Newsletter,
August 2011
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Ton Vreeken ❞Luckily, we're not all sick, but I've never experienced as many absences as this year...
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The worst is overWe have a large team (now well over thirty people), so we can ensure continuity, but this week I was scratching my head (a bit out of sorts myself). It shouldn't get much crazier, because certain important tasks are being left undone... I hope (for the sake of my sick colleagues and the business) that we only have to manage for another week at most and then we'll be back to full strength.
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Saturday, Mari Maris is coming!Who already knows her books? A pleasure to read: The Vegetable Bible was already a hit, and with "Mari Picks the Day," she even scored a recommendation during the book review on De Wereld Draait Door on TV. This coming Saturday, February 17, 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 when she decided to settle in Northern France 9 years ago. There, she manages the Jardin des Étoiles, where she grows vegetables, cooks, and hosts guests.
We sell both of her book titles. Click here to see the description. I do have some connection to these books, as I was allowed to correct 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 more pallets full of these "Smartest Seed Kits" in Sweden! They should be rolling in this month, and 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 Comb Fields
One of my growers (and also a customer) Jan Bulthuis is involved in a wonderful project. Read 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 is practiced. These small fields are separated by nature 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 there, but also seeds for Ton Vreeken, as I do with the sweet corn "Zoete Jan" and the (branched and unbranched) sunflower "Op Zwart Zaad". 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 register. We call this project "Raatakkers Klein" and we did very well with it last year.
In the future, we want to set up a 5-hectare plot with strip fields and nature 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 field flora will flourish again and that field birds can breed there, that the Partridge walks through the grain fields and the Skylark sings 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") is still in its infancy and anyone who wants to participate is most welcome. We want to realize this somewhere in Gelderland and if there is anyone who has land available for this, we would be happy to discuss it...!
Personal Afterword 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 already. This week, we were shocked by the terrible news that our oldest foster grandchild (23 years old) had suddenly passed away. His name is Pateh, a young man in the prime of his life. Full of responsibility and with a dream to become a pilot. Of course, he had many more dreams; it seemed like he had the flu, we are still awaiting the autopsy to find out what happened. Great sorrow and devastation for his parents and both brothers. My wife Marry is with them, and I will go there for a day next week. So strange to be here amidst the seeds while my family is grieving...
Our children, of course, also empathize. The double-edged aspect is that we also get to enjoy ultrasound scans from 2 happy pregnant women: my daughter-in-law was the first, now my oldest daughter is also pregnant. Grandpa Vreeken should start thinking about his retirement soon...
Fortunately, as a family, we can talk well with each other and share each other's joys and sorrows. If necessary, we are there for each other. On days like these, WhatsApp is a blessing for communication!
Until the next writing!
Ton Vreeken, February 16, 2018