Organic Shopping in Amsterdam

Our usual party snacks.

L. and I eat a mainly organic plant based diet, raw where possible. We never eat meat or fish, but incidentally eat a bit of cheese or an egg. The Netherlands used to be bare considering organic stuff but more and more our mega grocer 'Albert Heijn' is losing ground with their traditional supermarket offer and organic shops are popping up everywhere. We are no Berlin or London yet, but we are getting there. 

Lots op people I talk to tell me that they "would love to eat more organic, but it's sooooo expensive". I agree it can be a bit more of a challenge to eat well with a small budget, but since my budget has been rather small I became an expert on eating well with a small purse. Eat local. Eat seasonal. Spend time on looking for offers. Become a member of a food coop. Befriend people who own a veggie patch, or approach people you see in a veggie patch and make a deal with them. Grow your own veggies, even if you don't have a garden or a balcony like L. and me, you can still use the windowsill to grow herbs, lettuce and peppers. 

Friend J. gave us homegrown pepper plants!

Every Saturday, L. and me go to the organic farmers market on Amsterdam's Noordermarkt to do our bulk of shopping for the coming week. We try to get there early, around 9:00, to make sure we have the best choice. We bring a lot of tote bags, because plastic totes are, finally!, not free any more in the Netherlands. We start at the best kept secret of the whole market: the €1,-/ kg bin. This is a 'second' choice bin, where you'll find, depending on the season, apples, mangoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, pears, onions, kiwis, and the odd spare veggie. All organic, great price! With a few kilo's of fruits and veggies ticked, we continue to buy leafy greens, which can be very cheap if you eat in season. It's usually well worth doing a little round first and compare prices, some stalles tend to be cheaper or have weekly offers. One trick we use is to ask for 'ripe' fruits. For some weird reason, Dutch people like their fruit unripe (?!) and so ripe fruit is usually stowed away somewhere and you can buy it at discount prices. We ended up with a few kilo's of bananas for only €3,- once, which transformed into nice cream and smoothies quite fast! There is also an amazing herb stall with fresh herbs, dried herbs en home made (raw) condiments. They have fresh ginger, turmeric and smoked garlic too. We usually buy some rocket and other greens in season, smoked garlic (great flavoring for every dish) and 'salsa verde'. Other favorite stalls are two raw/superfood stalls, the mushroom stall and bakery 'Van Menno' where we buy the incidental treat, usually half a sourdough spelt boule. 

Farmersmarket best kept secret: €1,- / kg bin!

We are spoiled, because on Wednesdays, we have another organic farmers market in the neighborhood, this time on the Haarlemmerplein. A lot less choice and usually a bit more expensive than the Saturday market but still cheaper than the organic supermarkets so great to get some greens during the week. There is a nice cheese stall, which I usually avoid but they bring their rabbits sometimes for the children to cuddle. In general I am not a big fan of 'pets' but I make a grand exception for bunnies when they are well kept, and get in line for a cuddle with the kiddies whenever they are there! 

Our other main food supplier is our food coop. L. and I became members since we got back from Morocco and every two weeks there is a pickup day for bulk goods ordered online. We get our dried goods from here, nuts, lentils, beans etc. Sometimes there is a dinner option, 3 course menu for only €4,- and its a great way to meet nice people that are into organic food. The food coop gets us goods for cost price + 5% = cheap! There are a lot of food coops around, in Amsterdam I know 3 already so I'm sure there is one near you too you can get involved in. Everything is run by volunteers. 

For everything else, we go to Ekoplaza. This is the biggest chain of organic supermarkets in the Netherlands. Our local outlet has great staff and very good offers, which change every Wednesday. The selection of products is open to suggestion, so for example now they stock coconut yoghurt because we asked for it. This shop has a 'second choice' section too, which offers fruits and veggies at 50% discount. 

Around the corner of our house, there is a very special shop called Salsamentum, de zoutkamer. This is a shop dedicated to salt. They stock salt from every corner of the world and have a lot of knowledge about which salt you need for specific goals. Buy a kilo of Celtic Seasalt for only €3,-. They sell home made cakes, bread and treats too. 

And then there is of course our environment which provides us with free fruits and veggies especially during the summer and autumn. I'm not going to reveal the spots but there is a lot of nettle, watercress, arugula and blackberries in our direct neighborhood. Get a copy of a book on wild edibles and check out your own environment for free goodies!

Homegrown chard. 

I'm not a big superfood fan but I like to make sure I get all my vitamins and minerals. If L. and I need supplements, we buy them at Unlimited Health. This amazing centre is a great place for yoga, raw food and they have a great shop with supplements, superfoods, juicers, books, cosmetic and raw treats. They have infrared sauna's and offer magnesium baths and colon cleanses too. 

L. and I don't use any cosmetics either, only essential oils and Dr. Bronners soaps. We buy those at Lavendula, a wonderful organic / natural chemist. You will also find supplements, make-up, shampoo, body lotions, dental care products etcetera. They also sell diva cups and ear candles. 

These are my tips for organic shopping in Amsterdam so far, do you have any additions? Please comment below!

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