Maker Β· Vegetables
Jan van Rijn: sprouts on the stalk from Woubrugge
Fourth generation on the clay of the Vierambachtspolder. Jan van Rijn grows sprouts from the stalk, hand-picked and sized by hand.
The story
Who's behind it
Jan van Rijn is the fourth generation at Welgeleven farm in Woubrugge, in the middle of the Vierambachtspolder in the Green Heart. His great-grandfather Teunis started the farm in 1924. Through 1979 there were cows; then the family shifted to arable farming. The farm shop has been running since 1975.
Today the crop rotation includes sprouts, yellow onions, potatoes, wheat and sugar beets on heavy sea clay. Jan works without additives and keeps the soil life robust. The polder between Alphen and Leiden is his whole work area. Local growing means short miles to the kitchen.
From the stalk, by hand
Young plants go in the ground in spring, harvest starts late September and runs through January. That's a growing season of well over six months. Frost makes the sprout sweeter and firmer.
Picking is by hand, bunch by bunch, and sized right away. That gets you a sprout with bite: small, compact, with a core that stays al dente. Beyond loose medium sizes, Jan delivers the whole stalk. It stays firm longer in the cooler and can go to the table whole.
The clay also gives the onions their profile: sharp-sweet, from the same field as the sprouts. The farm is recognized as a regional product of the Green Heart, so the origin is easy to back up on your menu.
In your kitchen
Put the origin on your menu. From late September through January this is local, with name and polder attached. Use the whole stalk for the table and the loose medium sprouts in the kitchen; that gets you two dishes from one product.
Ask about that week's harvest. After a few nights of frost the sprout is sweeter.
Chefβs tip
Ask for sprouts on the stalk. Pick them yourself from the bunch, they stay firm longer and the whole stalk can go straight to the table. Medium ones picked loose are good to halve and sear; the small core stays al dente while the cut face caramelizes.
How to use it
Ideas for your menu
Seared sprouts, brown butter, hazelnut and aged cheese
Raw sprout salad, apple, mustard and bacon
Sprout leaves from the wok with garlic and yellow onion
Whole stalk, roasted, shared at the table
For your menu
βSprouts from Jan van Rijn, fourth generation on the clay in Woubrugge. Picked from the stalk in the Green Heart, late September through January.β
Products from Jan van Rijn
What we carry from this maker
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Taste it in your own kitchen
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