Why hay makes my muesli taste better

There is a connection between the little wooden huts that dot the meadows around Embach, my breakfast, happy cattle and farming tradition.

Dairy farming in this part of the Alps operates largely on traditional lines. Embach is surrounded by meadows of as many as 50 grasses, flowers and herbs. These are mowed two or three times in the summer and the hay used to feed the cattle in the stalls during the winter. The fields are so lovely in spring, it isn't hard to imagine the cows happily smacking their lips at the fragrant flavour. During the summer, most of the herds are on the high farms, cow bells a-ringing, way above the village.

Nowadays most of the farmers around Embach turn the cut grass once, gather and roll it into a tight cylindrical shape which is wrapped in plastic and stacked near the farm. This is quick and enables the hay to be gathered when relatively moist. The end result doesn't look quite so appetising and is said to degrade some of the nutrients

Once upon a time, the meadows were cut, left to dry, turned, left to dry some more, raked together, sometimes hung over drying racks and finally brought into the barns and stacked loose. Not only do the cows benefit because the consistency (and probably flavour) is better, but the quality of the nutrients is retained and detectable in the milk.

It was not unknown for the hay to self-combust and if it was stored adjacent to the stall and farmhouse, there was an added risk of the whole farm catching fire. So the hay would be stored in small wooden huts out in the fields, where a fire, while regrettable, did not spread further. Hence the heustadl (or hay stalls) which are such an attractive feature of the farmland in the Pinzgau region. Sadly, some are falling into disrepair though the tough old wood is pretty indestructible.

One family farm in Embach continues to farm its fields in the traditional way, storing hay in the heustadl. It isn't uncommon to see grandma driving the tractor, other family members raking the hay around the field edges, and the men piling up the hay in the barns.

This three-generation family uses all the milk they produce for themselves and their animals but in nearby shops we can buy Heumilch (hay milk)– which is milk produced in this traditional fashion. It has a higher level of Omega-3 and is therefore better for the heart and circulation. It tastes like milk really should and is lip-smacking good when poured over our breakfast muesli.