If you visit the Netherlands, you will see a lot of wooden shoe gifts to purchase. The citizens wore wooden shoes for centuries. Wooden shoes had many advantages for gardening and outdoor wear - less expensive than leather at the time, insulated to keep feet cool in summer and warm and winter, protective if tool dropped, and water resistant. When we visited Michigan with young kids, we visited a wooden shoe factory and watched the woodworking. A later trip took us to another woodworking factory tour.
The largest wooden bowl factory actually resides in the United States, not the Netherlands. I recommend you visit the Holland Bowl Mill in Holland, Michigan. It first began as the Wooden Shoe Factory by Chester. HBM began in 1984 and now led by Chester's great grandson. It's now the largest commercial wooden bowl manufacturer in the country and you can take a tour. We began by watching the Discover and Science Channels 'How It's Made" 2007 episode for background. In the factory, we saw all the steps from cutting the fresh log wood to bowl blanks to bowl turning to smoothing. Factory employees answered questions and we marveled at how one log could turn into multiple nested bowls. It looked like a process minimizing waste. Later research confirmed their zero waste philosophy. The company demands select cutting, choosing larger trees (min. 16" diameter) to leave smaller trees to grow. Hardwoods including cherry, walnut, beech, maple, and red oak grow and harvest from Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. Leftover wood from bowls turn into other wood products such as cutting boards and utensils. Shavings have a use as horse bedding.
After the tour, you can browse the company store. While some discounts exist, don't expect cheap products. These bowls are handmade with no seams or glue and protected with a mineral and bees oil preserver. You can take care of your bowl with coconut oil. Don't place your bowl in the dishwasher. With so many unique bowls with different colors and grain patterns, it took time to choose just one. They serve as heirloom gifts. At no extra cost, I had a bowl engraved as a gift to my husband with our wedding date. Holland Bowl Mill provides a lifetime guarantee for their products.
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