chinese cabbage

Chinese cabbage, also known as Napa cabbage, is a surprisingly delightful farm-fresh adventure waiting for you in the Netherlands. Forget the sad, wrapped supermarket version; picking your own is a crisp, satisfying experience. On several Dutch farms, you’ll find rows of these elongated, pale green heads, looking like plump, friendly aliens from a vegetable planet.

The Perfect Picking Party

The main season is late summer to autumn, from August to October; some farms also have early varieties in April and May. First, dress for the weather—Dutch fields can be breezy! Wear boots and bring a sharp knife or garden shears. Once you spot a head that’s firm and heavy for its size, give it a gentle squeeze. You want it dense, not spongy; loose or yellowing leaves mean it is past its best. To harvest, pull back the large outer leaves (which you can also use for compost or stock) and cut the stem cleanly at the base. The satisfying thwack is your reward. The plant does not grow back, so one cut is all it takes. Doing this with friends? Make it a competition for the most perfect, tightest head.

What to do with your glorious haul? Wash the cabbage just before you use it. Wrapped loosely in a damp cloth or a perforated bag in the crisper drawer of the fridge, it keeps for one to two weeks. The possibilities are endless, but here are a few star ideas.

Cooking Recipe 1: Crispy Korean-Style Pancakes This is the ultimate “I’m too tired to cook proper dinner” victory dish.

Chop your cabbage into thin shreds (about 3 cups).
In a bowl, mix 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 egg, ½ cup water, and a pinch of salt into a batter.
Stir in the cabbage and some chopped spring onions.
Heat a generous glug of oil in a frying pan. Pour in the batter, spread it thin. Fry until golden and crispy (about 4 mins per side).
Serve with a dipping sauce: soy sauce, rice vinegar, a dash of sesame oil, and a pinch of sugar. Crunchy, savory, and ridiculously good.

Cooking Recipe 2: Braised Cabbage with Ginger & Soy A cozy, warming dish for a rainy Dutch day.

Cut your cabbage into wedges (from top to root).
In a large pot, sauté 1 tbsp grated ginger and 2 cloves minced garlic in oil.
Add the wedges, cut side down. Let them sear for 2 minutes.
Pour in ¼ cup soy sauce, 1 tbsp brown sugar, and ½ cup water.
Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the core is tender.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Eats like a hug from inside a pot.

Klein Alma

vegetables, flowers, herbs

groningen

Tuinderij Klein Alma in Bedum is a pick-your-own vegetable garden where visitors harvest their own produce directly from the fields. The farm grows around forty types of vegetables, including Chinese cabbage, lettuce, leeks, beans, tomatoes, courgettes, carrots, beetroot, kale and pumpkins. The harvest season runs for about 32 weeks, roughly from spring to late autumn, with different crops available each week. Examples include broad beans and fennel in early summer, tomatoes and potatoes in late summer, and kale and parsnips in autumn.

'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.

Oogstland

vegetables, herbs

drenthe

Oogstland in Zuidlaren is a community-supported regenerative vegetable garden where members pick their own produce. The garden grows a wide variety of seasonal vegetables, herbs and small fruits, including familiar crops like carrots, lettuce, beans, courgettes, pumpkins and cabbage, as well as less common varieties such as meiraap, radicchio and chioggia beetroot. Membership works through a harvest share system. For the 2026 season, a full share costs €325, covering weekly access from mid-May to mid-December. Members receive a weekly email listing what is ready to harvest and where to find it in the garden. Picking is self-service, available any day from sunrise to sunset. Children under five pick for free; older children pay a reduced rate. Members bring their own bags or crates and a knife to harvest without damaging the plants. The garden operates on trust, with guidelines to ensure fair sharing among all members.

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.