Potato salad with purple garlic buds, lasagna with nasturtium flowers, lemon thyme brownies.

A lunch in the greenhouse at farm De Kruiderie near Bruges in Belgium celebrates herbs and flowers of all colors and shapes.

Rooibos lemonade with edible flowers fills the glasses, the sun shines through the panes.

An idyllic place that surpasses itself: Not only is the herb farm one of the few in the region that grows organic herbs;

it also helps people with mental or physical illnesses to find meaning and joy in life again.

"In the beginning, this was a bit of a hippie project," says Wim Vercoutter, manager and trained gardener.

The man in the checked shirt and with a full beard points to the colorful meadows behind him.

And tells how the farm was founded more than 40 years ago by three people who quickly became famous.

Back then, organic vegetables were still considered something special.

As the work increased, they applied for government grants, which were approved, adding a social claim to the environmental claim.

“The focus of the project is to support people who, for various reasons, have difficulties in getting work.

It can be anorexia, depression or drug abuse.” Here, just 20 minutes by car from the city, these people find meaningful employment and structure in life.

About 15 people in treatment and five other volunteers from around the world work on the farm.

"They get their confidence back, they get a boost in their self-esteem, they develop and then hopefully they can move on," said Vercoutter.

In addition to him, who studied agriculture, there are three other team members with a degree in social affairs.

People with a disease live in the area and have visitors once a week to talk.

"You work here

In the greenhouse next door, the employees sort the plant pots with herbs, sit together and talk.

The entire operation of the farm is geared towards working with the sick: In the beginning it was still about cultivating 13 hectares.

The work became more and more, but of course you didn't want to overwhelm anyone.

"But since we had to deliver a certain amount of vegetables, we worked late into the night so that we could still send the people to be treated home at 4 p.m.." At the same time, the prices for vegetables were lower than for herbs.

The solution?

Giving up vegetables and specializing in herbs and flowers.

"We try to make the work work in a way that's appropriate for the people," explains Vercoutter.

The most important requirement: a pleasant working atmosphere.

So the work is slowly increased, at first one day a week, then two, three or four days.

“We adjust the amount of work to the number of people.

If there are only 10 people, they only plant or harvest a certain amount of herbs, and the next week when there are more, you can do more.” The type of work also depends on needs and skills.

Those who cannot write or do arithmetic work more with their hands, in the garden or in the fields.

Those with physical limitations such as back problems plant the seeds in the pots.

"We vary the work depending on