Maker Β· Vegetables
Ted Vaalburg
Four million tubers a year from a polder four and a half meters below sea level. Ted Vaalburg grows celeriac on a hundred hectares of Schermer sea clay and stores it with soil in cold storage, so you get the same firm tuber on your plate year-round.
The story
Who's behind it
Ted and Nicoline Vaalburg farm in the Schermer polder near Zuidschermer, on land four and a half meters below sea level. They're the third generation on the farm and took it over in 2007. What started with a few hectares has grown to 90 to 100 hectares of celeriac, spread over fields in the Schermer, good for about four million tubers a year. They also grow potatoes and pumpkins.
The celeriac is sown in the greenhouse in February and planted out in the clay as seedlings in spring. From then on it takes about six months to grow into a firm tuber. The farm's own washing facility has been running since 1985, so washing and packing are done in-house.
Soil and storage
The Schermer sea clay gives a dense, compact tuber with few hollow hearts. Ted keeps the soil alive with his own compost and minimal crop protection, and uses machines that disturb the ground as little as possible. In his view, an airy, oxygen-rich soil gives a healthier crop. The tubers cut clean and hold their structure when cooked.
Part of the harvest goes into cold storage with the soil still on. That lets Ted supply all year from the same crop, spring included.
In your kitchen
Celeriac is cheap to buy and gives a big yield. One tuber this size gives you a main course, a garnish and a broth. Put the origin on the menu: grown on sea clay in a polder below sea level, by Ted Vaalburg.
Because the tuber arrives at the same quality all year, you can keep a signature dish on the menu year-round at the same standard.
Chefβs tip
Roast a whole tuber low and slow on coarse salt until the heart is soft, about two hours at 180 degrees. The skin becomes a crust, the inside gets the texture of poached meat. Shave the raw edges alongside as a crisp garnish, so you use the whole tuber.
How to use it
Ideas for your menu
Roasted tuber as main course
Whole tuber on salt, glossed with brown butter and thyme. The center of a vegetarian plate.
Celeriac cream
Cooked in milk and pureed to a smooth base under game, smoked eel or a confited egg.
Raw remoulade
Fine julienne with mustard, apple and parsley. Fresh counterpoint to fatty fish or tartare.
Broth and ash
Skins and trim burned to powder for a smoky celeriac ash, base for a clear vegetable broth.
For your menu
βCeleriac from Ted Vaalburg, grown on sea clay in the Schermer polderβ
Products from Ted Vaalburg
What we carry from this maker
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Taste it in your own kitchen
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