Newsletter,
June 2010
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Ton Vreeken ❞Luckily, not all of us are sick, but I've never seen as many absences as this year...
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The worst is overWe have a substantial team (now well over thirty people) so we can maintain continuity, but this week I was scratching my (somewhat sick) head. Things shouldn't get much crazier, because certain important tasks are still pending... I hope (for my sick colleagues and for the business) that we only have to manage for another week and then we'll be back at full strength.
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Saturday, Mari Maris is coming!Who knows her books already? A joy to read: "De Groentebijbel" (The Vegetable Bible) was already a hit, and with "Mari Plukt de Dag" (Mari Seizes the Day), she even scored a recommendation during the book review on the TV show "De Wereld Draait Door". This coming Saturday, February 17th, Mari will spend a day with us to treat you, our customers, to some snacks. She will mingle among the seed racks and answer your cultivation questions based on her own experience. Of course, she'll be happy to sell her book and will certainly sign it upon request!
Mari was a chef in Amsterdam for many years before she decided to settle in Northern France 9 years ago. There, she manages the Jardin des Étoiles, where she grows vegetables, cooks, and hosts people.
We sell both of her book titles. Click here to view the description. I have some connection to these books, as I was allowed to proofread the cultivation descriptions and provide additional tips. A fun little job with a red pen on the couch...
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Good news from Sweden: the PluggBox is back!It took a while, but we were able to purchase a few pallets full of this “Smartest Seed Kit” again in Sweden! They should be rolling in this month, I'm as happy as a child about it. It's always frustrating when you're very enthusiastic about a product but can't deliver it. Read the (long but fun) story about all the clever features of this compact and beautiful seed kit.
New Raatakkers
One of my growers (and also a customer), Jan Bulthuis, is involved in a wonderful project. Read all about it in the following piece written by him:
De Nieuwe Raatakkers in Wiesel (near Apeldoorn) has several small fields of 500 m² on a 1.3-hectare plot where organic farming takes place. These small fields are separated by natural strips with grains and wildflowers for butterflies, birds, and insects. The goal is to increase biodiversity, grow healthy crops, and have a lot of fun doing it. We grow vegetables for ourselves, but also seeds for Ton Vreeken, as I do with the "Zoete Jan" sweet corn and the (branching and non-branching) "Op Zwart Zaad" sunflower. There are still a few fields for rent for enthusiastic and driven enthusiasts! On the website www.nieuweraatakkers.nl you can find more information, including how to sign up. We call this project “Raatakkers Klein” (Small Raatakkers) and we had a good harvest last year.
In the future, we want to develop a 5-hectare plot with honeycomb fields and natural strips, and a small farm or barn on it for tool storage, toilet facilities, coffee, and shelter. In such a large area, nature will have even more opportunities. We hope that the arable flora will flourish again and that field birds can breed there, that the Partridge will walk through the grain fields and the Skylark will sing above our heads... The entire area will then become a beautiful small-scale agricultural landscape where hikers can also enjoy nature. This project (of course renamed “Raatakkers Groot” - Large Raatakkers) is still in its infancy, and everyone who wants to participate is welcome. We want to realize this somewhere in Gelderland, and if anyone has land available for it, we would be happy to discuss it...!
Personal Postscript from the Seed Man
In the previous Newsletter, I mentioned that my wife was with our foster children in London. That was 4 weeks ago. This week, we were shocked by the terrible news that our eldest foster grandchild (23 years old) suddenly passed away. His name is Pateh, a young man in the prime of his life. Full of responsibility and with the dream of becoming a pilot. Of course, he had many more dreams; it seemed like he had the flu. We are still awaiting an autopsy to find out what happened. Great sorrow and devastation for his parents and both brothers. My wife Marry is with them; I will go there for a day next week. It feels so strange to be sitting here amidst the seeds while my family is grieving...
Our children are, of course, also empathetic. The double-edged sword is that we also get to enjoy ultrasound scans from two happy pregnant women: my daughter-in-law was the first, and now my eldest daughter is also pregnant. Grandpa Vreeken should start thinking about retirement soon...
Fortunately, as a family, we can talk and share each other's joys and sorrows well. If needed, we are there for each other. On days like these, WhatsApp is a blessing for communication!
Until the next letter!
Ton Vreeken, February 16, 2018