Maker · Fruit
Kwekerij Sjerps
An organic grower in Wijdenes who has devoted himself to what most fruit growers skip: unripe gooseberries, fresh elderflower and small fruit that comes from the field the same day. Material to finish with and to pickle, not to bulk out dishes with.
The story
Who's behind it
Kwekerij Sjerps stands in Wijdenes, in the West Friesland fruit area of North Holland. Richard Sjerps grows organically here. Not a business running on volume, but a grower devoted to what most fruit growers leave lying: small fruit, edible flowers and fresh peas. The range is narrow and follows the season. What there is, is there briefly, and it comes fresh from the field instead of months from the cooler.
What really makes the difference
The difference lies in the niche. Sjerps supplies products you won't find at a regular wholesaler. Unripe gooseberries, for example: hard, green and sharp acidity, harvested before they turn sweet. Exactly the material you're looking for when lemon falls flat. Beyond that, edible flowers: white elderflower, cherry blossom and magnolia blossom, all with a short peak in spring. The elderflower and unripe gooseberries go to order, so you get them fresh on the day you need them. The rest of summer revolves around blackberries, Japanese wineberries and crisp peas like sugar snaps and pea pods in green, yellow and purple.
How to set yourself apart
This is plate material and flavour maker, not bulk. A compote of unripe gooseberries cuts through smoked mackerel or goose liver where a lemon jus doesn't. Elderflower you steep in vinegar, cream or syrup, or deep-fry to beignet. Magnolia blossom has a peppery, lightly ginger-like note that works well in a short pickle or as a plate finish. Japanese wineberries lay a wine-red, soft acidity accent on game and duck. Because it's local and organic, there's a concrete story behind it you can put on the card: grower, village and season. Get the blossoms and unripe gooseberries on your order list early, because the window is narrow and sold is sold.
Chef’s tip
The sharpest products from Sjerps have the shortest season. Elderflower and unripe gooseberries go to order and are available only a few weeks. Reserve them ahead and plan your dish around them, not the other way around.
How to use it
Ideas for your menu
Unripe gooseberries with fatty fish or liver
Hard, green and sharp acidity. As compote or lightly pickled they cut through smoked mackerel, eel or goose liver where lemon stays flat.
Elderflower in vinegar, syrup or as beignet
Steep the white flower in vinegar, cream or syrup, or deep-fry the umbels to beignet. Perfumes dressings, gels and kombucha with a short spring spike.
Japanese wineberries and blackberries with game
Wine-red, sticky and softer acidity than raspberry. Raw as garnish or briefly reduced next to duck, game and mature cheese.
Cherry and magnolia blossom as finish
Magnolia blossom has a peppery, lightly ginger-like note for a short pickle or plate finish. Cherry blossom for tea, syrup and sourdough.
For your menu
“Organic small fruit and edible flowers from Kwekerij Sjerps, Wijdenes (North Holland).”
Products from Kwekerij Sjerps
What we carry from this maker
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Taste it in your own kitchen
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