“The fresher the ingredient, the tastier the product”
08/06/26
Amidst the greenery of Stadsjochies you will find the greenhouse shop: a place full of homemade products, unusual flavours and creative experiments from its own harvest. Behind many of these products is Julia. With her love of taste, sustainability and preservation, she knows how to make the most surprising products from residual flows. From carrot jam to fig leaf sugar and from herb oil to pickles: nothing goes to waste.
We spoke to Julia about her work, favourite ingredients and why working among greenery is so special.
“I try to get as much out of our harvest as possible”
“I manage the production of produce for the greenhouse shop,” Julia explains. “I work a lot with harvest or products that the chefs no longer get around to. Then I start looking: what can I still make with this? That's actually our way of getting as much as possible out of the harvest.”
That is precisely what makes her work so much fun. “It changes here every week. We play creatively with what's available and have to move quickly. That keeps it always surprising.”
Creative freedom between harvests
What Julia likes most about her work? “The creative freedom. If I think: this looks nice, this tastes good or people are going to like this, I can get straight to work on it.”
From idea to final product, Julia thinks of everything herself. “I love thinking up a product from scratch. It has to look nice, taste good and have a long shelf life. The latter is a real challenge and actually a completely different kind of cooking.”
Whereas chefs often work with preparations in the moment, Julia's is all about preservation. “A lot of drying, extracting, pickling and infusing. How do you make something tasty, beautiful and preservable at the same time?”
From fig leaf to carrot jam
One of her favourite products? “The carrot jam,” Julia laughs. “I really spent a week watching all the carrot peels like a hawk to collect enough. In the end, such a surprisingly delicious product came out of that.”
Fig leaf is also a favourite ingredient. “That has a very unexpected coconut-vanilla flavour. You don't expect that at all from such a tree. For example, I make fig leaf sugar from it as a base for biscuits. Then you get almost matcha-like green biscuits.”
Working in the midst of greenery
According to Julia, the environment at Stadsjochies makes her work extra special. “I really enjoy going to work knowing that I am among the greenery. It feels almost idyllic. Suppose I'm making pickles and I suddenly think: I'm missing some dill. Then I walk into the greenhouse, pick a few sprigs and use it immediately.”
She says that direct connection with the greenhouse ensures better flavours. “The fresher the ingredient, the tastier the product. You literally work among the herbs, fruits, flowers and vegetables. That just makes you happy.”
Every season brings new flavours
The most fun season? Julia doesn't have to think about that for long. “This time of year, when everything starts to bloom. In winter, you work much more selectively with what's available. Then, for example, I made all kinds of things with leeks: leek oil, herb salt, soup mixes and stock powder.”
Now, on the contrary, there is an abundance of choice. “That almost gives choice stress,” she says, laughing. “Now I can incorporate 10 different ingredients into one product.”
Behind the scenes: measuring, testing and puzzling
What guests often fail to see is how much work goes behind food safety. “I'm constantly measuring things. The acidity, sugar content, shelf life... measuring is really knowing. You obviously want a product to remain safe and have a long shelf life.”
Different rules apply to each product. “Pickles, fermentation, drying or pickling: everything works differently. That is precisely what makes it interesting. It's a puzzle every time.”
During her Bachelor's degree in Food Innovation, Julia learnt all about product development. “From ground to mouth: how do you make a product that is not only tasty and beautiful, but also feasible and sustainable?”
Collaboration between cultivation, kitchen and shop
Within Stadsjochies, the growers, chefs and greenhouse shop work closely together. “The growers grow, the chefs cook with it, and I look in between to see what is left over or extra harvested. Then I start thinking about what I can make with that.”
Sometimes the best ideas arise spontaneously. “This afternoon, for example, onions were harvested. The kitchen uses the onion bulbs, but the stalks remain. Those are completely edible, so I will come up with something new with that.”
Sustainable and local
Sustainability plays a role in everything within the greenhouse shop. “We try to work with residual streams as much as possible. For example, now it's elderflower season and then we pick locally to make beautiful products from that again.”
Everything is produced in small batches. “We often make a maximum of 50 pieces of a product. Is the season over? Then it really runs out.”
What guests really shouldn't miss
According to Julia, guests should definitely not skip the greenhouse shop. “And the pickles of course,” she says immediately. “The beetroot pickles and radish pickles are real favourites. They are super tasty, have a fine texture and look great too.”
And if not? “Then you have to stop by the piglets anyway.”
New plans and experiments
Meanwhile, Julia is already full of new ideas. “I am going to make elderflower syrup soon and I would really like to develop fig leaf oil. In addition, the growers have planted extra chilli peppers especially for me, so I can make fermented hot sauce.”
Experimentation remains the most fun part of her job. “Together with Annemijn, I am also working on new kombuchas for the restaurant. For example, coffee kombucha or fig leaf kombucha. We just keep looking: what works, what tastes and what surprises?”
Always something new to discover
Those who visit the greenhouse shop never discover the same assortment twice. “That's what makes it special,” Julia explains. “Where can you find long-life products that are really completely seasonal these days? With us, the range changes almost every week.” So does something look tasty? “Take it straight away,” she laughs. “Because here, gone is really gone.”