The Field Guideby Moss & MarrowMelkveebedrijf De Kastanjeboom
- 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
De Kastanjeboom is a dairy farm in Zevenhuizen near Bunschoten with a farm shop, café and milk tap selling the milk of its own Holstein-Friesian cows.
About 90 cows are milked twice a day, and from spring they graze behind the farm in the Arkemheen-Eemland polder for at least 120 days a year, on average six hours a day. The warm milk goes straight from the milking to the farm's own dairy workshop, where it becomes whole milk, Scoontjes-room (Dutch clotted cream), chocolate milk and, for special occasions, slemp (spiced milk). Ice cream made from their milk by ProofBakery in Vathorst is sold until mid-October. The shop's pork is from pigs born on the farm, raised by their mothers and then kept outside on grass, straw and a mud wallow. The beef is Belgian Blue from the Groenewoudt family in Nijkerk, whose cattle graze outside in summer and winter in a straw barn. The chicken is Bongerdhoen, a slow-growing breed kept in an orchard in Terschuur, with two Beter Leven stars. Veal from their own bull calves, venison, boerenkaas (farm cheese) and unsprayed vegetables are also sold, not yet confirmed.
The shop and milk tap at Zevenhuizerstraat 281 are open Wednesday 12:00 to 17:30, Thursday and Friday 9:00 to 17:30 and Saturday 9:00 to 17:00, and there is a webshop.
The farm protects meadow-bird nests in its fields from the grazing cows.