Judith Rakers: When painting nails becomes an "act of desperation"

Judith Rakers is self-sufficient. Here she tells how she got into "home farming" and why sometimes only nail polish helps.

"Tagesschau" spokeswoman Judith Rakers (45) not only enjoys the fresh fruit and vegetables in her garden. In an interview with spot on news, she reveals how the 45-year-old, who gives tips for beginners in her book "Homefarming: Self-sufficiency without a green thumb" (Gräfe and Unzer), has changed through her garden and why sometimes only nail polish helps .

How did you get into home farming?

Judith Rakers: We had the cultural anthropologist and ethnobotanist Wolf-Dieter Storl as our guest at "3 nach 9" and I read his book with interest. He is a fascinating personality and knows incredibly well about plants and their meaning in various cultures. But of course he is also an expert who has dedicated his whole life to this topic and it was initially clear to me that the world of self-sufficiency has little to do with mine. And yet I felt a great desire to try it out. I just found the idea of ​​producing food myself attractive. When I found a house with a large garden, with which I could make my dream of country life come true, I started.

You never had a green thumb, as you write in the book.

Rakers: That's right. For me, not even a basil survived – let alone an orchid (laughs). That's why I read a lot of books at first, but felt overwhelmed with the whole theory. So I decided on "learning by doing". Then I realized that it was easier than I thought. And that it also works if you don't pay attention to the phases of the moon, as Wolf-Dieter Storl recommends. In the first year I already had a lot of vegetables and fruit and in the second year I was self-sufficient all summer, although I had a lot of TV projects on the side and therefore could not devote as much time to my beds as I would have liked.

So have you left fruit and vegetables in the supermarket completely on the left?

Rakers: In the summer I was actually self-sufficient, especially in the harvest months. Which is also a small problem: a lot of things ripen at the same time and then really have to be harvested. You can't eat all of that. That's why I also thought about the topic of preserving food, such as freezing, storing, processing. I pass that on in the book. So in summer I usually don't have to buy anything and am completely self-sufficient. In winter I get lettuce and tomatoes from the organic or supermarket. I am not a sustainability missionary. But I try as best I can to be self-sufficient with my garden. And I succeeded completely this summer. Sustainability then happens all by itself.

Gardening is said to have a meditative effect. Is that how you feel too?

Rakers: I've never read a book about mindfulness, but I believe that's exactly what happens in the garden. You focus on one thing, body and mind are in harmony. The hands want the same thing as the head, Wolf-Dieter Storl once said to me. And that's good. It also grounds in the truest sense of the word. A feeling that is evolutionarily anchored in us is evoked. Up until 200 years ago we all grew our own food and felt like potatoes in the earth. It's rooted in us, an instinct. That's probably why this work is so satisfying. And of course because you can see what you've done. In my job I can of course watch the "Tagesschau" or the report afterwards, but I don't create anything with my hands. And I think many feel that they somehow miss it in our modern world. In the garden you can see immediately what you have done and you can not only touch, smell and see the results, but also feed on them. It is the purest way to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

How have you changed since you got your garden?

Rakers: There are a lot more moments when I come to rest and the cell phone doesn't play a role. In the past, when I still lived in the city, my smartphone was always close at hand and close at hand. If it wasn't there, it stressed me out. Totally stupid, but that's how it was. Today, however, I sometimes find that my cell phone was inside all day while I was completely absorbed in work in the garden. And I didn't notice it wasn't there, nor did I miss it. You learn to concentrate again on the essentials and on the things that really count. In my job there is no classic evening, which is why it is all the more important that you leave work behind in your free time and focus on something else. The garden helps immensely.

Why is it worth doing it for people who have not yet had anything to do with home farming?

Rakers: It's a lot of fun. You make your contribution to sustainability, the food you grow yourself tastes better, you always have something fresh in the house that you can cook with spontaneously. A garden leads to relaxation and to being even more in the fresh air. Even if the feet are so dirty in between that open stilettos are only used after long days of bathing. But I don't want to convert anyone, the book is aimed at people who are already longing for more connection to nature, who leave the plastic in the vegetable department behind and who want to know what they are eating and want to be sure that their breakfast egg is really made of from a happy chicken. It is the right book for these people.

Do you have the feeling that the trend towards home farming has intensified as a result of the Corona crisis?

Rakers: Yes, I noticed that very clearly. I started home farming more than two years ago and shared it on Instagram every now and then, the interest was great even then. In the Corona crisis, the feedback actually exploded, a lot of inquiries on the topic landed on my social media channels. People have been looking for something to do and rediscovering their home and garden. Then there are the many ideas about sustainability and the bad conscience about your own CO2 balance. For many it all plays together, it was the same for me. My book is really aimed at beginners too. Because it is often of little use if proven experts give tips to beginners who often forget which fundamental questions are initially in mind.

What are you planning for this year?

Rakers: After throwing myself into my greenhouse last summer and planting a potato and zucchini field, I now want to focus on the chickens that live in my garden. You moved in with me shortly before the first lockdown. This year I want to become the branch office of the Berlin Zoo. There I was appointed godmother to the silkie after working as a zoo keeper for a program. Together with the zoo director, we developed the idea that it would be nice if silk chickens moved in with me in my garden. That's why I get hatching eggs from the zoo in the spring, which my hens hatch here as surrogate mothers. I have already done this successfully twice with other breeds. So my chicken enclosure should be even more colorful and diverse.

Your horse will also have offspring …

Rakers: Yes, my horse doesn't live with me in Hamburg like my cats and chickens, but is usually on a riding facility in Schleswig-Holstein. When I have time, I always bring her to me for a few days. She always thinks that's great because she can then stand in the pasture all day. And she produces horse droppings for my beds – the best organic fertilizer. This is part of my little cycle that I have established here. The foal will be born in the professional stable, there is the infrastructure for it. But if it can be transported with mom without any problems, then the foal will also spend the weekends here on the small farm. It's going to be a great summer.

Has the stylist team at the "Tagesschau" got more work with you since you started home farming?

Rakers: The good thing is that you can't see my feet in the "Tagesschau". (laughs) Last summer I also wore really strong nail polish very often, in a deep dark red. One or the other viewer may have thought that I was going to have a manicure and dress up for the "Tagesschau", in reality it was just an act of desperation. I had to paint my nails dark because I couldn't get them clean … The make-up artists also had to laugh a lot when I was asked in lockdown how I got such professionally painted nails. After all, they always see me sitting there trying to get my nails clean and while they're doing my hair, I quickly paint over them. I'm known for being very pragmatic with myself – that's also very healthy if you have a self-sufficient garden.

SpotOnNews