medlars

Pick Your Own Medlars in the Netherlands: A Lazy Adventurer’s Guide

Picture this: a crisp autumn afternoon in the Dutch countryside, your fingers stained a little brown, and a basket slowly filling with what look like small, grumpy apples. You’ve discovered medlars, the forgotten fruit that demands patience and a sense of humor. They’re not pretty, they’re not instant, but they are the most rewarding “pick yourself” treasure you’ll find on several farms in the Netherlands.

The Art of the Pick & the “Blet”

Medlars have to go soft before you eat them. Seriously. You pick them from late October to November, ideally after the first frost, when they are a deep russet-brown. At that point they are hard and mouth-puckeringly astringent. Don’t panic. You’re not failing. You’re about to blet them.

To “blet” means to let them soften into a brown, mushy, almost-apple-sauce state—like a fruit having a little nap. Your job: pick the ones that are firm but not rock hard. Twist them gently from the branch, or snip a stubborn stem close to the fruit with pruning shears. Avoid any that are squishy or moldy. Bring a basket, not a plastic bag (they bruise easily), and make a day of it. Chat with the farmer, laugh at how ugly they look, and enjoy the fact you’re about to turn this weird find into something magical.

How to Use Them Once Home

First, let them sit unwashed in a single layer in a cool spot (10–15°C, such as a garage or a spare room, in a box). Check every few days; bletting takes two to three weeks. When they feel like a very ripe pear—all soft and jammy—they’re ready. The skin will be wrinkled and brown. That’s perfect. Bletted medlars spoil fast, so use them within a few days or keep them in the fridge for three to five days at most. Rinse one, cut it open, scoop out the pulp, and discard the large seeds and skin. Congratulations: you now have “medlar pulp,” a spiced, apple-like goldmine.

A Cooking Recipe

Medlar and Pork Shoulder Slow Braise

This is a Dutch-inspired winter warmer. In a heavy pot, brown a 1kg pork shoulder on all sides. Remove. Sauté 1 chopped onion and 2 cloves garlic in the same pot. Add the pulp of 10 bletted medlars (about 150g), 200ml chicken stock, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, a cinnamon stick, and a star anise. Nestle the pork back in, cover, and cook on low (150°C) for 2–2.5 hours. When the pork falls apart, shred it. The medlar adds a tangy, caramel-like depth that cuts through the meat’s richness. Serve with mashed potatoes or creamy polenta.

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.

FrankenFruit

fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs, berries

noord-brabant

FrankenFruit in Bergen op Zoom is a pick-your-own farm where visitors can harvest fruit, vegetables and flowers from mid-June to mid-November. The farm grows over a dozen varieties of apples, including Elstar, Jonagold, Pinova and Santana, as well as pears, plums, cherries, blackberries, redcurrants and gooseberries. Vegetables include pumpkins, courgettes, sugar maize, runner beans, beetroot, kale, tomatoes and white onions. The flower field offers dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, sweet peas and dried flowers, with prices per stem or bunch.

de Warmoes

fruit, vegetables, flowers, berries

gelderland

Warmoes in Lent is a historical market garden that grows over a hundred varieties of vegetables, fruit and flowers using traditional methods. The farm follows the warmoezenier way of growing, a local form of market gardening that supplied Nijmegen with fresh produce until the early 20th century. From late April to October, visitors can pick their own seasonal produce. The farm marks what is ready with red flags: vegetables such as beetroot, kohlrabi and various leafy greens, soft fruit including raspberries, blackberries and currants, and flowers from the two cutting gardens. You pay for what you pick at the counter in the café or museum. The farm provides picking tools and baskets; bring your own containers if you prefer. Children must be supervised while picking.

Moestuin Zuylestein 17e eeuwse moes- en pluktuin met landgoed winkel

fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs, berries

utrecht

Moestuin Zuylestein in Leersum is a 17th-century kitchen garden where visitors can pick their own seasonal vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers. The garden grows a mix of modern and historic varieties, including pumpkins, carrots, lettuce, beans, thyme, basil, coriander, courgettes, New Zealand spinach, Jerusalem artichokes, palm kale and potatoes. In season, there are also apples, mulberries, medlars, strawberries and soft fruit such as currants and gooseberries. Along the walls, trained fruit trees produce old varieties of apples and pears.

Stadsboerin Doetinchem

vegetables, flowers, herbs, berries

gelderland

Stadsboerin Doetinchem is a pick-your-own farm on the edge of the Kruisbergse Bossen, where you can harvest vegetables, herbs and flowers from the field. The farm grows over 50 types of produce, including tomatoes, courgettes, beans, pumpkins and leafy greens. What is ready to pick depends on the season and the harvest, so check the farm’s signs or ask the growers for guidance. You bring your own basket or bag, pick what you want, and pay at the shop.

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.