WHAT IS PLUK?
Pluk! Groenten van West is a vibrant community of people who value local, healthy organic food. Every weekend from May until late November, they come to this farm to the west of Amsterdam to pick their own fresh vegetables, herbs and flowers.
Pluk! is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. This model is a simple alternative to the current broken food system, and a move towards local food production. Harvesters pay an annual fee so that the farmers can grow fresh vegetables, herbs and flowers for them. So instead of consuming food grown in monocultures on the other side of the world, you can choose your own fresh ingredients and get to know your farmers personally. You save costs by cutting out the middlemen, you save the climate by harvesting your own food close to home, and you support local farming instead of the multinational supermarket!
Pluk! Groenten van West was initiated by urban farming collective Cityplot at the beginning of 2017 in order to show that it is possible to provide urban dwellers with healthy organic food.
WHAT IS PLUK?
Pluk! Groenten van West is a vibrant community of people who value local, healthy organic food. Every weekend from May until late November, they come to our farm to the west of Amsterdam to pick their own fresh vegetables, herbs and flowers.
Pluk! is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. This model is a simple alternative to the current broken food system, and a move towards local food production. Harvesters pay an annual fee so that the farmers can grow fresh vegetables, herbs and flowers for them. So instead of consuming food grown in monocultures on the other side of the world, you can choose your own fresh ingredients and get to know your farmers personally. You save costs by cutting out the middlemen, you save the climate by harvesting your own food close to home, and you support local farming instead of the multinational supermarket!
Pluk! Groenten van West was initiated by urban farming collective Cityplot at the beginning of 2017 in order to show that it is possible to provide urban dwellers with healthy organic food.
The Farm
Pluk! Groenten van West is located at the beautiful Fruittuin van West in Amsterdam and provides an inspiring model for sustainable farming and circular living. At the Fruittuin you can collect eggs from free-range chickens, pick many different kinds of fruit and berries, hang out in the hammocks between the apple trees and visit the biodynamic shop and café.
In 2017, Wil and Lisan from the Fruittuin invited Ann and Kiki to start growing vegetables on ½ hectare of land between their fruit trees. After two exciting years, Kiki left to go farming the world and Annie and Annelies joined Ann for an abundant third season. Now in our fourth season the farming team consists of Annie, Ann, Edu and Ilja! Our farming is purely organic (no herbicides, pesticides or fungicides) and based on permaculture principles. We build healthy soil with our raised beds, permanent pathways, and use of compost and mulch. We do not plow, and use hand tools where possible in order to avoid using oil-based machinery. Our garden is full of bees, beneficial insects, frogs and other creatures that help to keep our crops healthy.
The Farm
Pluk! Groenten van West is located at the beautiful Fruittuin van West in Amsterdam. At the Fruittuin you can collect eggs from free-range chickens, pick many different kinds of fruit and berries, and hang out in the hammocks between the apple trees. The Fruittuin provides an inspiring model for sustainable farming and circular living, and has a biodynamic shop and café.
Wil and Lisan from the Fruittuin invited Kiki and Ann (the farmers) to start growing vegetables on ½ hectare between the fruit trees in 2017. Now in it’s fourth season we are growing for 100 shares. Our farming is purely organic (no herbicides, pesticides or fungicides) and based on permaculture principles. We build healthy soil with our raised beds, permanent pathways, and use of compost and mulch. We do not plow, and use hand tools where possible in order to avoid using oil-based machinery. Our garden is full of bees, beneficial insects, frogs and other creatures that help to keep our crops healthy.
“Pluk! has given me the opportunity to reconnect with seasons, with fresh organic produce, and especially with a great community of healthy eating enthusiasts and warm people.”
The Community
Pluk! has a dynamic community of harvesters and volunteers.
Harvesters
Harvesters come weekly to harvest fresh seasonal produce on Thursday (from 13:00-17:00), Friday (from 10:30-17:00) and Saturday (from 10:30-17:00), from early May to late November.
The farmers provide a list of what is ready to harvest, harvesting instructions, and the amounts that each harvester is entitled to. Here is an overview of our 2020 crops, and weekly harvest photos throughout the 2017 growing year.
Paying harvesters are under no obligation to help out on the farm, though you are very welcome to come lend a hand in order to get to better know the veggies, the farmers and the other volunteers.
In 2021 we’ll have more land to grow on so we have space for more harvesters.
Please send us an e-mail if you are interested in becoming a harvester in 2021.
See the overview below with our prices for 2021. We use a sliding scale to try to better reflect the value of food we are producing and to make the income of the farmers more sustainable. This will allow those of you who are able and willing to pay a bit more to do so. As you’ll see in the breakdown below, paying just a euro or two more each week will make a big difference in the farmers’ incomes.
Our prices for the 2021 growing season
(approximately 30 weeks, from early May to end November):
Weekly single harvest
- Breaks down to €15.00 and €23.30 per harvest
Weekly double harvest
- Breaks down to €30.00 and €45.00 per harvest (ideal for a family).
Volunteers
The volunteering tasks vary with the season: clearing land, spreading compost, seeding, planting, watering, harvesting, and more. We also have volunteers who help us by taking photos, making videos, blogging, sharing recipes, fundraising, and so forth. Our goal is to learn from and inspire one another, and also to have a good time growing food.
Volunteers are invited to take home vegetables that we have in abundance. The farmers will let you know what is available on any given day.
Contact us if you’d like to join our fun and enthusiastic group of volunteers!
If you just love what we are doing but are not in the position to support us financially, we warmly welcome you to support us with a donation! This helps us to buy tools, seeds, and most importantly snacks and the occasional beer for the volunteers!
“We became members of Pluk! because we wanted to feel closer to nature and decrease our impact on this planet. Growing your own produce means you know exactly what you eat, and you learn how to adapt to and respect natural growing cycles. It has been a great experience, and we’re getting plenty of wonderful veggies that are worth much more than what we pay for. It’s fascinating to learn about how the crops grow, to discover new veggies, and last but not least it’s always a pleasure to interact with lovely, welcoming, caring and like-minded people.”
Events
Cityplot has many more urban farming workshops, tours and activities around Amsterdam.
The Fruittuin also has a full agenda of workshops, music and other events.
“For me, plastic-packed organics won’t do. I want to know exactly where my fresh vegetables come from. And Pluk! even goes beyond that by opening your eyes to what it takes to get these crops on your table. How do they respond to the climate? How much space do they need to grow? Being a member at Pluk is a happy engagement and an experience that I would recommend to anyone that wants a more meaningful and sensible lifestyle.”
Contact
Pluk! is situated on the land of The Fruittuin which is located to the west of Amsterdam, very close to the village of Halfweg.
You are welcome to visit the Fruittuin anytime (except Monday when it is closed).
Please note that dogs are not allowed in the shop, café, orchard or garden.
Pluk! Groenten van West – Fruittuin van West
Tom Schreursweg 48
1067 MC Amsterdam
plukcsa@cityplot.org
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