The Field Guideby Moss & MarrowFruittuin van West
- Cattle, sheep or goats graze on pasture in the grazing season
- Pigs and poultry live free range: outdoors on pasture, in woodland or a run
- No synthetic pesticides or fertiliser (certified)
Fruittuin van West is a biodynamic fruit farm of 6.5 hectares at Tom Schreursweg 48 in the Tuinen van West in Amsterdam, where more than thirty kinds of fruit grow in an orchard shared with laying hens, meat chickens and about twenty Hereford cattle, with a farm shop and pick-your-own fruit.
The farm's own products are fruit and eggs from the orchard, chicory (witlof) and mushrooms grown in their own cave, and the meat of their own chickens and cattle. The chickens live in the orchard, cockerels among the hens, and are slaughtered on the farm itself. The Hereford cattle graze fields in the Tuinen van West all year, including winter, when their website says they get silage and leftovers from the shop and café but no concentrate; the calves suckle for seven months, so no milk is sold. Their website says the beef carries no organic logo; what qualifies it here is the life outdoors on grass all year. The farm is certified organic (SKAL) and Demeter-certified (NL-182514); we found both in the registers. Everything bought in for the shop is certified organic or biodynamic.
The shop, café and farm are open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 to 18:00, and the pick-your-own season runs from June to October.
The hens work for the orchard: they eat insects that would harm the trees, scratch fallen leaves to pieces so fewer fungal spores survive to spring, and manure the ground.