The more than six hundred trees that are given time in Stompetoren to become a full-fledged forest do not yet protrude above the flowers. But in ten years time nuts, fruits and berries can be picked. It is the dream of Linda Appelman and her two partners. “I believe in unsprayed food that is given time to grow.”
This is what Linda Appelman (34) tells us, while she is weeding the field that she leases together with Marjo van der Burg (48) and Wendy Weel (50) from her father who grows broccoli. The three of them started the food forest on the Noordervaart in Stompetoren a year ago, in addition to their full-time jobs.
As long as the trees are not yet fully grown, they grow flowers and vegetables. “The picking garden and soon the forest are a project with and for our environment,” she tells NH in the video above. “We work with dozens of volunteers from the neighborhood who help take care of the plants and trees.”
“You also look at vegetables differently; you see what you have to do to get a nice head of lettuce,” says volunteer Marjon Dekker, who spends a lot of time in the food forest after her retirement. Her colleague volunteer Emma Molenaar is also driven by the project: “It’s nice to be busy in nature and to create a kind of ecosystem.”
The proceeds of the flowers and vegetables that are now grown are all put into the food forest, for which they have set up a foundation. The picking garden annex food forest in the Schermer is not unique. Food forests are appearing in more and more places, which contribute to the sustainable food production, biodiversity and the climate crisis.