asparagus

Forget the supermarket. Grab a basket, rally your crew, and head straight for the sandy fields of the Netherlands, where the white gold is waiting just beneath the surface. Asparagus season is a national event here, and the best part? You get to do the digging.

The Hunt & The Pick Picking asparagus is like a treasure hunt—except the treasure is crunchy, buttery, and packed into neat little ridges of soil. As you walk the rows (watch your step!), you’ll spot tiny cracks in the mounded earth. That’s the sign. Get low, gently brush away the sandy tops, and there it is: a perfect, creamy-white spear. Snap it off right at the base (or use the special knife if the farmer lends one). It’s oddly satisfying. Between the laughter, the muddy knees, and the competition for the “biggest one,” you’ll forget you’re even working. Plus, the fresh air in Flevoland or Limburg makes it feel like a picnic in motion.

What to Do with Your Bounty at Home As soon as you get home, snap off the woody ends (about 2 cm) and pop them in the fridge in a damp towel. Use them within a day or two—this is the good stuff. Here’s how to make it disappear:

1. Classic Dutch White Asparagus (with Ham, Egg & Butter) Simplicity is king. Peel the spears from just below the tip downwards (a sharp peeler is key). Boil them in salted water with a splash of lemon juice and a pinch of sugar for about 8-10 minutes, until tender but with a slight bite. Drain, then pile them high on a plate. Top with thinly sliced cooked ham, a soft-boiled egg (runny yolk is perfect), and a generous drizzle of brown butter. Black pepper on top. That’s it. This is the national dish and it’s basically an edible hug.

2. Asparagus & Goat Cheese Tart Preheat your oven to 200°C. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry onto a baking tray. Score a 1cm border around the edge. Whisk two eggs with a splash of cream, salt, and pepper. Spread the egg mixture inside the border. Crumble a log of soft goat cheese over the top. Arrange your peeled, blanched asparagus spears in a neat row (or chaotic pile, no judgment). Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Let it rest for 5 minutes. This makes an incredible lunch or starter—salty, creamy, and snappy.

The Cocktail: The Asparagus Smash Wait, a cocktail with asparagus? Yes. Trust the process. Muddle 3 peeled, raw asparagus pieces (about 2cm each) with a handful of fresh mint, a teaspoon of sugar, and the juice of half a lemon in a shaker. Add 50ml of vodka (or gin, if you’re feeling fancy) and a good handful of ice. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Double-strain into a chilled glass. Top with a splash of soda water. Garnish with a thin slice of asparagus and a mint sprig. It’s grassy, fresh, and surprisingly addictive. It tastes like spring in a glass.

Tuinderij Eyckenstein, Biologische groenten

vegetables

utrecht

Tuinderij Eyckenstein is a certified organic market garden located on the historic kitchen garden of the Eyckenstein estate in Maartensdijk. Spanning 0.7 hectares, the farm cultivates a wide diversity of seasonal vegetables using certified organic methods. The garden is also open for visitors to explore when the gate is open, and it offers a self-picking program for those wishing to harvest their own produce. For self-picking, customers can purchase a harvest share for the full season, which runs from the end of April until mid-October. Shareholders can come once a week to pick five different types of vegetables, with guidance provided by the growers. The picking hours are Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 to 17:00, and Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00.

Kweekland

fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs, berries, nuts

gelderland

Stadstuin Kweekland is a community-supported urban garden and edible landscape located on an 8,200 square meter south-facing slope in Arnhem. The garden includes two greenhouses and is designed to offer a diverse mix of edible trees, shrubs, crops, flowers, and vegetables. It focuses on local food production, education, and community connection. The garden operates as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project, where members purchase a seasonal share to harvest for their own use.

Boerderijwinkel Hoorn

vegetables

drenthe

Boerderijwinkel Hoorn is a family-run farm located near Veenhuizen, in the Drenthe region of the Netherlands. The farm specializes in growing high-quality white asparagus and strawberries, using modern techniques such as heated growing grounds and automatic sorting machines. Visitors are welcome to experience the farm life firsthand. Seasonal self-picking is available for strawberries. During the asparagus season, guests can also cut their own spears, sort and prepare them on-site. The asparagus season typically begins at the end of March.

Pluktuin Gewoon Buiten

fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs, berries

noord-brabant

Pluktuin Gewoon Buiten is an ecological pick-your-own garden located in the countryside of Rijsbergen, near Breda in North Brabant. It operates as a social community project where vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers are grown sustainably, without artificial fertilizers or pesticides. Visitors can become harvest participants through a seasonal subscription, which allows them to pick vegetables weekly from April through October (approximately 30 weeks). The garden offers over 30 different crops including potatoes, tomatoes, various lettuce and bean varieties, cabbages, corn, peppers, courgettes, carrots, beets, and herbs like rosemary, thyme, and multiple types of mint. Small fruit such as raspberries and blackberries are also available. The flower garden opens in July and is freely accessible to everyone, with or without a subscription; visitors can pay per bouquet or use a stamp card for discounts. Throughout the season, the farm organizes activities like flower arrangement workshops and community dinners. The garden is open from April to October, Tuesday through Friday from 8:00 until sunset, and Saturday from 9:00 to 15:00. Staff or volunteers are present to assist on Wednesday afternoons (13:00–16:30) and Saturday mornings (9:00–13:00).

De Moestuin Utrecht

fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs

utrecht

We are a social enterprise and biological farm located on the eastern side of Utrecht, set on a 2.5‑hectare site that once belonged to a monastery and later became a city nursery. Today, the garden serves as a working farm, lunch café, farm shop, event venue, and recreational space. All cultivation is organic, and the farm provides work and training opportunities for people who have difficulty finding employment on the regular labour market. The site includes a large terrace, a children’s playground, an animal meadow, beehives, a herb garden, and a greenhouse called De Oranjerie that can be rented for parties, weddings, and business meetings.