In the summer and early autumn you pick soft fruit and flowers at ’t Duvelshofke in Oldenzaal. The garden grows strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and red and black currants, with apples, pears and plums later in the season. The flower beds have tulips and daffodils in spring and, from late July, dahlias, sunflowers and other summer flowers. When the garden is closed, the farm shop sells the frozen berries, blackberries and raspberries from the harvest.
You check in at the farm shop before picking, and children may not enter the garden unaccompanied. Bring your own bucket or container for fruit, and your own scissors and bucket for flowers, which are cut rather than pulled. Stay on the grass paths and take your rubbish home with you. You pay for what you pick, with a minimum of €2.50 per person from the age of one, settled against the value of your pick.
Outside the summer the shop is open on Friday and Saturday, 10.30 to 16.30. From mid-June to August the hours vary with the picking conditions, but Friday and Saturday are always open. The shop sells the farm’s own Galloway beef, potatoes of the Venetia variety, vegetables and dairy, plus regional products such as jam, sauces and liqueur, asparagus in May and June, soft fruit in summer, and gift and Christmas hampers made with products from local producers.
The farm also runs creative workshops for groups and a walking trail of about 3.5 km called the Sprokkeltocht, which includes a bunch of flowers or a container of fruit and costs €12.50 per person from 12 years, €6.25 for children aged 4 to 12 and nothing for under-4s. The entrance and parking are wheelchair accessible, and the farm lies on walking and cycling routes.
What visitors say
Visitors come to pick their own berries—raspberries, blackberries, and currants—along neatly mown paths that make reaching the fruit easy. The selection changes with the season, and most say the fruit is ripe and tasty, though a few find the jam a bit sharp. Prices range from €6 to €10 per kilo for berries, and €2 for potatoes, which many call fair. The small shop sells local products like apple juice and jams, and there’s a terrace for coffee and a playground for children.
The staff are generally friendly and helpful, though a couple of visitors found them unwelcoming. The farm works well for families, with short visits that don’t feel too long for young kids. On quiet days, you might find no one around, but most of the time it’s a straightforward, pleasant outing.