Desire To Leave

Last week, we were watching an episode of "Ik Vertrek" (I'm Leaving), a Dutch TV program that follows people who emigrate to another country. The desire to do the same creeps up on us almost daily, but watching a program like this makes it even stronger. In those moments, we see so clearly that things can be different from what they are in the Netherlands right now. And yes, of course, it won't all be rosy in other countries either, but what strikes us most is that people often seem much happier there. We also often notice that in countries like France, Spain, and Italy (those are the countries we feature most often), you can still buy truly beautiful, fresh vegetables at charming markets. That's a stark contrast to the weekly market in our village. And the last large market I visited didn't have the best selection either. There, too, the fresh vegetables looked more like dried-out vegetables from last year.

Veggies and Fruits Are Healthy

Healthy eating is the advice everyone gets. And of course, that goes without saying. But how on earth are you going to achieve that when there's far too little supply of REALLY healthy food, which also tastes good and isn't full of plastic? More vegetables, more fruit, less processed food, less plastic. It sounds so fantastic. You could almost start believing it, until you walk into the supermarket for your weekly groceries.

Forced To Buy At The Supermarkets

Our income is low by Dutch standards. It's only a fraction more than welfare benefits. This also means we can't go to places that sell organically grown fruits and vegetables. So we're forced to buy our groceries at the supermarkets. And that's a real nightmare these days! What they sell in those stores these days is practically unbelievable. An example? Well, three times recently, we bought bell peppers that looked like they'd been plucked straight off the cover of a vegetable magazine. They looked beautiful, bright red, felt nice and firm, and were shiny after being washed. Everything seemed fine. Only when we got home, and after cutting them open, did we regret it three times in a row. The beautiful, flawless peppers turned out to be completely rotten inside. A waste of our money, but even more of a shame that they're on sale in the store like that.

Mold On The Peppers

Another example, again with peppers. There's always one of those so-called "value packs." Three peppers wrapped in plastic for between €2 and €3.50. The price depends on the season, of course. But sometimes you can even see the mold on the crowns of those peppers waving at you through the plastic. And yet, it's just sitting there on the shelf. So either they're not paying attention, or someone has decided: "Oh well, just put it down, maybe no one will see."

Flexible Watery Cucumbers

I have no idea how things are with your cucumbers these days. I love cucumbers, but I do prefer a cucumber with flavor. Not one that makes me think I'm eating a crisp glass of water. That's what cucumbers are these days in the Netherlands, and you pay a premium for them... sometimes they're sold for 39 euro cents. But those cucumbers have no crunch left, they're as flexible as a garden hose, and still tasteless.

A Veggie Wall Of Plastic

But if you think all this sounds ridiculous, let me guide you to the biggest hypocrisy in the supermarket. If you want to buy fresh fruit or vegetables from the supermarket, you naturally need something to carry them in. Previously, there were always plastic bags at supermarkets. You picked what you needed, put it in your plastic bag, and then you could weigh it. Nowadays, such plastic bags are prohibited in the produce department. For a short while, they had paper bags... but even those have disappeared from most supermarkets now. You're supposed to buy a reusable mesh bag and lug it around every time you go grocery shopping. You can buy a reusable mesh bag for 1.50 euros here at the supermarket. But you know, the big downside is that these are such open-weave mesh bags, and they're made of... yes, plastic! So single-use plastic bags aren't allowed, but reusable plastic mesh bags are... Too bad for the government, many people don't want those reusable plastic mesh bags.

No. Just NO!

Because of the open-weave structure of these things, bacteria can pass right through. And hey, you're walking around with your shopping cart, and everyone's hands are touching it. Cleaning those carts only happened during the coronavirus pandemic. These days, you shouldn't be surprised if the crumbs from the person in front of you's cheese sandwich are still on the handle. And then I'm supposed to put my fruits and vegetables in an open-weave plastic bag? No. Just no.

Expensive, Not Fresh, And Lots Of Plastic

The result of this policy: we rarely buy fresh fruits and vegetables anymore. It's easy. Only at supermarkets, where we sometimes see something fresh that appeals to us, and where we can grab a paper or plastic bag from the bread section so we don't have to fiddle with a reusable plastic mesh bag. Honestly, the selection here already wasn't exactly great, but now it's even easier to just leave it there. And before you know it, you're home with more prepackaged veggies; after all, we need vegetables and, if possible, some fruit. Here's a quick example. Let's take pre-cut carrots—wrapped in plastic, of course! 250 grams already costs three times as much as a whole 1-kilo bunch of carrots. But hey, you don't have to wash and peel them anymore. So it's probably worth the premium, right? The extra plastic is a bonus.

Supermarkets Are Happy

The choices are becoming increasingly limited, but also more expensive. Because they're getting so expensive, you take less with you than you need, so it's also becoming unhealthier. There's an upside to that; it's sometimes quite convenient. The biggest downside is that it makes the supermarket very happy. More profit for the supermarket, which ultimately makes the government happy too, because more goes to the treasury. Citizens are left with less and less, and the environment isn't helped at all. But hey... who cares about those last two?

Save The Planet

Meanwhile, posters hang up in the store saying "Eat 250 grams of vegetables a day" and "Choose consciously." Yep, right! A very conscious choice between moldy bell peppers and a flexible hose sold as a cucumber. The ban on bags in the produce section is presented as if we're going to save the planet. Meanwhile, the plastic mountain of prepackaged meats, snacks, ready-made meals, and convenience vegetables continues to grow merrily.

Grow Our Own Veggies

The solution? In the summer, we grow as much as possible ourselves. Not just to save money, but because it simply tastes good. A tomato from your garden smells like a tomato. You don't even have to smell it to know. Something I haven't seen in the supermarket in ages: a tomato that smells and tastes like one. The beans are now growing up their vines, and the apples are turning a beautiful red. 20 kilos of plums have already been harvested, the blackberries are growing well, and I'll be picking some up soon. We've harvested plenty of raspberries and have already processed them. Blueberries, gooseberries, and currants have all been harvested and processed. Bell peppers were unfortunately put in the wrong place, but we can eat fresh lovage and parsley every day. The Infinity Peppers are growing enormously, and our strawberries have been producing fruit since the beginning of May and show no signs of stopping. We could do so much more if we had more land... and our entire garden wasn't paved over.

Truly Fresh and Delicious

Despite all the frustrations and setbacks, growing our food gives us a sense of control and satisfaction that you simply don't find in the supermarket anymore. It's not perfect, and we're not always in a good place, but it is real. Truly fresh, truly delicious, and above all: truly ours.

Back To Basics

Maybe we should all get back to basics a little more. Less reliance on those seemingly endless shelves full of plastic packaging and spoiled peppers. More outdoors, more sowing, more harvesting. And yes, that requires some patience and courage — but hey, what have you got to lose?

Until then, I'll stick to my tomatoes, beans, and those endless strawberry plants. Because if the supermarket doesn't deliver, we'll deliver ourselves. At least that's something without plastic in between.