What actually happens to the grain that grows on the Weltacker?
This question has been on our minds for quite some time. Every year, wheat, oats, barley, millet, rye, corn, and even rice ripen on our 2,000 m² plot. They impressively demonstrate which crops sustain our food supply worldwide. But after the harvest, the same question kept coming up: How can we put this grain to good use?
Four students from the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) took on this very challenge—and developed something that’s not only sustainable but also quite delicious: the “Ackerplätzchen”—a cookie made from the field.
As part of their practical project, the students didn’t want to simply develop a recipe. Their goal was to find a solution to a very practical problem at the Weltacker: Our grain harvest should no longer be just for demonstration purposes, but should become part of a real product.
But that was easier said than done. After all, a wide variety of grains grow on the Weltacker—from wheat to barley and oats to millet and rice. Which of these are even suitable for baking? Which combination tastes best? And how can we turn them into a cookie that lets people experience the Weltacker through its flavor?
Before the first cookies came out of the oven, the first step was to do some research. Then came a process of trial and error: trying things out, discarding what didn’t work, remixing the ingredients, and baking again. Several recipe variations were created, tasted, and refined.
The result was the finished “Ackerplätzchen”—a cookie that combines wheat, rice, millet, barley, and oats from the Weltacker. Of course, the recipe is included as well.
At the final presentation on June 26, 2026, everyone finally got to taste the “Ackerplätzchen.” Together with students from the sister program in Organic Farming and Marketing, the students prepared a buffet and presented their project results.
For the four students, all that remains now is to write up their final reports. For us, however, something new may be beginning: an idea for making better use of our grain harvest has given rise to a product that lets people experience the Weltacker in a whole new way.
Who knows—maybe the “Ackerplätzchen” will soon be available not only at project presentations but also at events on the Weltacker.
In any case, we’d love to enjoy many cookie-sharing moments together.
Since 2022, the Weltacker Youth Council has been working with us—an exciting project that brings young people in Berlin together. They all share one goal: a voice in Berlin’s food policy!