is it's use for "Biodiesel" My springtime favorit is mounting "Sommerräder" on my car and hit the road.

[@tomw.4440]

Biodiesel is actually no longer produced that much, because the government cut the tax incentives. Also it takes a lot of energy to refine it to usable diesel fuel, so coupled with the large land usage it was not that sustainable altogether. Nowadays most of it is used for food production and other industrial products like colours and soaps.

[@Pesthauch666]

Currently I've started covering up my clothes that I put up on the balcony to try with a plastic sheet, so I won't have that annoying yellow pollen all over my black clothes. But yeah, my home town is pretty much surrounded by rapeseed fields.

[@tjugobasil4319]

Thank you for the very nice and funny Videos Roman

[@frischifrisch6860]

Gut, dass ihr uns erinnert, wie schön solche Felder aussehen ... oft verflucht man die Blüten nur, weil die Autos und Fenster gelb werden und die Nase verstopft ;-)

[@butenbremer1965]

I can see HAPPINESS not only in your eyes - I love you guys

[@WingingItWithAsh]

Your videos keep getting better and better!! I loved this one.:) keep it up guys! You’re doing amazing! I love how you both communicate. VERY WELL DONE!

[@PassportTwo]

Thanks so much, Ash!! 😊

[@thomasmontgomery4597]

When I moved to Germany in the 80's, these Rap-fields were not quite as wide spread as now. Back then, the German farmers were planting Poppy for the seeds and what now is that beautiful yellow, was an even more stunning red. Nowadays, you only see a few red poppies on the edge of wheat fields. These seed and plants are the rest of that poppy seed industry that is long gone. And yes, Winter was really winter with snow and summer was mild sunshine all summer long and the kids spent all summer vacation at the swimming pool.

[@123Valentine]

Hello Aubrey & Donnie, I really enjoy watching your videos! Concerning your spring time faves, I just wanted to mention that Spargel, rapeseed and self cutting flower fields are also very popular in many parts of Austria. 🙂 You should definitely try both white and green asparagus (I like the green one much better), maybe you can even get hold of „purple“ asparagus which is basically white but with a light purple hue at the stem, but it‘s rather rare. Sending you sunshine & wishing you a great spring time! 🌸☀️😊

[@PassportTwo]

Thanks so much for your kind words 😊 We are so glad you enjoy them!! Yes, we grew up on green asparagus, it’s the white (and I guess purple also! Haha) that is special over here 😃 We we’re in Austria last year and LOVED it! We planned on visiting more this year if we are able to travel!!

[@123Valentine]

Passport Two I keep my fingers crossed we’ll quickly beat the virus so that you - and all of us - will get the chance to travel again soon! So good to hear you really liked Austria 💕 Take care! 🌸

[@hipeach6372]

Here is the simplest way possible to make asparagus at home: clean it (there should be no hard/woody parts of the outer layer left), cook in salty water until soft (use a knife to check, if it glides through like butter then it's ready), put on a plate, add some butter and sprinkle some more salt. Done. I love it.

[@jeffkwas]

Wow, the walk through your neighborhood beats mine here in the suburbs where my favorite spring tradition is simply opening the windows! Thanks for the laughs with the bloopers, as always!

[@PassportTwo]

Hey, Jeff! Glad you enjoyed it 😊 I still think being able to open the windows is a great spring tradition. A great feeling being able to let the outdoors in a little 😃

[@matchesmycat]

Rapsfelder finde ich am schönsten im Sonnenschein mit einem dunkelblauen Gewitterhimmel dahinter - da geht mir das Herz auf ^-^ Sie erinnern mich immer an wunderschöne Wanderungen zum 1. Mai in meiner Kindheit mit dem Kirchengesangsverein - auch sehr deutsch irgendwie... Das war immer wundervoll. Stundenlanges Wandern in der Gesellschaft lieber Menschen, zusammen Lachen und Lieder singen, auf einem Baumstamm im Wald sitzen und Teewurstbrote und gekochte Eier essen... =D

