NIJmegen, gelderland, the netherlands

kook je toekomst / cook your future

The future grows in our gardens and gathers at our tables.

de toekomst groeit in onze tuinen en komt samen aan onze tafels > klik hier voor onze nederlandstalige pagina en blog.

In the heart of Nijmegen, a warm, earthy revolution is bubbling up. Cook Your Future (Kook je Toekomst) is a community-based initiative that blends the familiar rhythms of gardening, cooking, and eating with playful, accessible ways of imagining the future — all rooted in local soil, local people, and shared care.

Grounded Futures, One Meal at a Time

Inspired by organisations like Van Tuin Tot Bord, Vergroen and others, this initiative extends the magic of growing and sharing food into a soft entry point for futures thinking. It’s futures thinking without the jargon — just hands in the soil, minds open, and something bubbling on the stove. And Nijmegen is a perfect spot for this: home to community gardening and cooking networks, regenerative farms, world leading research insitutions in agriculture and food such as Wageningen University, and leading sustainable restaurants like De Nieuwe Winkel (with 2 Michelin Stars and a Michelin Green Star).

At Cook Your Future, young and old cook side by side. Newcomers and lifelong locals swap seeds and stories. And together, through food, we gently explore the futures we might want — or need — to grow.

Idea for a Pilot: Kook je Toekomst – Zomer Editie.

Over six sunny weeks, local residents are invited to join garden-to-table workshops. Each session begins with tending the communal plot, followed by shared cooking and a simple, joyful activity to spark future-thinking — like drawing tomorrow’s harvest, writing postcards from 2040, or mapping a week in a climate-resilient kitchen.

This isn’t about solving the world. It’s about practicing care, connection, and curiosity — with a wooden spoon in hand.

>>>> Call for Partners

We welcome:

- Community cooks and garden stewards

- Educators and youth workers

- Elders with stories and time

- Artists, dreamers, and down-to-earth doers

Whether you're growing potatoes or possibilities, Cook Your Future is a space for you.

Let’s sow futures you can smell, taste, and share.