lambs lettuce

Lambs lettuce, also known as mâche or corn salad, is the ultimate underdog of the salad world. It’s delicate, nutty, and looks like tiny, tender rosebuds trying to hide in the soil. And the best part? You can totally pick it yourself on several farms across the Netherlands. It’s an autumn and winter crop, picked from October to March. Grab a basket and a pair of scissors or a small knife, and prepare for the most zen-like harvest of your life.

When selecting lambs lettuce, go for fully formed, dark green rosettes that are not yet flowering. They’re small, so don’t be tempted to yank them up by the roots—it’s a farm, not a tug-of-war. Instead, use a knife or snip the stem at the base just above the soil. This keeps the leaves clean. The plant won’t grow back after you’ve cut the whole rosette, so only cut what you need. Handle the rosettes gently, as they bruise easily.

Once home, you’ll have a pile of tiny green gems. Store them unwashed in the fridge, wrapped in a damp paper towel in a perforated bag, and they’ll last 3–5 days. Wash them just before use, and do NOT drown them: lambs lettuce is fragile. Wash in a bowl of cold water, swish gently, and lift out. Spin them dry like a gentle, tiny lettuce tornado, or pat with a kitchen towel.

Now, what to do with your haul? Here are two cozy recipes that let lambs lettuce shine:

Cooking Recipes

1. Warm Lambs Lettuce & Beetroot Salad This is the one that converts skeptics. Roast 3 medium beetroots (wrapped in foil, 200°C/400°F for 50 minutes, or until tender). Let them cool enough to handle, then slip off the skins and slice into wedges. While they’re still warm, toss them with 100g of lambs lettuce, some crumbled goat’s cheese, and a handful of toasted walnuts. For the dressing: whisk 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp honey, salt, and pepper. Pour over, toss gently (lambs lettuce bruise easily—be kind!), and eat immediately. The warm beets will slightly wilt the lettuce edges, making it a hug in a bowl.

2. Lambs Lettuce Soup (Yes, soup!) This sounds weird, but trust the process. Soften one diced onion and one diced potato in butter for 5 minutes. Add 400ml vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, and cook until potato is soft. Turn off the heat and stir in 200g of lambs lettuce (yes, the whole pile). Wait 1 minute—just until wilted—then blend until smooth. Add a splash of cream or a dollop of crème fraîche. Season with nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Serve with crusty bread. You’ll get a vibrant green, nutty, unexpectedly rich soup.

Go make that salad or that soup. Happy picking!

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.

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.

CSA tuinderij Plantalia

vegetables, herbs, fruit, flowers, berries

zeeland

At CSA Tuinderij Plantalia in Ritthem, you pick your own organic vegetables, herbs and seasonal fruit from May to November. The farm grows over 40 types of vegetables, including courgettes, tomatoes, beans, carrots, beetroot, kale, spinach, leeks and various cabbages. Herbs include basil, parsley, dill, coriander and thyme. Strawberries are available in season, and the farm plans to add more fruit bushes in the future. Plantalia works on a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) model. Instead of paying per kilo, you buy a harvest share at the start of the season. This covers a weekly supply of fresh produce, which you pick yourself from the fields. Shares are available for a single month, the full season or a full year. Prices for the 2026 season start at €295 for an adult, with discounts for children. A trial month costs €45. If you prefer not to pick, the farm can harvest your share and deliver it to a collection point in Middelburg or Vlissingen for an extra fee.

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.

LOCOtuinen Maastricht

vegetables, herbs

limburg

LOCOtuinen Maastricht is a pick-your-own garden in Oud-Caberg where members grow and harvest their own organic vegetables. The farm operates as a cooperative, with participants working alongside three full-time growers—Daud, Glenn and Jannis—to produce seasonal crops without chemical pesticides or artificial fertilisers. The garden is open year-round, seven days a week from 08.00 to 20.00. Harvesting is organised through a seasonal OogstDeelAbonnement (harvest-share subscription), which runs for about 30 weeks. Subscriptions are available for households of one, two or three or more people, with prices adjusted monthly if you join after June. In 2026, a one-person share costs €295 for the full season, dropping to €42 by December. Members receive a weekly email listing what is ready to pick and how much they can take. You harvest only what you need for fresh use that week, though surplus may be available. Payment is upfront, and subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled by 1 November.