what is pluk!?

Pluk! Groenten van West was initiated by urban farming collective Cityplot at the beginning of 2017. Ann Doherty and Kiki Muyres co-founded the project, starting off at the Fruittuin van West, and in 2021 expanding further into the polder with another farm at the Boterbloem in the Lutkemeerpolder. Today we grow food on less than one hectare and offer over 225 self harvest shares to local Amsterdammers.

The Boterbloem is about 10 minutes away from the Fruittuin by bicycle in the Lutkemeerpolder. There is space for 85 harvester shares here. The Boterbloem is quieter than the Fruittuin, with a small shop, a shady orchard where you can sit in peace, and a few chickens and goats. We have built our own 'eco-house' at the farm so we can offer workshops and activities for harvesters and the public. We are also planting an 'edible hedge' with fruit trees and berries.

Another notable characteristic is that the campaign for a 42-hectare Voedselpark (instead of distribution centres) is happening right behind our fields!

Eliska, Dorien and Marie-José are the farmers at Pluk!Boterbloem.

Harvesting times are:
- Wednesday and Thursday from 13-20h
- Friday from 11-18h
- Saturday from 9-18h

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Ecologische Boerderij de Boterbloem
Lutkemeerweg 262
1067 TH Amsterdam


What is a CSA farm?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and that’s exactly what it is - a non-profit partnership between the farmers, and the community (harvest share members) in which the responsibilities, risks and rewards of farming are shared.

You participate in a CSA by purchasing a share of an entire season's harvest in advance. This gives the farm the financial security it needs - ensuring we have the money available to get the farm up and running at the beginning of the year, a time when we need to buy seeds, plants and new materials.

In return, all that is grown is shared among the CSA harvesters. If there is excess, you will share in the abundance, and if there is crop failure you will share that risk. As farmers we pledge to sow, plant and care for a great diversity of crops to ensure that there is always something delicious to harvest.

The benefits of our self harvest CSA:

• Direct connection to the land, the plants and the people that produce your food

• Fresh, local and nutritious food. Harvesting your crops yourself means you engage with the shortest supply chain possible while accessing seasonal food when it is at its freshest and most nutritious 

• Learning and inspiration. You will learn and get more inspired over time through regular engagement with the plants, the land and the farmers. There are also opportunities to deepen your learning; from recipe sharing groups and opportunities to volunteer, through to educational workshops held at the farm and within our network 

• Building community. Connect to a wider community with whom you can share the joy and satisfaction of growing, harvesting and cooking delicious seasonal produce

• Transparency. You will see exactly how your money is invested and how your food is grown

• Preserving genetic diversity and self-reliance through seed saving

• Building new knowledge about farming and keeping existing knowledge alive so that it can be passed onto future generations

• Reducing CO2 emissions and oil dependence by eating locally
  
  
• Creating spaces where future farmers (including our interns and volunteers) can learn; where people of all ages can participate in the growing and harvesting process, and where everyone can relax, engage and experience joy
  

Below is a video all about Pluk! from 2018.