From ‘Magic Beans’ to Eating Together: 150 Children Discover Where Their Food Comes From
Updated: Sep 17
First Almere Harvest Day lets children harvest, cook and taste their own food. Food Pioneers aims to eventually expand the concept across the Netherlands.
Team green bean or team bimi? For 150 primary school children from Almere, the first Almere Harvest Day began with their hands in the soil. On Tuesday, 8 September, they visited Burgerboerderij Oosterwold to discover first-hand how vegetables grow, harvest their own food and then get to work cooking and tasting it. And there were plenty of surprises along the way. Purple beans that turn green when cooked? The children quickly came up with a much better name for them: “magic beans”.
That sense of wonder is exactly what Harvest Day is all about. Children not only learn where their food comes from, but experience the entire process themselves: from harvesting to cooking and finally eating together. This creates a direct connection between what grows in the field and what ends up on their plates shortly afterwards. They can feel, smell and taste just how fresh food straight from the land can be.
Learning by Doing
For many children, food begins in the supermarket. On the farm, they discover the entire world that comes before that. They learn that vegetables are plants, how they grow and when they are ready to be harvested. Food Pioneers does not simply want to tell children about this process, but above all let them experience it for themselves. By getting hands-on, children become more curious and enthusiastic about food and where it comes from.
Food Pioneers project lead Anneleid Linthorst explains:
“It is wonderful to see how much fun the children have on the farm. By going through the entire process of harvesting, cooking and eating themselves, they develop a connection between the soil and what eventually appears on their plate. They take that enthusiasm home with them and can inspire their families to make more conscious choices.”
From Lelystad to Almere — and Beyond
Last year, almost 600 primary school pupils took part in the Harvest Days in Lelystad, where they learned more about the origins of their food. With the first edition in Almere, the concept is now continuing to grow. And it was not only primary school children who got involved. A total of 20 first-year students from ROC van Flevoland in Almere helped the children with the cooking activities. In this way, younger and older participants came together around food: the children harvested what was growing in the fields and then prepared it with guidance from the students — before, of course, tasting everything together.
The Almere Harvest Day was organised by Food Pioneers in collaboration with the Municipality of Almere, Stad & Natuur, Tommy Tomato, De Groene Pluk and Burgerboerderij Oosterwold. Tommy Tomato was responsible for the cooking activities, while Burgerboerderij Oosterwold and De Groene Pluk guided the children during the harvesting activities.
The next step is to develop the programme even further. In the future, the experience will already begin in the classroom, where children can learn about food and its origins through playful activities. Afterwards, they will head out into the fields themselves to learn, harvest, cook and eat. Food Pioneers’ ambition is to eventually expand the concept further, enabling children throughout the Netherlands to discover where their food comes from in this hands-on way.