[@lnorris5142]

I live in Piedmont, OK and recently found your channel and I have really been enjoying your videos. One spring a few years ago, canola fields began popping up here in Piedmont. They were so beautiful. A lot of people visited them to make family photos and that kind of thing. We enjoyed them so much. I have not seen them as much over the last couple of years - I don't know why the farmers did not continue to grow the canola/rapeseed. My daughter is trying to move to move to Germany. I have seen a lot of KZbin channels of Americans living in Germany but yours is my favorite - I may be a little partial since you are from Oklahoma - but sincerely I do love your content and presentation and y'all are just the cutest. : )

[@PassportTwo]

Hey there, Okie! Thanks so much for your kind words 😊 We hadn’t heard of those canola fields out your area. That’s awesome! If there is anyway we can help your daughter, feel free to reach out to us 😃

[@lnorris5142]

Thank you so much!

[@rogerlynch5279]

9:43 Yes Spargel is a symobol for Spring in Germany. Basically the idea came from the French Protestants setteling down in the parts of Prussia when the Great Kurfürst had invited them to come. In France Ludwig XIV. had called the WHITE ASPARAGUS LA REINE DES LEGUMES. So that tradition came to Germany and is celebrated here since then. The classic recepy for springtime is cooked white asperagus with potatoes and thin slices of Blackforest bacon. Others prefere there asperagus with a gravy Hollondaise along a glass of white whine. At least I grew up with that eating tradition

I *looove* your outtakes. Aubrey corpsing was a very nice touch ;-)

[@Roger-np3wi]

Hello you two Anyone who has never eaten a really good asparagus soup has missed something. And now look if you can get woodruff nearby and then make yourself a delicious Maibowle, you can find recipes for it on the internet.

[@PassportTwo]

Awesome! Thanks for the suggestions. We haven’t had either of them so we must really be missing something 😅😊 Thanks!

[@franhunne8929]

@@PassportTwo Beware of woodruff! It contains coumarin and that can damage your liver, if overdosed. Do not use more than 3 g of woodruff for 1 l of Bowle. "Geht man davon aus, dass frisches Waldmeisterkraut im Schnitt 1,06 % Cumarin in der Trockenmasse freisetzt und dass es eine durchschnittliche Trockenmasse von 14,5 % aufweist, sollte deshalb zum Ansatz von 1 Liter Bowle nicht mehr als etwa 3 g frisches Kraut verwendet werden." (From German Wikipedia) The English Wikipedia does not contain anything about it, just a link to coumarin, which then goes on to say: Coumarin is moderately toxic to the liver and kidneys, with a median lethal dose (LD50) of 293 mg/kg[34], a low toxicity compared to related compounds. Though it is only somewhat dangerous to humans, coumarin is hepatotoxic in rats, but less so in mice.

[@eagle1de227]

Or Spaghetti with "Bärlauch-Pesto" mmmh! (wild/wood/bear's garlic or also ramson)

[@aniflowers1998]

My favorite spring time tradition is "Rettichfest"! Similar to the Spargel nostalgia, my town (Schifferstadt in Rheinland Pfalz) celebrates it's Rettich-Traditions by holding a sort of street festival every year. It's around a week long and really fun! There is music and play stalls where you can win prices. A lot of food too! We have a Rettich Prinzess that walks around one special days and every 4 years we even have a parade!

[@herzschlagerhoht5637]

Wieder ein tolles Video, Donnie! ;)

[@mymessymidlifecrisis]

the countryside was so beautiful. i live in Wichita Kansas and i love all the sunflower fields we have here

[@arnolsi]

The nature was thankfull for the rain it was needed hardly. I enjoyed it every single day.

[@laurabullinger6066]

Another springtime favourite of mine is smelling wild garlic (Bärlauch = bear leek *lol*), like when you walk through the park or a forest, you can smell it everywhere this time of the year. some people also pick it themselves for cooking but you not to be careful to not confuse it with lily of the valley (Maiglöckchen)

[@DomiTravels]

My favorite thing in Spring is the Heuschnupfen :D! cant wait for the Summer :P

[@Der_Kleine_Mann]

My spring time tradition is to plant new plants in the garden. I especially like plants that bring me tasty fruits, but I also plant some vegetable plants.

