yacón

Grab a basket—we’re going yacón picking in the Netherlands! This crisp, sweet, and slightly apple-meets-watermelon root vegetable is a bit of a rare treasure, but a handful of Dutch farms now grow it and invite you to pick your own.

The Picking Party
Yacón grows as a tall plant (1.5–2.5 m) with large leaves and small yellow flowers, but the real magic hides underground: clusters of knobby, brown- to purple-skinned tubers. They are dug in October and November, when the foliage yellows and dies back. Grab a friend or the whole family—it’s a bit of a treasure hunt. Dig carefully around the base with a fork or spade, then cut the tubers from the plant at the base of the stem. They grow in bunches and bruise easily, so handle them with care.

At Home: Prep & Play
Give your yacón a good scrub—you can peel it, but the skin is thin and edible. The texture is like a water chestnut crossed with an apple. Perfect for crunching raw in salads, dipping in hummus, or slicing into sticks for kids. Wash yacón only just before use, and store it in a paper or mesh bag in a cool, dark, airy place (not the fridge); it keeps for two to four weeks.

Two Cooking Recipes

1. Yacón & Apple Slaw with Honey-Lime Dressing

2 medium yacón, peeled and julienned
1 green apple, julienned
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 handful fresh cilantro or mint
3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp honey (or agave)
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper

Toss yacón, apple, onion, and herbs in a bowl. Whisk lime juice, honey, oil, salt, and pepper. Pour over, mix well. Let sit 10 minutes. Serve as a side to grilled fish or tacos.

2. Roasted Yacón with Rosemary & Garlic

4 medium yacón, peeled and cut into chunks
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt & black pepper

Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Toss yacón chunks with oil, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet. Roast 25–30 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and caramelized. Serve as a sweet, nutty side dish—amazing with roast chicken.

So go on—find a farm, get your hands dirty, and bring home a root that’s equal parts snack and dinner.

'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.

Ecologische Tuinderij De Tilgrupshof

vegetables, herbs, berries

friesland

At Ecologische Tuinderij De Tilgrupshof in Appelscha you pick your own organic vegetables and herbs from mid-May to November. The farm works on a membership system called oogstgenoot, or harvest partner. You pay an annual fee at the start of the season, which covers the whole household. The standard fee is €275 per share, but you can choose to pay between €200 and €350 depending on your budget. Children under 10 pick for free, and those aged 10 to 18 pay half price.