Kwekerij Ron

Who's behind it

Ron Voorbij runs Kwekerij Ron on the Donkereind in Vinkeveen, just inside the province of Utrecht. He took over an old greenhouse from Leo, who was already growing Asian vegetables there in the nineteen seventies, which was rare in the Netherlands at the time. Since 2006 the business has been in his own name as a sole trader. Ron kept the Asian vegetables and built up a second speciality: edible flowers. What leaves the greenhouse, Ron picked and sorted himself that morning.

Why these flowers

The flowers are picked by hand, sorted and packed early every morning. A violet picked at seven in the morning still stands firm on the plate in the evening. Ron largely uses biological pest control, which suits a product that goes onto the plate raw. The range moves with the seasons: violets and calendula in the cooler months, nasturtium with its peppery bite when it gets warmer. Ron also supplies Roman chervil, a herb with a fine anise note that you can use as leaf and as flower.

In your kitchen

With a grower who picks daily, you choose on flavour. Nasturtium gives pepper, calendula a light bitterness, violet mainly scent and texture. Supply is fresh and small, so you decide per dish what fits. Put the chervil flower on a light fish dish or a dairy dessert, where the anise note comes through well. The flowers come from Vinkeveen, and you can put that origin on your menu. When you order, ask what's best that week.