All about the Swiss culture of wild haymaking
Posted on 27 January, 2022 by Micheal Alexander
Wild haymaking is a curious remnant of past centuries. In the past, farmers in alpine regions would venture to the highest and steepest meadows in order to harvest hay. Needless to say, this was a time when all cows were grass-fed during summers, and hay-fed during winter months. This organic food is very nutritious and is ideal for cows that have to live in a barn during winter. Swiss Culture and Tradition
Wild haymaking is 100% Swiss
When you thought that wild haymaking is just cutting grass on a hillside, think again. This practice is a discipline of its own, and the organic hay is a critical ingredient for the healthy life of the Swiss throughout the year. Organic hay is the first step to producing grass-fed milk, which in turn is the basis for real organic food. In fact, hay harvested from alpine meadows is the root of traditional Swiss foods such as cheese and dry meat.
The process of wild haymaking takes place over the course of several months. Farmers would initiate the first preparations as soon as the winter’s snow has melted. They would go up to higher altitudes where they would set up the access paths.
Since some surfaces might have been altered during winter, farmers would level out any eroded patches. Further, they would collect rocks, branches, or other debris which snow and avalanches have brought down the mountainside. As it turns out, spring cleaning is also taking place in the mountains.
Fast forward to the month of July when the farmers would return to the high alpine meadows. At this point, they would cut the tall grass in every nook and cranny of their pastures. Their tool of choice is the old-fashioned scythe. Often portrayed as the tool of death in cartoons, scythes are actually a legitimate tool for the Swiss culture of wild haymaking.
As it turns out, a scythe is rather complex to manipulate. Some say it takes a lifetime to learn how to use this tool efficiently. Compared to mechanical cutting tools which tend to be bulky and limited by the size of their fuel tank, scythes are lightweight and durable. It comes as no surprise that this tool has been the preference for cutting grasses, herbs, and shrubs on hard-to-reach meadows. Swiss Culture and Values
Due to the steep elevations, the safety of farmers is always an issue. But instead of installing high-tech gear, Swiss farmers still use traditional methods: mountaineering shoes, climbing irons, and ropes. (The mountaineering shoes are an upgrade to the more traditional wooden shoes with makeshift spikes.)
In late summer, it is time to harvest the hay. By now, the organically grown grass has dried in the sun and is ready to get picked. Again, farmers prefer a hand-held tool that is tried and true over modern tools. By using big wooden rakes, they would now gather the hay on large nets.
Each hay net is then tied up and weighs about 60 kilograms. In the local Swiss-German dialect, such a net is called Pinggel. For comparison, 60 kilograms is the weight of no less than nine bowling balls or fifteen alphorns.