The Field Guideby Moss & MarrowBoerderij De Zonnewijzer
- Cattle, sheep or goats graze on pasture in the grazing season
- Zero waste
Boerderij De Zonnewijzer is a dairy farm of 75 cows on the Amelisweerd and Rhijnauwen estates outside Bunnik, run by the third generation of the same family, which sells its own raw milk from a self-service tap at the farm.
From April to October the cows spend the day in the estate meadows between the woods and orchards, and in winter they stay in the barn. The grassland is permanent pasture, large parts of the land are kept as nature for breeding birds, and no manure is spread along the ditch banks. The milk at the tap is raw cow's milk, straight from the herd. The shop also sells free-range eggs from the hens that roam the yard, and apple, pear and apple-pear juice pressed from the farm's own orchard; how the hens are kept beyond that isn't confirmed.
The milk tap, called Melk en Ko, stands in a small shop at the entrance to the yard and is open seven days a week from 8:00 to 20:00, and until 18:00 in winter. You can bring your own bottle or buy one, and pay in cash or by card.
A class from the Utrecht Vrije School has spent one morning a week on the farm every spring and summer since 2015, helping with the animals and the milking.