[@juricarmichel5864]

Looks like there is a new drone Pilot in the fields. Try Maibowle. And you forgot that very spezial "good bye" when Spargel leaves the body again.

[@TheSailingsilver]

I've tried to tell my American friends about Raps, but they didn't seem to get why I was so excited about it. Glad that you guys enjoy it as much as me ^^

[@kallejodelbauer2955]

Because they use other stuff for Vegetable oil or simply called Plant oils. They use genetically modified soybeans, which we hate and dont wont. Rapeseed had a bad taste and was only for Livestock,but we bred away this in 1974.We dont need genetically modified Foods. Thats the difference.You see one Thing and report about this, without any Knowlege.Why make you a Video about that, with no Clue or using Wiki, which tell everbody all about that. Did you mentonent the Fact ,that foreign Peoples came only to us to harvest the Spargel and get only poor wages ,for that get early get up Job in rainy Weather with al lot of back pain? Its like that Mexican do all the Job in Agriculture in US. No word about that from you,they must work hard in Weather that you prefer to stay at home.

[@numbers9to0]

Americans are exited about Rapsöl. Now I've seen everything. We Germans consider Rapsfelder to be the most ordinary thing you can find. Enjoy the next month. Because it's followed by a awfully hot summer without AC. Most Germans like white Spargel. But in my opinion you should also try the green Spargel. I switched to like that one more over time. It's also easier to prepare.

[@PassportTwo]

Ya, we grew up eating green asparagus and we both really like it! 😊 The white is what is special and unique over here that I'm not too fond of...haha

[@kimgardner1615]

Another fun video!

[@PassportTwo]

Hey, Kim! Thanks so much! Hope you are well 😊

[@paulsj9245]

Nice video again! My favourite Easter tradition is Easter fountains, decorated with twigs and coloured eggshells. Crown shapes are also common. We use to take a random car ride around the countryside, confident to see them in many villages in Franconia. Bieberbach has the biggest installation (10,000+), and a website.

[@PassportTwo]

Very cool! We’ll look up some pictures of those! Thanks for sharing 😊

[@cacklebarnacle15]

If you're around Germany next year, you might want to check out the Krokusblüte in Husum in Schleswig-Holstein. If you want something else, that comes with the huge fields of rapeseed, try some rapeseed honey. It's very popular in my area and tastes delicious on white bread with a little butter.

[@andibuletten6206]

The advantage about Rapsöl is, that it can be heated up to 230°C. The disadvantage is, that even a black car turns into yellow, when the Raps is blooming. Btw- Flower in German is called Blume. The month April has been the 7th warmest and the third dryest in germany since 140 years. Nice video. Stay healthy.

[@udovondevon6879]

I hope you get to enjoy some Spargel, it has so much more flavour than the green stuff! Spargel is also very healthy! I remember during my apprenticeship in Würzburg (which is a beautiful city on the river Main in lower Franconia) serving the cooking liquor by the glass to guests....! It is especially good for your kidneys as you will find out after you had Spargel and go for a little Wee!!! Hope that hasn't put you off!!! Love your views about my Country!

[@MrLuddis]

Spargel is easy to cook Peel it, boil it in salty water (with one cube of sugar in it), eat it.

[@kiepenkerl9555]

What about the strawberries? In Germany there is also a strawberry tradition in spring. There are fields to harvest yourself, or huts at the side of the road with strawberries for sale. In spring we love the covered shortcrust pastry with strawberries and cream.

[@PropertyOfK]

and just a moment ago there was a short storm with hail here : D (western Poland)

[@stefaniesachse8076]

Und der Duft der Rapsfelder ist unbeschreiblich!

[@berndeckenfels]

The industrial application of raps oil actually made it pretty problematic as it displaces food production (arguably) and even stressed the soil pretty much. The EU wants to reduce subventions for it.

