honeyberries

Pick Your Own Honeyberries: A Sweet Dutch Adventure

Forget the supermarket—get your hands dirty and taste the real magic of honeyberries. These beautiful, elongated blue-purple gems look like oversized blueberries but pack a tangy-sweet punch all their own. In the Netherlands, several farms invite you to come and pick your own bucketful, and it’s an experience you’ll want to share.

The fun of picking them
Grab a basket and wander down the low, shrubby rows. Honeyberries ripen early, from late May to early July, depending on the variety. The best ones are deep blue with a light bloom (that dusty sheen). Gently roll a berry between your fingers—if it slides off the stem without a fight, it’s ready. Leave the green, hard ones on the shrub, and don’t squeeze: the berries bruise easily, so use a small basket rather than a deep bucket. Pop one in your mouth, and let that burst of sweet-tart flavor surprise you. It’s perfect for a relaxed afternoon with friends or kids: no bending too low, no thorns, and lots of laughter when someone’s fingers turn purple. “Just one more” becomes a full bucket in no time.

At home: what to do with your haul
Keep them in the fridge in a breathable, paper towel-lined box and rinse them only just before eating; they stay good for 3 to 5 days. Honeyberries are incredibly versatile. Eat them fresh by the handful, toss them into yogurt or oatmeal, or freeze them for later. But if you want to get creative, here are some ideas.

Two Cooking Recipes

1. Honeyberry & Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Fluffy, tangy, and perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
¾ cup milk
½ cup ricotta cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup honeyberries (fresh or frozen)
Butter for frying

Mix dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk egg, milk, ricotta, and lemon zest. Combine wet and dry until just mixed (lumps are fine). Gently fold in honeyberries. Cook on a buttered griddle over medium heat, flipping when bubbles form. Serve with a drizzle of honey and extra berries.

2. Honeyberry & Balsamic Glazed Chicken
Sweet, savory, and impressively easy—perfect for a summer dinner.

4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
Salt & pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small shallot, diced
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup honeyberries
Fresh thyme sprigs

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high, then sear chicken skin-side down until golden. Flip, add shallot, and cook 1 minute. Whisk balsamic and honey, pour around chicken. Add honeyberries and thyme. Transfer to 375°F (190°C) oven for 20–25 minutes. Let rest, then spoon the glossy berry sauce over each piece.

Fruithof De struikrover

fruit, berries, flowers, vegetables, herbs

friesland

Fruithof de Struikrover in Oldeholtpade is a pick-your-own farm growing over 20 types of fruit, mostly berries. The main crops are blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries, along with less common varieties such as tayberries, honeyberries, aronia berries, jostaberries, Japanese wineberries, elderberries, rosehips, gooseberries, quinces, medlars, sea buckthorn and figs. The farm also has flowers for picking, including marigolds, cornflowers and sunflowers. The farm is open for picking from mid-June to mid-September, with the season running on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 09.00 to 17.00. Outside the picking season, the farm is open on Saturdays for buying cuttings, shrubs, seeds and young plants. All produce is grown organically without pesticides.

Pluktuin van Geesje

fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs, berries, nuts

noord-holland

Pluktuin van Geesje in Oudkarspel is a pick-your-own farm where visitors harvest fruit, vegetables, flowers and oyster mushrooms directly from the fields and orchards. The farm grows over 30 varieties of apples and pears, along with plums, hazelnuts, walnuts, and soft fruit such as raspberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries and strawberries. Vegetables include beans, peas, pumpkins, courgettes and leafy greens like rocket. Flowers available for picking include dahlias, sunflowers and mixed bouquets.

De Jachthoeve

fruit, flowers, berries

gelderland

De Jachthoeve in Wekerom is a pick-your-own farm with a fruit orchard and flower field. From June to November, visitors can pick their own fruit, including strawberries, raspberries, red, white and green gooseberries, red, black and blue currants, kiwi berries, honeyberries, blackberries, tayberries, boysenberries and plums. The farm also grows flowers for picking until the first frost. You pick fruit directly from the plants and pay for what you take. The farm provides picking baskets, and scissors are available for cutting flowers. The fruit is also sold in the farm shop, along with homemade jams and dessert sauces made from the orchard’s produce. If you want a larger quantity, you can call ahead to arrange it.

Fruittuin van West

fruit, berries, nuts

noord-holland

Fruittuin van West in Amsterdam is a pick-your-own farm where visitors can harvest over 30 varieties of fruit from June to mid-October. The orchard grows apples, pears, cherries, plums, berries (blackcurrants, redcurrants, whitecurrants, gooseberries, blueberries, jostaberries and kiwi berries), raspberries, blackberries, tayberries, loganberries, Japanese wineberries, grapes, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, almonds, walnuts, chestnuts, pecans and hazelnuts. Each variety ripens at different times, extending the season. The farm also cultivates mushrooms and witloof (Belgian endive) year-round in its underground growing space, though these are not available for picking.

Boerderij de Oude Ruif

fruit, vegetables, herbs, berries

utrecht

Boerderij de Oude Ruif in Stoutenburg is a pick-your-own farm where visitors harvest their own fruit, vegetables and herbs. The season runs from late May until the end of September, with the widest choice in summer. You can pick soft fruit such as raspberries, blackberries, red, white and blackcurrants, tayberries, honeyberries and Japanese wineberries. The farm also grows apples, pears and plums, though the trees are still young. Vegetables include lettuce, beetroot, carrots, cabbages, courgettes and pumpkins, alongside a range of herbs. In autumn, late-ripening crops like blackberries and autumn raspberries extend the season.

Plukbos Paardenspeelwei

fruit, vegetables, berries, nuts

gelderland

Plukbos Paardenspeelwei in Velp is a small public picking garden where children and adults can gather fruit, nuts and berries directly from the plants. The garden was created in 2021 on a corner of the Paardenspeelwei, a nature playground opened in 2012 for local families. The garden grows over 40 edible species, including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, apples, pears, plums, hazelnuts, walnuts and quinces. There are also less common fruits such as pawpaws, persimmons (kaki), honeyberries and jostaberries. The plants are arranged in a way that encourages biodiversity and improves the soil, with nitrogen-fixing shrubs like the autumn olive (olijfwilg) mixed in.