Maker Β· Vegetables
Vegetables from Josse and Thias
On one and a half hectares in the Betuwe, pigs run ahead of the vegetables. They root, manure and clean up; then Thias sows. The vegetables grow on soil an animal has just worked.
The story
Who's behind it
Josse Haarhuis (28) keeps pigs and livestock on Rustenburg Estate in Ingen, in the Betuwe. He rents about one and a half hectares there. Grower Thias Bos grows the vegetables on that same land. Together they run one system: the livestock and the growing share the same loop.
Thias supplies restaurants and pop-up dinners, so he's used to growing for what a kitchen asks for. Besides open-ground vegetables, he grows sprouts, cresses and edible flowers. Josse and Thias have also planted elder and sea buckthorn, so taller greenery grows among the crops.
How it works
Everything starts with the pig. Josse divides his field into strips. The pigs roam freely over a strip, eat what's growing there plus leftover food streams, and root up the soil as they go. When a strip is ready, Thias sows and plants on it. After the harvest the pigs go over it again to clean up, and the cycle starts over.
The pigs take care of fertilising and working the soil. In between, the soil rests under green manures such as clover. That way the vegetables grow on soil full of life.
In your kitchen
You're buying vegetables with an origin you can explain at the table: the field in Ingen, the pigs in front, the growing behind them. For a menu or a conversation with a guest, that's concrete and easy to check.
Thias grows for restaurants, to order and on rotation, so you can agree early on what you need. Vegetables, sprouts, cresses and flowers come from the same soil, so your plate stays consistent in flavour and you get a lot from one supplier. Ask what's coming and build your dish around it.
βWe've built our system around the pig.β
Chefβs tip
Call early in the season and ask what comes out of the ground in three weeks. Josse and Thias grow on rotation for restaurants, so you can build a dish around a harvest. Take the small harvests too: sprouts, cresses and edible flowers come from the same soil, so you get them from the same supplier.
How to use it
Ideas for your menu
Kale, quick and hot
Blanch the cavolo nero briefly, then quickly roast it in the pan. Open-ground leaves hold their bite and slight bitterness; works as a side dish or under fish.
Seasonal vegetables from the roaster
Whatever's ripe that week, roasted whole or in thick pieces, with little fuss.
Finish with sprouts and cresses
Raw over a warm plate for sharpness and texture. Same origin as the vegetable, so consistent in taste.
Plate with edible flowers
For the lighter work in spring and summer: raw or lightly cooked vegetables with flowers from the same field.
For your menu
βVegetables from Josse and Thias, grown circularly in Ingen: the pigs go first, the vegetables follow on their soil.β
Products from Vegetables from Josse and Thias
What we carry from this maker
Kale (cavolo nero)
Open-ground leaf, firm, with bite in the cold months.
Open-ground seasonal vegetables
Varying per period, grown on rotation after the pigs.
Sprouts and cresses
Small harvests from the same soil, for finishing and sharpness.
Prices and availability are in the portal. Become a customer or log in to order.
Taste it in your own kitchen
Book a no-obligation tasting with Niels and taste it for yourself.