[@andreasmartin9296]

The Almond Blossom Festival in Gimmeldingen (near Neustadt on the Weinstrasse), about 60 km away from Ramstein. It is the first Winefest of the year in the Palatinate and takes place as soon as the almond trees in this area are starting to blossom. That is why there is no specific date for it - it differs from year to year. Sometimes the festival committee comes up with the actual date just 3 days before. But it is so beautiful there! You can walk around the area along the avenues with their blossoming trees and the wine yards with a glass of wine in your hand (we have pretty decent wines here!), there are sales booths everywhere, you can sit down and enjoy the great view over the Rhine Valley. On good days you can see over 200 km in each direction - sitting under a blossoming almond tree with a great wine in your hand. It is absolutely stunning!

[@Menugius]

On the first of may as well as the 21st, many germans go for whole-day-hikes with music on and packed with alcohol as well as barbeque (the wrong kind 😂) stuff to celebrate spring as well as father's day.

[@PassportTwo]

😂😂 I’ll let is slide! Haha, that’s a great tradition, thanks for sharing 😊

[@juliegirl1989]

I love Spargel! I always prepare it in the traditional way with ham, boiled potatoes and Sauce Hollandaise and I dare say I make a mean Spargel. 😉 If you can manage, you should definitely go see the cherry blossom in Bonn next year. You can see cherry trees all over Germany, but none are such a sight to see as the ones in Bonn's old town.

[@itsgamingtime9578]

another thing ist that the shortest day in northern germany (21 dec) ist about 8 hours long with a 16 h night

[@LythaWausW]

As a Seattleite I suffer greatly in Germany's weather. We just endured 8 weeks of no rain, just sunshine, pollen, and dust. The rain finally came this week, but always interspersed with blazing sunshine, and sometimes hail (sun-hail?). I've been here 12 years and remember when Winters used to be thick with snow, but even then, the sun would come out. Almost every day. So I started the habit of tracking on my calendar if there is an entire day with no sunshine. There are very, very few of them. Nearly every morning I open my bedroom window and say, "Another beautiful day in Germany, what can you do." When Germans complain about the weather I always wonder where they live. In the last few years Summer has become even more unbearable. Spring used to be my favorite season but now it has become a harbinger of the awfulness of Summer. I say, if you like sunshine, come to Germany. Bring SPF 50+ sunscreen.

[@PassportTwo]

haha, you clearly live in a different part of Germany! We kept saying "in our region" in the video because we knew there were differences across the country. I looked up a side-by-side comparison between Seattle and our region in Germany, near Kaiserslautern in Rhineland-Pfalz for fun and this is what I found: -Seattle and Kaiserslautern have almost identical average number of "gray days" throughout the year except Seattle clears up quite a bit more often in the Summer in July than Kaiserslautern. -Seattle's "wet season" lasts 6.6 months vs Kaiserslautern's lasting 8.4 months. -Kaiserslautern's lowest point of rain is in January but has double the amount of rain as Seattle's low point in July at 1.1" vs 0.6." -However, Seattle's peak rain is almost 4 times wetter in November at 7.7" vs Kaiserslautern at 2.1" in May. Overall it actually looks like Kaiserslautern stays gray and rainy throughout the year more than Seattle but when it rains in Seattle, it pours and makes up for any discrepancy if not more 😂 Here are the links I was looking at 😊 Kaiserslautern: weatherspark.com/y/57128/Average-Weather-in-Kaiserslautern-Germany-Year-Round Seattle: weatherspark.com/y/913/Average-Weather-in-Seattle-Washington-United-States-Year-Round

[@thomasmontgomery4597]

Oh, I almost forgot the decorated Easter-fountains in many small towns and when eating Spargel, you have to have a good white wine to go with it. I personally, like Spargel-cream-soup more then just eating plain boiled Spargel.

