Bread baking in an oven and herb tour on a secret farm, or self-sustainability the Zemplén way

You are likely to find the Csonkás farmhouse if you know what you are looking for, hardly ever advertised by a poster or advertisement. On the outskirts of Mogyoróska, on the way to the former Aba clan’s nest, the Regéci castle, you can see a herd of cows cooling under a huge tree. The owners of the farm raise cattle, so chances are we will be looking at their animals. But you can’t really see the farmhouse, only a faint sign on top of a plank gate tells you that you are in the right place. The building is sheltered by deciduous trees where Henrietta Némethné Egri and her family live. It was a conscious choice on their part to give up their urban life to continue in the most natural way possible: grazing, mowing, fruit trees, beekeeping. We are in a nature reserve, with no neighbours, just a huge garden and a spacious veranda full of the season’s treasures in jars: jams, syrups, honey. But there’s no need to knock on the door: everything is neatly laid out on a table by the road, along with a moneybox of honour. Often, the family is in the pasture, working elsewhere – because there is always work around the animals. No problem: the cars stop, pick out what they need and put the money honestly into the honour box – which is often left out on the roadside table all day. It is this trust and simplicity that defines the everyday life of the inhabitants of the farm.

However, life is not so easy around here: wolves have been sighted in the area from the northern areas, and have been seen in the past, feeding on the animals at the Csonkás farm. They attacked the village sheep and tasted the cattle. So the free-range animals had to be moved to the farm. Animal husbandry is the family’s primary activity, beekeeping and jam-making are “just” part of life: there is no waste, the surplus can be sold, and the rest is for covering the family’s everyday needs. The Némeths tried a variety of methods to keep predators away from their animals, eventually acquiring Turkish shepherd dogs that are the companions of semi-nomadic people keeping grazing animals in the East: not only do they grow big, but they are famously brave when confronted by wolves. The giant dogs don’t seem to be bloodthirsty at all in “peacetime”, they are quietly chilling in the heat.

Anyone passing by can hardly miss the castle of Regéc, because whichever road you take, it looms in front of you. The slightly bumpy tarmac road leads straight to the castle from here: an impressive sight on the hilltop. It’s more of a mountain, with a long climb to the top. In the 17th century, it was one of the most important buildings in the area, but in the past, it was almost only knee-deep in ruins. With the child Ferenc Rákóczi II, Ilona Zrínyi lived here, who managed the life of the castle with a firm hand. It later fell victim to deliberate destruction, and it was quite a long time before restoration work revealed anything of the castle’s former grandeur. It is worth adding it to your tour of castle visits – if only for the panoramic view.

We are in Pányok, in a farm on a stony road that we probably wouldn’t find on our own: Farmer Sándor’s yard offers a panoramic view of the village, but the house is intimately hidden where the hillside ends.

We believe that Sándor Szabó and his wife Erzsike have always lived in Pányok, a village of 65 inhabitants – they know the area as if they had been living here throughout their lifetime. While Sándor is talking about the two-hundred-year-old pear tree, his words have the tone of a man from the Great Plain, his characteristic words. It will also be suspicious how the free-spirited Sándor, used to the endless horizon, ends up in a tiny village nestled in the hills – as much a love at first sight as his meeting with Erzsike. The couple lived in the Hajdúság region. Strongly attached to traditions, Erzsike held up her grandfather’s simplicity and self-sufficient farming as a good example – but on a farm without tap water and electricity, as free and romantic as the days can be, they can also be tough and challenging. The Szabó family realised that it is not possible to relive old times, that only the embers of the past are worth bringing back, not the ashes. They left behind the family estate and the familiar landscape to find in the Zemplén, in a different environment, what they believe in: a self-sustaining lifestyle based on inner values, in harmony with nature, in which they both continue the traditions of their ancestors.

Traditionally, even chicken coops in Zemplén were built of stone, the most available material. But the Szabó family wanted a house made of adobe. From the soil of their former farm in Hajdúság, they sowed the adobe bricks from which they built their home. We come to them to bake bread, which is special because they let us into their home, and we start the work in their dining room. The space is dominated by a shaped beehive oven, in which farmer Sándor has already started a fire. We are offered homemade lavender syrup, pear brandy, with a naturalness as if we’d  knocked on the door of old friends. The large kneading tub, covered with a hand-woven linen cloth, awaits its better fate: we will soon start making sourdough and sifting flour. So that we don’t go hungry in the meantime, Erzsike’s cheeses and homemade spreads are served on the table. In addition to the homemade bread, the farm also makes its own bread scones, with all the ingredients – except flour and salt – being the farm’s own produce. We also snatch a ring of smoked sausage and a piece of bacon while slicing.

It seems that working together and kneading is just the occasion to get to know the life and values of this special family. They deeply respect and cherish the gifts with which they are richly rewarded by their environment. Their days fit in a circular rhythm with nature: work begins – and ends – with caring for the animals. In the yard, besides the poultry, sheep and goats, there is also a cow and her calf, watched over by Bátor, the big white kuvasz dog. Besides fruit trees and seasonal produce from the small garden with plants for the kitchen, Erzsike also processes forest herbs.

It’s not just the kneading tub that Erzsike inherited from her mother: she also uses the same moves to work the dough. While we wait for it to double in size, and unsuccessfully fend off another welcome drink, we notice that almost everything is unique at Sándor’s house: they built the oven themselves, their woodcarving son made the deer that decorated the porch, and their felt artist daughter made the tapestry. The youngest of their children, Rózsa, lives with them and accompanies the guests on gorge tours and herb collecting trips. Because baking bread takes almost a whole day, and after a full day of tasting and chatting, we’d like to stay overnight.