For Andrea Gangl “Gangl’s Fruchtsaft” not only spring begins with the peach blossom, but also the “juice year”. Then come the apricots, plums, apples…
Peach blossom at the Gangl’s Fruchtsaft farm in the Styrian Vulkanland. ©️Fruit juice Gangl
Real house plums, not just any table plums or wild hedge grapes from our own farm and from the Straden region. At Gangl’s fruit juice, many old and wild types of fruit come into their own. “The small house plums or Urzwetschken used to be found on many farms in southern Styria. They are very aromatic and were traditionally used to distill schnapps. Today you rarely see them. For the usual reasons: They are not very productive, take a lot of work and are a magical attraction for wasps.” Andrea Gangl, her husband Gerhard and her brother-in-law Rupert see it differently and, among other things, place these forgotten types of fruit at the center of their juice production in Styria volcanic land. The plums produce a nectar that tastes like roasters and is second to none. Her passion for making juice began in the 1960s. Rupert senior converted his classic, mixed farm to fruit growing and, at the age of over 50, became a master fruit grower.
Not a simple juice thing
Andrea Gangl makes juice and it’s not easy for herself. For example the plums. They are picked without the stalk, poured onto a tub and sorted again, then they come into a saucepan with a jacket and stirrer. “It’s a straining machine like in a fleet of Lotte,” Andrea explains the process. “This is how the pulp is rubbed from the seeds.” Only water, citric acid and sugar are added. The Food Ordinance writes: While a fruit juice always has a fruit content of 100%, only certain minimum fruit contents are prescribed for nectars. In addition, nectar may contain up to 20% added sugar and other ingredients may be added to refine the taste. “We process at least 600 kg of plums, all from the farm. The aroma is unique.”
Peach, pear, apple, plum, chokeberry, elderberry, quince, some apricot
In addition to plums, peach and apricot are other types of stone fruit that are processed into nectar. “The peach always blooms first, a wonderful herald of spring, soon it will be that time again,” says Andrea happily. Red Haven is the peach variety of choice at Gangl’s. The harvest is at the end of July and beginning of August. The peaches must be harvested when they are fully ripe, then immediately cooled down so that the flesh does not turn brown immediately. A separate, large cold store was built for this purpose. The processing is then the same as with the plums, but it has to be done quickly. Another specialty is aronia, a berry known for its tart, astringent taste. Gerhard Gangl has a special instinct for the fruit and a fine palate when it comes to combining it with other fruits such as the classic apple. Gangl’s fruit juice has already won many awards. “Then there are the quinces, which are also not so easy to process. The hairs have to be brushed off first. “Since last year there has even been a machine for this, up until then we did it by hand,” says Andrea. “Then the pulp is crushed and pressed.”
We have to say goodbye to the cherry nectar together with the Gangls. Unfortunately, the special black cherry variety is no longer cultivated.
Punch tip from Andrea Gangl
Strawberry punch with Frizz de Styria. FRIZZ DE STYRIA is made from sparkling apple wine with currants, aronia and elderberries. Hence the reddish hue. The apple sparkling wine is made from a late apple variety, a “light frizzante”, very sparkling. Tastes great with strawberry, but also with peach or apricot nectar.
