This is a vibrant collection of local farms and gardens, offering an authentic experience focused on fresh, regional produce. Visitors are invited to connect directly with the source of their food and engage in various rural activities.
A particular highlight for many is the opportunity for self-picking. Guests can personally harvest fresh produce such as cherries, apples, pears, plums, kiwi berries, pumpkins, small fruits, various seasonal vegetables, and a selection of herbs. Many locations also feature beautiful picking gardens where visitors can gather their own fresh flowers to create custom bouquets.
Beyond self-picking, the farm shops and stalls within this network provide a broad assortment of fresh, local, and often organic products. This extensive range includes:
- Dairy and Eggs: Fresh milk (including raw milk available from taps), artisanal farmer’s cheese (such as Gouda, Beemster, Leyden, and spiced varieties), goat cheese, various yogurts, quark, curd cheese, custard, and free-range eggs.
- Meat and Fish: Diverse cuts of beef (including specialty Wagyu), pork, chicken, lamb, and in some instances, fish and shellfish.
- Pantry Staples & Specialties: Potatoes, a wide array of seasonal vegetables (like carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, asparagus, spinach, radishes, zucchini, green beans, eggplant, Brussels sprouts, chicory, parsnips, red cabbage, salsify, savoy cabbage, leeks) and fruits (strawberries, currants, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, apricots, grapes, figs, citrus fruits, mangoes, pineapples), honey, fresh bread and flour, diverse sandwich fillings, homemade jams, chutneys, fruit juices, craft beers, and wines.
- Prepared Foods & Gifts: Convenient recipe kits, ready-made meals, salads, various condiments and flavor enhancers, spices, herbs, teas, farm-fresh ice cream, gift items, and specialized Christmas packages. Some locations even offer natural cosmetics.
Many of these farm locations also offer family-friendly facilities such as playgrounds, educational tours, and spacious areas to explore the farm grounds. Guests can enjoy refreshments on terraces, and some farms provide camping or overnight accommodation, with a few even offering childcare services. For convenience, most locations accept card payments (including contactless) and QR code payments, with many also offering online ordering, regional home delivery, or nationwide shipping for products.
What visitors say
This platform consistently receives high praise for its excellent initiative in bridging the gap between consumers and local farmers, making it remarkably easy to discover and purchase fresh, high-quality, and often organic products directly from the source. Users frequently highlight the superior taste and freshness of produce, dairy, and meat compared to supermarket offerings, emphasizing the significant difference in quality when food comes straight from the farm.
The dedicated app and website are widely appreciated for their user-friendliness and clear organization, allowing customers to quickly locate farm shops and specific regional products in their vicinity, even while traveling across the Netherlands. This convenience not only simplifies the process of finding local goods but also empowers consumers to actively support local agricultural businesses, which many reviewers believe is crucial for the farmers’ livelihoods and for maintaining beautiful rural landscapes. The commitment to animal welfare and sustainable practices is also a recurring positive theme.
While the overall sentiment is overwhelmingly positive, with many extolling the benefits of ethical consumption and a direct-to-farm approach, a few users have reported isolated issues. These include occasional software glitches or outdated information on specific farm listings, difficulties with support response times for technical issues, and rare instances of dissatisfaction with product quality or customer service from individual suppliers. Despite these minor points, the platform is largely seen as an indispensable tool for conscious consumers seeking authentic, healthy, and fairly priced food while fostering a stronger connection to the agricultural community.