We are the champions - ah champignons

26/07/11

We are the champions – ah actually  champignons!

Had a great day spent with the Verdellen side of the family. This morning Albert and I went to Prime Champ – one of the largest mushroom/champignons producers in Netherlands and owned by my cousins. Peter showed us around and we learned all about the production of mushrooms – from getting the compost ready with horse manure in Belgium to placing the mushroom spores in corn seeds and how long it takes for the mushrooms to sprout and the 3 pickings of the mushrooms in climate controlled environments. Then we got to put on the scrubs and go through the mushroom production rooms and the see the long beds of the white pillowy fungus. The number and size of the champignons was incredible – thousands of tonnes a day and the brown guys are 10% less productive but earn 20% more.  Got some great pics and cleaned my shoes many times in and out of each ‘mushroom nursery room.’

After a lunch break I met up with my cousin Jack who I fondly remember just showing up unexpectedly in Toowoomba about 15 years ago. I missed seeing him in Horst in 06 and was hoping he and his family would be around this time. I was fortunate that they were around as he likes to jet about and I went over to their place. Nice farm and horses too. I met their daughter Kim and then we went on a fun expedition grocery shopping and filling the trolley with whatever we felt like.  

We took their German shepherd for a walk through a ‘Dutch forest’ and went to the pond before heading out to dinner at an all you can eat place a little like Sizzler but better – you picked your meat and veges and they stir fried or cooked it for you there- tepenyaki style. I got to have my fill of red meat – lamb chops and steak, veges, noodles and some grat dessert – chocolate mousse and soft serve ice-cream.

Really enjoyed their company, reminiscing on former times, sharing about my trip and catching up. Before I started my trip I was really looking forward to the Holy Land as a place and all the sites I would see. But now I think the Nederlands with my family will be one of the harder places to leave. Which makes sense – places and things to see are fantastic and it’s great I can say I’ve been up the Eiffel Tower and Jung Frau and the Coliseum but things aren’t important in the end. Life’s all about relationships and to think there are so many people here that I’m related to, are my family.  I love to be surrounded by my family, it is something I definitely missed growing up in Australia – being surrounded my grand parents, aunts and uncles and some of my 50 or so cousins, as Australia was a new country for my parents. As well as not having an idea in mind as to when I’ll be back or when or if I’ll get to see some of my relatives again. Therefore I need to really enjoy every moment – soak it in and make the most of my time with the Hanssens.