Discover U-Pick farms in the Netherlands

strawberries

There’s something special about spending a sunny afternoon picking strawberries—plucking the ripest, reddest berries straight from the plant, their sweet scent filling the air. Whether you’re alone, with friends, or family, it’s a relaxed way to enjoy the outdoors and take home a basket of fresh fruit. The best part? The fun doesn’t stop at the farm. Once you’re back, you can turn your haul into delicious treats.

For a simple strawberry salad, toss sliced strawberries with baby spinach, crumbled feta, toasted almonds, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Or blend them into a creamy strawberry smoothie with yogurt, a splash of orange juice, and a hint of honey. If you’re feeling fancy, muddle a few berries into a strawberry basil cocktail: combine 4-5 crushed strawberries, a few basil leaves, 50ml vodka, 20ml lemon juice, and a teaspoon of sugar. Shake with ice, strain, and top with soda water.

For something sweeter, try strawberry shortcake: layer sliced berries with whipped cream and buttery biscuits. Or freeze them into strawberry popsicles—just purée with a little sugar and lemon juice before freezing.

If you’ve picked more than you can eat fresh, strawberry jam is a great way to preserve the flavor. Simmer berries with sugar and lemon juice until thickened, then jar it up.

And don’t forget the little things: drop a few berries in your water for a refreshing twist, or sprinkle them over pancakes for a bright morning treat. However you use them, those hand-picked strawberries will taste even better knowing you chose them yourself.

De Wickevoorter Stadsboeren

vegetables, flowers
noord-holland

De Wickevoorter Stadsboeren is an urban farm located in the Wickevoort neighborhood that practices organic agriculture with care for people, animals, and the earth. They participate in the NLDoet event. The farm operates as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) or “self-picking garden.” Customers can become members and share in the harvest for the duration of a season. Members pay a participation fee before the start of the season and then can harvest weekly. The harvest follows the seasons, starting in May with lettuce and radishes, then beans, cucumbers, onions, carrots, zucchini, and pumpkins. As winter approaches, they offer sprouts, kale, and lamb’s lettuce. They grow about 50-60 different types of vegetables throughout the year.

Simmerfruit

friesland

Simmerfruit is a fruit farm located in the Frisian woodlands, specializing in strawberries and berries. Strawberries are grown on elevated platforms for easier picking and cleanliness. The farm uses bees for pollination and avoids pesticides. The farm sells freshly picked strawberries from late May, available from 10 AM. Self-picking of berries is available from late June. The website indicates which fruits are ripe for picking. Additionally, the farm features a closed tasting garden where visitors can relax, enjoy smoothies, coffee, tea, or vanilla ice cream with strawberries. The farm also keeps Gotland sheep to keep the grass short around the strawberry beds during the off-season.

Akkerwikke

vegetables, herbs, strawberries, flowers
limburg

Akkerwikke is an organic self-picking farm located in Maastricht, in the South of Limburg, Netherlands. It offers a wide range of organic vegetables, herbs, strawberries, and cut flowers that you can harvest yourself for about 36 weeks of the year. You can get an subscription for a harvest share. You can pick a bouquet of field flowers weekly for about 20 weeks. The farm is SKAL-certified for organic agriculture. What visitors say The LOCO gardens in Maastricht are a beautiful and timely community initiative, praised for its sustainable and conscious approach to farming and community interaction. Visitors appreciate the friendly atmosphere and the opportunity to harvest fresh, healthy, and biologically grown vegetables, thanks to the expertise of the farmer, Freek, and his wife. It’s considered a valuable and cherished place, hoped to be replicated elsewhere. The gardens are not only a source of food but also a scenic route for walking, particularly to the nearby sculpture garden. Members enjoy the cooperative farming model, despite a potential learning curve regarding unfamiliar vegetables and harvesting techniques. The diverse and easy-going community adds to the appeal, making it a pleasant place to spend time, especially on nice days. A minor suggestion involves adding English translations to the signage for better accessibility. Overall, LOCO gardens is considered a great value for money.

De Jachthoeve

gelderland

De Jachthoeve is a self-picking farm and care farm located in Wekerom, Netherlands. The farm offers a variety of activities, including: Self-picking: From June to November, visitors can pick their own fruit and flowers in the Fruithof (fruit garden). Fruits include strawberries, red currants, black currants, kiwiberries, gooseberries (kruisbessen), raspberries, blackberries, tayberries, boysenberries, plums and honeyberries. Farm Shop: The farm shop sells a variety of homemade and local products, including jams, dessert sauces (made from fruit from the Fruithof), honey, sausages, Bunzlau Castle pottery, and baking mixes. They also sell the fruit picked in the Fruithof as well as fresh apples and pears. Care Farm: De Jachthoeve offers day care activities for adults with learning disabilities or psychological problems. Activities include working in the Fruithof, the kitchen, the shop, or on various farm tasks. Specials: The farm offers special packages such as high tea, and walking with coffee and pie. The farm also offers the possibility to order cakes, including photo cakes if you supply a picture, which is currently unavailable.

Kweekland

fruits, vegetables, herbs
gelderland

Stadstuin Kweekland is a green oasis in Arnhem, Netherlands, located on a south-facing slope near Sonsbeek Park. This urban farm spans 8,200 square meters and features two greenhouses and a landscape design inspired by the English countryside. The farm aims to be an ’edible landscape’ with a diverse selection of edible trees, shrubs, crops, flowers, and vegetables. As a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm since 2020, Kweekland relies on members who pay an annual fee for the right to harvest their own produce. CSA membership allows access to the garden from April 1st to December 1st, from sunrise to sunset.

Van Reeuwijk Fruit & Flowers

fruits, vegetables
noord-holland

Van Reeuwijk is a family-run farm offering a self-picking experience, typically starting around June, depending on the weather. The farm is expanding its self-picking garden. Stay updated through their Facebook or Instagram pages. The self-picking process is straightforward: grab a picking basket with containers in the shop, receive a brief explanation of what’s available, and head into the garden to harvest your own produce. Strawberry plants are conveniently raised to standing height. You can pick as much as you like, ensuring the fruit is ripe. All picked fruit must be paid for; no returns are accepted. The strawberries, cherries, and raspberries are sheltered, making it a fun activity even in rainy weather. However, old shoes or boots may be useful after prolonged heavy rain. No reservations are required for self-picking.

Ús Hôf

fruits, vegetables, herbs
friesland

Ús Hôf is a permaculture farm that aims to restore the relationship between producer and consumer. They grow vegetables, fruit trees, berry bushes, and flowers without pesticides. They offer a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model where members pay at the beginning of the season based on their income and harvest their own vegetables weekly. If members don’t have time to harvest, they can subscribe to a vegetable bag delivered to Sibrandabuorren, Sneek, or Bolsward. Restaurants and institutions can also order vegetables.