The green Luck

It's hard to believe, but Ingrid Flora Hochfilzer‘s heart beats not only for the Hotel Hochfilzer ****, the Pension Claudia ***, the tree house in Flora‘s Garten and the Apartmenthaus Garden. Ingrid Flora Hochfilzer‘s heart beats for herbs.

Anchored deep in the heart
Since the hikes with her grandmother (also a Flora), Ingrid has been interested in the world of herbs. Due to the further training by her dad Peter, the seminars and the self-taught measures, she gained her knowledge. Over the years, the native Upper Austrian has literally fallen in love with herbs, especially with the flora of the inner-Alpine region. Here at the Wilder Kaiser and the Kitzbühel Alps with the moderate, alpine climate it is like in a dream world for real herb lovers.

Ingrid is convinced that the herbs are healthy far beyond the state of scientific knowledge and then also beautiful. If you are creative, like Ingrid, you can create particularly interesting and tasty dishes. Ingrid prepares these special delicacies for her dear guests and herself without causing a fuss and assures that it WORKS. Ingrid's energy level is always high and her enthusiasm has not waned for years. It is important to her that one does not forget that Homo Sapiens have been around for around 300,000 years and that until a good 100 years ago we only used "real" foods, herbs, roots, fruits (including unripe ones) and vegetables in all of them Wild form and cultivated form have fed. The human digestive system, our skin, our heart and our brain have only recently had to deal with synthetically modified substances.

The hotelier conjures up a wide variety of dishes with the herbs, she could already publish an entire cookbook, but unfortunately she hasn't found the time for that, as personal guest care is more important to her. The big, beautiful hotel business also needs its time. However, many of the recipes are a bit weird. Ingrid struggles with the quantities in particular. She often writes a handful or a "Bissal" and that is difficult to cook again, some details still have to be added until the honey-blossom butter really turns out to be as Ingrid would imagine.

She also collects her herbs outside of the garden. Always above 800 m above sea level and preferably in the Wilder Kaiser region and the Kitzbühel Alps region. There is no industry here, sufficient moisture, an enormous selection due to the different altitudes and a very long harvest phase. Then there is the scenic beauty that is second to none. There are still valleys, alpine pastures, gorges, peaks that are almost deserted and there she “strays” around.

Ingrid Flora's favorite plant has been the dandelion for many years. The well-known plant is there so early, usually in April, and keeps getting fresh, soft inner leaves right into November. The dandelion is slightly bitter, which is good for the intestines and tastes better to the herb lover than the cultivated rocket, which of course should not be discarded. Another positive effect of the dandelion is its versatility. It goes well with any salad, especially with the Austrian potato salad or mixed herb pesto.

Dandelions are rich in vitamins A, B, C and D and the minerals potassium and calcium. The leaves also contain carotenoids. Dandelions are valued for their detoxifying and diuretic properties, which are particularly beneficial for the bladder, liver and gall bladder.