[@FiveOClockTea]

The easiest way to make a parcel is peeling and cooking. Melt some butter and put in on top. You can use the cooking water to make spargel soup 😋 I think green spargel is best when baked with cheese or in risotto 😊

[@ingevonschneider5100]

It is not difficult to prepare Spargel at home!. Just cut the ends and peel Spargel generously, cook them about ten minutes in salty water (I also put some sugar, butter and lemon peel in the water). I like them with a lilltle bit of bite... Buy sauce hollondaise (I like most from Knorr) and serve it with cooked potatoes. Traditionally it is also served with Kochschninken, but you can easily skip that. But I think the sauce hollondaise is key...As a child and teenager I didnt like Spargel, it remindes me of the ends of flowers, but now I like it now and then. So keep trying.

[@PassportTwo]

I think what we have heard is the difficult part is knowing exactly how much to peel and how long to boil because of how fibrous it is? Well, anyways, we still may give it a try. 😊 Thanks for the tips!!

[@boahkeinbockmehr]

Are they vegetarian? Otherwise I would never skip the cooked ham. Alternatively to sauce hollondaise you can also just use melted butter. We usually use the peel to make a starter asparagus soup and then serve the asparagus rolled in cooked ham drizzled with liquid butter with a side of salt potatoes.

[@JakobFischer60]

Right, sauce hollandaise is not easy to make, so buy the ones in these small kartons and just warm it up. Do not boil! If you buy Spargel at the small booths (which I recommend), they might have the sauce as well.

[@PassportTwo]

We are not vegetarian 😊

[@christianc6331]

Normally if you go to the spargelfarmer you can get for maybe 1 euro your spargel peeled so you don't have to do that. Because this is a job nobody likes

[@stefanfalldorf6573]

Six months of bad weather? I think you totalay übertreibst. I was in your region at the end of january to pick up a new car and the weather was beautiful with 17 degrees Celsius. In January! You must have a Wahrnehmungsstörung! 😉😁

[@PassportTwo]

You came on a particularly special day! haha, there were a handful of days that the sun appeared and everybody couldn't believe their eyes! 😂 Btw, "übertreibst" I knew, but Wahrenehmungsstörung is a great German word I hadn't known! 😆

[@MagnificentGermanywithDarion]

Such a beautiful video of the flower fields. Every year when I visit some of my German friends I always stop at one of the "on your honor' fields and bring them some flowers. I had no idea that oil comes from flowers let alone the acronym for "Canola", pretty cool. I love the Spagel season, ummmmmmmmm. The first time I had Spagel was in Garmisch. I love the butter and salt, umm again.Thanks so much for posting a delightful video. I miss Germany(in case you didn't know) lol. I need some Spaghetti Eis :).BTW , Has Aubrey tried Spagel as of this date?

[@PassportTwo]

Not too long after this video, we were invited over to one of our good German friend’s house and they made us some! We then got it a few more times in different variations at restaurants before the season was over. Now big fans!

[@MagnificentGermanywithDarion]

@@PassportTwo Very awesome :) :). I love it and now am I craving Spagel as well lol lol.

[@juliaalenakraus8842]

Please buy Sauce Hollandaise by Thomy (the regular one). It tastes really good. You have to peel and cut off the blunt end of the asparagus. Then boil it in salt water like pasta until soft. Good luck!

[@robertbaltha3371]

Wow this video really let's me appreciate my own country, and yes, the winter is awful

[@TheManWithTheHatKiel]

Ich finde es total witzig, wie ihr Dinge feiert, die für mich so stinknormal sind :p

[@geneviere199]

If you try Spargel the first time - best get them from a restaurant in a traditional combination - like with salt potatoes, sauce hollandaise and cooked ham. I am pretty sure that you will like it and then try to make it on your own...

[@amyloriley]

A negative thing about spring: The pollen season also starts. Not so good for allergic people!

