Throughout the year, our experts travel to find suitable farmland, farmers, and new products that meet lehmann natur’s organic quality standards. As a full-range organic retailer, we strive to provide you with a wide selection of fresh, seasonal, and regional fruits and vegetables.
If you need items that are not in season, we’ll be happy to look into the possibilities for sourcing them.
Are apples from overseas bad for the climate? It’s not quite that simple. Once the apple harvest in Germany is over, a lot of energy is needed in cold storage facilities to keep Germans’ favorite fruit fresh for as long as possible. From June until the next German harvest in the fall, apples from overseas are therefore the more climate-friendly choice. This is especially true for organically grown apples, since healthy, humus-rich soils are able to storeCO2.
On average, every German eats nearly twelve kilograms of bananas per year. These popular yellow tropical fruits are naturally well-packaged and, thanks to their peel, are well-protected even during long-distance transport. Wrapping them in plastic as well is out of the question for us. Instead, to label them as organic products, we use bands made from recycled paper.
Today, the button mushroom is the world’s most important cultivated mushroom. How did this come about? In the 17th century, a French melon farmer poured the washwater from ripe button mushrooms onto his melon scraps. Shortly thereafter, small mushrooms began to sprout everywhere: the birth of button mushroom cultivation. Today, most button mushrooms are grown in the Netherlands—and increasingly in organic quality as well.
Legumes are not only healthy, plant-based sources of protein, but also true heroes of the field. For example, peas and beans are able to fix nitrogen from the air through their interaction with certain bacteria. By growing them, farmers can naturally improve their soil—without the need for synthetic fertilizers.
A world turned upside down: Avocados are supposed to be berries—but strawberries aren’t? Yes, because even though its fruit is creamy and savory, the avocado tree belongs to the laurel family. What we enjoy eating as strawberries are so-called “false fruits”—the actual fruits, or nuts, are the tiny dots on their surface.
The pomegranate owes its name to the following phenomenon: When a ripe fruit falls to the ground, it bursts open and scatters its seeds far and wide. And those seeds pack a punch, too: In addition to a wide variety of vitamins, they also contain minerals such as potassium and magnesium—making them true nutritional powerhouses.
They are similar in name, origin, and appearance—but in fact, the potato and the sweet potato are not related. The potato plant, a member of the nightshade family, thrives here in Germany and—except for its popular tuber—is inedible and poisonous. The sweet potato, on the other hand, is a member of the morning glory family; its leaves can be prepared like spinach, and it prefers warmer climates. We source most of our organic sweet potatoes from Spain.
Coconuts can save lives: During World War II, wounded soldiers stationed in the Pacific lacked blood plasma donations. The solution literally came “from above”: The sterile coconut water found inside coconuts is isotonic and has a nutrient content similar to that of blood plasma. Furthermore, it is free of bacteria and contaminants, allowing it to serve as a substitute for the urgently needed blood donations.
One of our key products is organic limes. We work with a small-scale farmers’ cooperative in Colombia. The crops are grown at an elevation of 800–1,200 meters, which ensures optimal product quality and a balanced ratio between a protective peel and high juice content.
Are melons vegetables? That’s right. Although most people associate the taste of melons with fruit, these annual plants that grow close to the ground are officially classified as members of the gourd family. Thanks to their juicy sweetness, however, they’ve taken over the fruit aisles at the supermarket. Tip: To find out if a melon is ripe, try the tap test: A hollow, deep sound indicates that it’s ripe.
With or without fur? We owe the trials and tribulations of nature that we now have the choice between nectarines and peaches. Because the nectarine is a natural mutation of the peach. As such, she has gained many fans over the years not only for her smooth finish but also for her slightly more pronounced sweetness.
Cooked spinach shouldn’t be reheated – is that true? Yes, because the nitrate contained in spinach can be converted into nitrite, which is harmful to our health. In organic farming, additional fertilization with nitrate and many other substances is prohibited – one more reason why organic spinach is the better choice.
The tomato has become an integral part of our diet: every German eats around 28 kilograms a year. The popular fruit vegetable originally comes from Latin America and was only brought to Europe by Columbus in the 15th century. Here the tomato initially eked out its existence as a decorative ornamental plant, until the Italians discovered in the 17th century that the pretty “love apple” (pomo d’amore, short: pomodoro) can also be eaten. We source our organic tomatoes not only from Italy but also from Spain and the Netherlands.
With the grape, a “natural mishap” – namely a mutation in which some fruits did not contain any seeds – became a real marketing success: These days, there are more grapes without seeds than with seeds in many supermarkets. The fact that seedless and therefore “barren” grapes did not simply die out is because we humans cultivated them and thus kept them alive.