radicchio

Pick Your Own Radicchio in the Netherlands: A Bitterly Fun Adventure

Forget tulips for a moment. There’s a different kind of treasure waiting for you in the Dutch fields: radicchio. This gorgeous, ruby-red chicory isn’t just for fancy salads—it’s a vegetable with attitude. And the best part? You can grab a knife, a basket, and a few friends (or the kids) and head to a pluktuin (pick-your-own farm) to harvest it yourself.

The Hunt & The Pick

Radicchio is an autumn crop: in the Netherlands you pick it from September to November. It forms a compact head with dramatic white veins running through deep burgundy leaves. A good head is firm, fully colored and tightly packed; skip heads with loose, wilting or browning leaves or a flower stalk. When you find a good one, don’t yank. Take a sharp knife or garden shears and cut the head at the base, just above the soil, leaving the root in the ground (the plant does not regrow). Give it a gentle shake to free any dirt and handle it carefully so the leaves don’t bruise. The leaves should be crisp, not wilted; picking in the cool morning helps.

The Group Dynamic

This is a perfect activity for a Saturday. You can make it a competition: Who finds the roundest head? The most dramatic red-and-white contrast? Or you can just wander with a coffee in hand, chatting while your basket fills. Kids love the “hunt,” and they’re more likely to eat something they’ve picked themselves.

Once You’re Home: How to Use It

Raw, radicchio is peppery and pleasantly bitter; the inner leaves are milder than the outer ones. Cooked, it becomes mellower, with a velvety texture. Store it unwashed, wrapped in a damp paper towel in a plastic bag in the fridge, where it keeps for 5–7 days. Rinse the leaves just before use. Here’s how to make the most of your haul.

Two Cooking Recipes

1. Grilled Radicchio with Balsamic Glaze & Parmesan
The simplest, most impressive way to serve it.

Ingredients: 2 heads of radicchio (halved lengthwise), 3 tbsp olive oil, salt, black pepper, 2 tbsp balsamic glaze (or reduce balsamic vinegar), shaved Parmesan, a handful of walnuts (optional).
Method: Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Brush the cut sides of the radicchio with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill cut-side down for 3–4 minutes until charred and wilted. Flip and grill the other side for 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Drizzle with balsamic glaze, top with shaved Parmesan and walnuts. Serve warm as a side to steak or roast chicken.

2. Radicchio & Gorgonzola Risotto
A creamy, indulgent dinner that uses the bitterness beautifully.

Ingredients: 1 cup arborio rice, 1 small onion (finely chopped), 2 tbsp butter, ½ cup dry white wine, 4 cups warm vegetable broth, 1 head radicchio (shredded), ½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola, ¼ cup grated Parmesan, salt, pepper.
Method: In a large pan, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat. Cook onion until soft (5 min). Add rice, stir 1 minute. Pour in wine, stir until absorbed. Add broth one ladle at a time, stirring, until rice is creamy (about 18 min). Halfway through, stir in shredded radicchio. When rice is done, remove from heat, fold in Gorgonzola, Parmesan, and remaining butter. Season. Serve immediately—the pink streaks from the radicchio look stunning.

'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.

Stadsboerderij Koppelsteede | Utrecht Natuurlijk

vegetables, herbs, flowers

utrecht

Stadsboerderij Koppelsteede in Utrecht runs a pick-your-own garden where visitors harvest seasonal vegetables, herbs and edible flowers from June to mid-November. The garden grows over 50 different crops, including familiar varieties such as peas, maize, tomatoes and lettuce, alongside less common ones like palm kale, New Zealand spinach and radicchio. Each week, five to seven types of vegetables are ready to pick, along with fresh herbs and flowers. The farm operates on a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. Visitors buy an annual share, which covers the costs of seeds, plants, compost and the grower’s work. In return, they harvest their own produce weekly. Shares are sold at three price levels: a basic rate, a standard rate that covers costs, and a higher rate for those who want to support others. Payment can be made in one or two instalments, and the U-pas discount applies.

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.

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.