Tuinderij De Groenteboer is an organic self-picking farm and flower garden located in Kamerik, near Woerden, on the grounds of Boerderij De Boerinn. The farm operates on a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, where participants become ‘shareholders’ to harvest their own produce.
The self-picking garden offers approximately 60 different varieties of seasonal organic vegetables, herbs, and small fruits. Throughout the year, visitors can harvest a diverse range of produce:
- Spring: Spinach, broad beans, snap peas, turnip greens.
- Summer: Carrots, beets, broccoli, strawberries.
- Autumn: Parsnip, pumpkin.
- Winter: Kale, leek. Example weekly harvests might include items like celeriac, lettuce, endive, fennel, New Zealand spinach, and potatoes. Vegetable harvesting is available for approximately 32 weeks, typically from May to December.
Adjacent to the vegetable plots, a vibrant organic flower picking garden is open from June to mid-September. Here, visitors can create their own bouquets from a wide array of blooms, including phlox, cornflower, sunflower, rudbeckia, zinnia, aster, poppy, delphinium, snapdragon, strawflower, cosmea, and amaranth (foxtail). Shareholders have weekly access to the flower garden, and non-shareholders can also purchase passes for flower picking.
The farm is SKAL certified and adheres to sustainable, organic cultivation practices, working in harmony with nature without artificial fertilizers or pesticides, and fostering biodiversity. It provides a space for connecting with nature, learning about food cultivation, and community engagement, also welcoming volunteers to assist with farm tasks.
What visitors say
Visitors consistently express high satisfaction with this organic self-picking farm, universally praising the exceptional freshness and delicious taste of its produce. Many find the experience immensely enjoyable, particularly the weekly harvesting of vegetables directly from the field. Members appreciate the diverse selection available, often discovering less common varieties such as turnip greens, chard, and Russian kale, alongside familiar staples like lettuce, radishes, and broccoli. This fresh bounty inspires creative cooking, presenting a “fun challenge” for participants to utilize unique ingredients, as one reviewer noted when making dishes like vegan dolmadakia from kohlrabi leaves and chard. The overall sentiment is overwhelmingly positive, with participants eagerly anticipating future harvests as the season unfolds.