[@gehtdichnixan3200]

hahah thats why i hate rapeseed its not the rapeseed itselfe it just visualise that thing coming

[@hovawartfreunde4599]

Cherry and appletree blossom in the Alte Land near Hamburg. It's the most beautiful thing in the world

[@eyekona]

My favorite things in Spring as a German? Walpurgisnacht, Birchsap drinking, stealing or defending "Maibäume" (in Ostfriesland you get beer from the person you steal the tree from) and my Birthday ^^ Oh and asperagus creme soup. I like asperagus but I don't love it as much as older people seem to. But as a soup it is super delicious.

[@stefanfalldorf6573]

My favourite spring time tradition is spring feelings (Frühlingsgefühle). As a single I get overwhelmed seeing all those beauties outside. 😍😁😉

[@PassportTwo]

I don't quite know how to respond to this 😂 😂

[@stefanfalldorf6573]

@@PassportTwo 😂😂😂😉😁 Was just kidding.

[@honkytonk4465]

@@stefanfalldorf6573 So you do not really like Frühlingsgefühle,? You obviously must be kidding.

[@karinbirkenbihl2053]

And the next best: sunflower fields blossoming in summer!

[@reinerjung1613]

You are totally right about "Spargel". However, it was not that a big thing in the 1970s. Also I prefer the green version for one reason: You do not have to peel them before cooking. Beside that we try to follow the seasons when buying veggies and fruits. So after "Spargel" there is rhubarb and strawberries, later cherries, plums of different kind (plums, prunes, apricots etc), federweißer + onion cake, apples. Easter tradition: Baking an easter lamb (sponge cake, german: Biskuit). www.eichwaelder.de/Altes/altesgeraetnr170.htm

[@mariondiemert430]

When you prepare spargel, you start by cutting off the ends (they are 'holzig' then peel (with a potato peeler) from the tips down. Very carefully, but thoroughly. I usually keep the peels and use them for a spargel soup. I never cook, but steam the spargel in butter, some nutmeg and a little bit of lemon juice as well as pinch of salt. The best spargel in all of Germany grows near Hanover and is just amazing. We order about five pounds of spargel every year so we can enjoy it here in Texas. After it is peeled you can freeze it very easily and when it is thawed, it tastes almost as good as fresh. Enjoy! Tschuess!!

[@stefanv.6405]

Try Maibowle (woodruff punch) It's also only available now in spring.

[@sunnylife1495]

The best way to make the Spargel really delicious is to grill it in the oven...you need a baking tray and oil and rosemary and thyme and just put the Spargel each stick next to each other on to the tray...

[@imaginareality]

Thale is always worth a visit even if there is no celebration. It's the region where I grew up and I love it a lot! The colors there (the greens of the trees etc.) are so vibrant and come in so many shades and you really feel like you are in a land of trolls and dwarfs and witches :) I think maybe some of the excitement about spargel also comes from the fact that we only had a limited amount of vegetables during the winter time (not so much nowadays because everything is imported). After eating nothing but cabbage, leek and squash it must be really nice to cook some asparagus instead :) Edit: My family also eats a lot of Spargel because where we live, there are sometimes local farmers (small farms) that actually go door to door trying to sell their produce (potatoes and asparagus). And my mom can never say no, so she buys a lot of asparagus...

[@wooky63]

Ich denke jede Jahreszeit hat ihre speziellen schönen Seiten, die Spargelzeit ist allerdings die schönste. Alleine das "darauf warten müssen" macht den Spargel besonders. Alle unsere Freunde denken so und essen ihn auch sehr gerne. Er schmeckt hervorragend und passt genau zur Jahreszeit. Wir kämen niemals auf die Idee Spargel im Herbst zu essen, passt einfach nicht. Wir (meine Frau und ich) freuen uns sehr darüber wie fröhlich und offen ihr über unser Land berichtet, bitte macht weiter so. Please stay healthy and continue to discover our beautiful Germany. Many thanks and very warm greetings from Hessen Gaby and JB

[@PassportTwo]

Vielen Dank dafür! Wir hoffen, du und deine Freundin haben ein schönes Wochenende und bleiben gesund! 😃

[@wooky63]

Machen wir gerne. Ich richte es meiner Ehefrau aus :-)

[@madamnicknack]

About the asperges, in the Netherlands are also width available here. As we have a lockdown as well, it is possible to get them at farm shops (real hofladen) or a good "Gemüseladen). Thick or thin is a personal preference, but the 'hardest' thing about asperges is peeling them (or peeling them well) and cut of the woody part of the stem (which I also doubt what length is enough 😉). Those Gemüseladen of Hofladen here in the Netherlands sell them peeled, so maybe with you as well. Peeled they are not really difficult to prepare.

