chicory

So, you’ve decided to go chicory picking. Excellent choice. The pale, tightly packed little torpedoes you know as Belgian endive (witlof) are forced indoors in the dark, so you won’t usually find them on a pick-your-own farm. In the field you pick their outdoor cousins: deep-red radicchio, big conical sugarloaf and loose, leafy endive. Picking them is a gentle art. You don’t yank—you cut. Crouch down and cut the head off at the base with a sharp knife. Look for firm, compact heads and leaves without a flowering stalk, which makes them bitter. With leafy endive you can also cut just the outer leaves and leave the heart to regrow. Radicchio and sugarloaf are at their best from September to November, endive from June to October.

Bring friends or family. Compete for the biggest head. Fill your basket with these crisp, faintly bitter beauties, and head home smelling like earth.

Once You’re Home

Chicory is a fridge-friendly hero. Don’t wash it until you use it. Wrap radicchio and sugarloaf in a damp paper towel in a plastic bag, and they’ll keep for 5–7 days; leafy endive keeps for 3–5 days. The bitterness is its signature—pair it with something sweet, creamy, or salty to balance the palate. You can eat it raw, grilled, braised, or even baked.

Two Cooking Recipes

1. Braised Chicory with Ham & Cheese (Chicory Gratin)

A classic Dutch comfort dish, perfect for a rainy evening.

Ingredients (serves 2–3):

4–6 heads of chicory (halved lengthwise)
4 slices of cooked ham
100g grated cheese (Gouda or Gruyère)
25g butter
200ml milk (or cream)
1 tbsp flour
Salt, pepper, nutmeg

Instructions:

Steam or blanch the chicory halves in salted water for 3 minutes (lessens bitterness). Drain well.
Wrap each chicory half with a half-slice of ham. Place in a buttered baking dish.
Make a quick béchamel: melt butter, stir in flour, slowly add milk, whisk until thick. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
Pour sauce over the ham-wrapped chicory. Sprinkle generously with cheese.
Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Serve with boiled potatoes or crusty bread.

2. Raw Chicory & Orange Salad with Walnuts

Bright, fresh, and takes five minutes.

Ingredients:

3–4 heads of chicory, leaves separated
1 orange (peeled, sliced into rounds or segments)
A handful of walnuts, toasted
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Arrange chicory leaves on a plate like a flower.
Tuck orange segments and walnut pieces between the leaves.
Whisk honey, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper. Drizzle over salad.
Serve immediately. The bitterness and sweet citrus make perfect partners.

Tea Recipe (made from the root)

Roasted Chicory Root Tea

Caffeine-free, with a roasted, coffee-like taste.

Ingredients:

1–2 tsp dried, roasted chicory root (loose or in a tea bag)
1 cup boiling water
Optional: honey, milk, or a slice of lemon

Instructions:

Place chicory root in a teapot or infuser.
Pour boiling water over it.
Steep for 5–7 minutes (longer = stronger, more bitter).
Strain. Add honey, a splash of milk, or lemon to taste.

Drink it plain for a roasted, nutty note, or treat it like a coffee substitute with warm milk.

So go on—grab a basket, a friend, and a sense of adventure. Chicory awaits.

'T Leeuweriksveld

vegetables, berries, herbs

drenthe

At ’t Leeuweriksveld in Emmen you pick your own vegetables and herbs from April to October. The farm grows a wide variety of seasonal produce, including leafy greens like spinach, lettuce, and kale, root vegetables such as carrots, beetroot, and parsnips, and crops like beans, peas, and courgettes. Herbs like basil, parsley, and oregano are also available for picking. The selection changes throughout the season, with early crops like radishes and spring onions giving way to tomatoes, peppers, and pumpkins later in the year.

Sfeer van Willems

fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs, berries

gelderland

At Sfeer van Willems in Wijchen, visitors pick their own seasonal vegetables, herbs, and soft fruit from a one-hectare plot. The farm grows over 40 varieties, including spinach, kale, leeks, courgettes, tomatoes, aubergines, strawberries, and an assortment of herbs like basil, dill, and coriander. The selection changes with the season—spring brings early greens and radishes, while autumn offers pumpkins, Brussels sprouts, and root vegetables. A weekly email or on-site notice board lists what’s ready for harvest.

Moestuin Leyduin

fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs, berries

noord-holland

Moestuin Leyduin in Vogelenzang is a pick-your-own vegetable garden where visitors harvest seasonal produce directly from the fields. The farm grows around fifty types of vegetables, including pumpkins, beets, lettuce, fennel, kale, herbs, and root vegetables like carrots and parsnips, as well as twenty varieties of herbs, soft fruit, apples, pears, and flowers. The selection changes weekly depending on what is ready to pick. The farm operates on a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. Participants buy a harvest share at the start of the season, choosing from three price tiers (€339, €399, or €449 in 2026) to ensure affordability. In return, they visit the garden each week during the harvest season—from mid-April to mid-November—to pick their own vegetables. The harvest is shared among all participants: if the yield is low, everyone takes home less; if it is abundant, there is more to go around. The farm does not use chemical fertilisers or pesticides, focusing instead on natural soil health and biodiversity.

De Wickevoorter Stadsboeren

vegetables, flowers, herbs, berries

noord-holland

De Wickevoorter Stadsboeren in Cruquius is a pick-your-own organic farm where you harvest vegetables, herbs and flowers directly from the fields. The main season runs from mid-May until Christmas, with limited winter harvests in January and February. You can pick daily from sunrise to sunset. The farm operates as a self-harvest garden (zelfoogsttuin), a form of community-supported agriculture. You pay a fixed fee at the start of the season and then harvest your own produce whenever you choose. Around 50 to 60 types of vegetables are grown each season, along with fresh herbs. A separate flower field is open from July to the end of September, where you can pick seasonal blooms. The farm also offers a vegetable crate scheme, with weekly boxes of seasonal produce available for collection.

het Proefveld

fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs, berries

groningen

At Zelfoogsttuin de Proefvelden in Haren, you pick your own vegetables, herbs, fruit, flowers and mushrooms from late May until December. The farm grows a wide range of seasonal produce, including potatoes, strawberries, beans, courgettes, carrots, beetroot, various types of cabbage, spinach, lettuce, radishes, leeks, onions, pumpkins and herbs such as basil, parsley, mint, rosemary and thyme. There are also soft fruits like raspberries, blackberries, red and white currants, and flowers including marigolds.