West Frisians opt for a short chain: “Give the farmer money for his goods”

“Out of sheer necessity and habit”, Lian van der Sloot (44) answers the question why she avoids the supermarket as much as possible. “I don’t like milk from the supermarket that has been processed. Milk is just much tastier and purer if you drink it fresh.”

Sympathy for the farmers

She already had sympathy for the farmers. Van der Sloot grew up between the fields and farmers. First in Steenwijk, now in Enkhuizen. A city surrounded by the countryside. “I’ve always been interested in the life of a farmer. They are very open and helpful.”

More and more Dutch people are living in cities, far from the countryside and therefore far from food production. According to Van der Sloot, many people can therefore no longer identify with the countryside. “They don’t know where their food comes from. This is where profit can be made, because there is increasing enthusiasm for fresh, healthy and local food. Directly from the farmer.”

Removing the financial risk from the farmer was also a motivation for her to buy as much as possible from the farmer. Close to the source. “Sometimes you can’t escape it, but I get the most from a farmer. Why? I want them to be paid fairly. Not us, but the farmer determines how much something costs. And if I can help them with that, I will especially now that farmers have almost nothing left.”

Seasonal products

Which products then depend on the season. “I think that’s the great thing about this. It makes people aware. Not all fruit and vegetables are available all year round, like in the supermarket.”

In the winter there are, for example, Brussels sprouts and kale, full of vitamin C. Something our body needs then. And in the spring there are cucumbers and tomatoes, rich in water. “Why would you turn that around or turn it around? It is in balance with each other, that’s how nature works. The only thing that takes getting used to is that you have to be creative with cooking,” says Van der Sloot with a laugh. “But that is also instructive.”

Recently, De Enkhuizer even has a vegetable garden. Here she grows parsley, spring onions, chives and sage. “And with food prices rising, that’s not a bad thing.”

But Van der Sloot is not alone. In 2002 Carola Romijn (53) moved to Grootebroek. There she saw ‘Keetje’, a small fruit nursery and care farm in Lutjebroek. She didn’t hesitate and took a look. “I was immediately sold, fresh from the land. But also because I want to live plastic-free and a farmer doesn’t use that.”

‘The quality is better’

What she immediately noticed is that the freshness and quality is better. “Take a broccoli. If I buy it in the supermarket, I have to eat it in two days. But a broccoli that I get from a farmer, I can keep for about two weeks. That was a real eye-opener for me It may be a little more expensive, but you get quality in return.”

For Romijn it is also important to know where the food comes from. “That I see the cows standing in the meadow when I walk into the yard. That the meat at the butcher in Hoogkarspel is fresh, without hormones. Because you can’t see food from abroad.”

According to her, there is a trend going on, especially after corona. The sales stalls in West Friesland shoot like mushrooms out of the ground. And so Romijn takes a look every week. And even if she misses something, she cycles to the nearest greengrocer or cheesemonger. “I actually don’t buy anything at the supermarket anymore, also because the range is so wide here. Why would you buy something from the supermarket that comes from far away, if it is also grown a few kilometers from your door?”