[@Penqvino]

Spargelzeit is no season. It is the short time, when asparagus can be harvested and bought fresh. Begins often at the same time as the strawberry season, but ends after just a few weeks. We have another word for Spring or Frühling though, which is Lenz. It is just the old word for it.

[@franzdreier1961]

I like the videos in which foreigners discover beautiful Germany, surely we also have negative sides in our country but we get things explained or shown that we often pass by carelessly because it is nothing new for us

[@PassportTwo]

Ya! Glad you enjoyed it 😊 We love living in a place where so much is new to us and available to be discovered 😊

[@Tom-hz1kz]

Donnie, I like how you say "oil". Is that part of this southern accent? Not liking spargel is all right as long as you say nothing bad about German bread, beer and cars! Nice springtime for Germany reference to The Producers!

[@PassportTwo]

Haha, I actually have tried to “turn off” my accent to make it easier to understand. “Oil” is a word that I, and many southerners, have a particularly special way of saying and I do think it cane out a bit even with me trying not too 😂 Yes! First person to find the Easter egg in this one! 😃

[@Tom-hz1kz]

@@PassportTwo Please not turn your accent off, I like it

[@peterhomann2140]

THE Spargel town is Schwetzingen near Heidelbarg.

[@SatuGustafson]

If you cook Spargel, don't forget to add sugar to the water you boil it in (and salt of course). :) I happen to love Spargel but I don't like Hollandaise sauce. Just plain butter and new potatoes with parsley and/or chives. Yum. Spring cleaning is another tradition but I don't actually do much of it. One tradition you should try is "Maibowle". It is a drink made from wine and sparkling wine and flavoured with a herb called "Waldmeister" (woodruff/baby's breath). You can find the herb in forests and I actually have it in the garden. You pick a small bunch and let it wilt for about 24 hrs. Then it develops the distinctive flavour and smell. You will find a lot of Waldmeister flavoured sweets in Germany like Waldmeister flavoured jello. My parents used to make Maibowle around this time of year as a tradition. Family legend has it that one of my brothers is a result of a nice evening with Maibowle. :D

[@aka99]

These fields are also in my region, which is north of Wiesbaden. And these fields are all across germany i am sure. Here and there in Germany there are sometimes erdbeeren zum Selberpflücken. Erdbeerfest in Eltville am Rhein is nice too. Maybe you note it for next year. I like Leinsamenöl too. You may also enjoy Mittelaltermarkt, not in whole authentic but to some parts or to some extent it is. There are Mittelaltermärkte in some regions in different times in a year. Some a greater, some are smaler. Aaaaaaaaannd if you have readed my comment untill here, i suggest you visit the Lüneburger Heide. I believe the landscape is unique. Especially in springtime. So next thing to note for next year. If you enjoy these rapsee fields, i think you like the Lüneburger Heide too. It is in nothern Germany. Have fun and stay safe! *EDIT* maybe i am wrong. It seems the right time is August and September. The Heide is made of lila, in english purpur flowers. Its pferctr for walking or byciyling. Just look here in youtube Lüneburger Heide. It is not much know outside Germany, sadly. The sheep who make this Heide in the Lüneburg region is alled Heidschnuke.

[@olafweidemann6126]

My spring tradition: Inline skating season starts!

