Herenboeren 't Tullse veld

Herenboeren 't Tullse Veld is a cooperative farm on the Waalseweg in Tull en 't Waal, near Houten, owned by about 250 local households who employ a professional farmer to grow their food and share out everything the farm produces.

The farm grows vegetables, potatoes, grain, fruit and herbs, and the members' weekly share can also include eggs and, for those who want it, meat now and then; how the animals are kept isn't described yet, so the eggs and meat aren't included here until we have confirmed it. Their website describes the farming as organic, without artificial fertiliser or chemical pesticides, with work on soil health and nature restoration; the farm is not certified organic.

There is no shop. Instead, households become members and co-owners, and in the growing season they collect their share at the farm each week, eating what the land nearby produces at that time of year. New members first come to an information meeting with a tour of the farm, which can be booked through the website.

The farmers are salaried employees of the cooperative with a fixed income, and many members help on the land or in working groups such as the weekly vegetable distribution, animal care and biodiversity.