[@beageler]

Ok, I just decided that I have to have Spargel today. Schmackofatz A tipp for you: The time of winefestivals in the Palatinate (at least where I'm from) starts traditionally when the almond trees start to flower (yes, almonds flower here. The Palatinate is also called the Toscana of Germany). Maybe visit next year, there is the Mandelblütenfest in Germersheim, almond trees are quite picturesque as are the vineyards and woods and castles, the region is very good for hiking, and other festivals are happening, too. To be honest, the best time to visit would be in the fall, when the must (Neuer Wein) comes in, and there are wine festivals every weekend in every other village.

[@PassportTwo]

Haha, glad we could help make people hungry for it 😂

[@Fernwanderer]

That early in the Year, i´ld suggest this could also be mustard, since Rapeseed normally blooms in Mai. So you need to try mustard too :) !!

[@petereggers7603]

Indeed they look similar, but it's definitely rapeseed... here in the Rhineland area they're blooming since mid april.

[@petrameyer1121]

Cold? That was a pretty mild winter!

[@thestonegateroadrunner7305]

You're living at the wrong area of Germany. Here in Bavaria, we had mostly sunny dry weather since mid January.

[@rainerausdemspring894]

The Walpurgisnacht even appears in Goethe's Faust. By the way, have you ever tried Matjes? I think May and June are Matjes time. I love Matjes but many people don't. Try it!

[@thomashering1482]

Nothing easyer to Cook Spargel - beside Spaghetti, perhaps lol

[@andrearufenacht3032]

I really enjoy your videos! 😊 However, you forgot to mention the intense smell of the rapeseed fields. I love it, but not everybody does. It is the quintessential smell of spring, at least for me.

[@mikejahni5019]

My Favrites are Osterfeuer and Beltane

[@herzschlagerhoht5637]

You forgot to mention the unique thing that Germany is sooooooooooo green in spring! ;)

[@karinbirkenbihl2053]

Cooking Spargel is just so easy! Buy sny cooking magazine and you'll find lots of recipes!

[@SiqueScarface]

I like to go to the Osterreiten (Easter Ride). It's a tradition that exists in the Sorbian villages in outermost East Germany around Bautzen. Here, another people lives, the Sorbs. They are Germans by law, but they use a completely different language, Sorbian, which is closely related to Czech and Polish. To be more exact: There are three Sorbian languages, but they are mutually understandable. Each Easter Sunday in the early morning, the male population in dress coat rides on richly decorated horses in a long train in around the fields and sings Sorbian church hymns to bless the fields. The Easter ride ends at Noon.

[@PassportTwo]

That all is amazing and completely new information/traditions to us! Thanks so much for sharing. We will have to look this up 😃

[@SiqueScarface]

@@PassportTwo Interestingly, there is a Wikipedia page about the Osterreiten in several languages (German, French, Belorussian, Russian, Czech, Sorbian, Polish...), but none in English. de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osterreiten

[@jensgoerke3819]

Go for Spargelsalat, one of the best ways to eat asparagus.

[@mijp]

Best way is pure: Cooked with just jacket potatoes, butter, salt and perhaps green ham.

[@frauleinzuckerguss1906]

@@mijp Sauce Hollondaise darf nicht fehlen🤤

[@swanpride]

Mairüben is something I like!!! It's even more exclusive than Asparagus!!! You only get them during a very short window at the beginning of Mai...makes a tasty stew, but you can also just eat it raw. If you see them somewhere you should try it. They are usually not served in restaurants, though, that is something you have to deal with yourself. But it is one of my favourite vegetables.

[@PassportTwo]

Awesome! Thanks so much for telling us. We will keep an eye out for them now 😃

[@jensbaranek8322]

And it smells great

[@marcovaneersel4532]

Thanks again! Spring in the Netherlands =Lente

[@spinellavontussnelda6183]

Ich liebe die Mittelalterfeste im Frühling. Hier in Thüringen haben wir einige denn wir haben auch schöne mittelalterburgen 😊 leider dieses Jahr alle abgesagt auch unser wunderschöner mittelalterlicher Weihnachtsmarkt 😥

[@jensbaranek8322]

Raps! We like it!

[@msship8234]

We call it the 'Rapsody in Yellow'