sweet potatoes

Pick Your Own Sweet Potatoes in the Netherlands – A Delicious Digging Adventure

Ready for a family outing that ends with a treasure haul? Head to one of the many pluktuinen (pick-your-own farms) across the Netherlands, and get your hands dirty with sweet potatoes! Unlike plucking berries, this is a treasure hunt for the earth’s hidden gems. You’ll find the plants sprawling across the soil with heart-shaped leaves. Here’s the fun part: you don’t pull the leaves – gently dig around the base with your hands or a small trowel. Feel for the bumpy, knobby roots just under the surface. Give a firm but gentle tug, and up comes a gorgeous, rust-orange tuber that looks like it belongs in a still life painting.

It’s messy, slightly strenuous, and absolutely hilarious when a “small” potato turns out to be the size of your forearm. Bring a wheelbarrow, a sturdy bag, and maybe a change of shoes. Kids love the “archaeologist” feeling of unearthing these beauties. Plus, no muddy supermarket sticker – these are yours, straight from the sandy Dutch soil.

Once You’re Home: What to Do With Your Golden Bounty

Wash them well (scrub, don’t peel if you want more fiber and color). Sweet potatoes are the ultimate comfort ingredient. Here are two easy, cozy recipes to start, and a cocktail to toast your hard work.

Recipe 1: Crispy Dutch-Style Sweet Potato Fries with Mayo

Skip the deep fryer – oven baked is just as good and way less fuss.

Ingredients: 3 medium sweet potatoes, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp paprika powder, ½ tsp garlic powder, salt, and your favorite mayonnaise (try mixing in some sriracha or smoked paprika).
Instructions: Preheat oven to 220°C (430°F). Cut sweet potatoes into thin fries (no need to peel). Toss in olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and crispy on the outside. Sprinkle with extra salt. Serve with mayo dip. Tip: For extra crunch, soak cut fries in cold water for 30 minutes before drying and baking.

Recipe 2: Creamy Sweet Potato & Coconut Curry (One-Pot Wonder)

Perfect for a chilly evening after a rainy picking day.

Ingredients: 2 large sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed), 1 onion (chopped), 2 cloves garlic (minced), 1 can coconut milk, 1 tbsp red curry paste, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 cup vegetable broth, handful of spinach, lime juice.
Instructions: In a pot, sauté onion and garlic in a little oil until soft. Add curry paste and stir for 1 minute. Add sweet potato cubes, coconut milk, broth, and soy sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender. Stir in spinach until wilted. Squeeze lime juice on top. Serve with rice or bread.

Cocktail: Sweet Potato & Bourbon Smash

Sweet, smoky, and surprisingly elegant.

Ingredients: 2 oz bourbon, 1 oz sweet potato purée (bake or boil a small sweet potato, then mash), ½ oz maple syrup, ½ oz fresh lemon juice, ice, a sprig of rosemary (for garnish).
Instructions: In a shaker, combine bourbon, sweet potato purée, maple syrup, and lemon juice. Add ice and shake hard for 15 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a rosemary sprig. The sweetness of the potato and maple balances the bourbon beautifully – a true farm-to-glass treat!

Farm tip: Many Dutch farms offer sweet potato picking from late September to early November. Check local pluktuinen like “De Pluktuin” in Zeeland or “Landgoed De Braak” in Gelderland. Bring a friend, a camera, and an appetite. Happy digging! 🍠

De Tovertuin' (zelfoogst groenten)

fruit, vegetables, herbs

gelderland

De Tovertuin is a self-pick vegetable garden located in Epe, offering a membership-based experience where people can come and harvest their own fresh, organically grown produce. The garden focuses on community building around food and cultivates a wide variety of vegetables using natural and ecological methods, without the use of chemical pesticides. The season runs for approximately 33 weeks, typically starting in early May. Members can self-pick a vast assortment of produce, including: potatoes, strawberries, endive, eggplant, basil, beets, kale, wild garlic, spring onions, broccoli, broccolini, Chinese cabbage, zucchini, capucijner peas, celeriac, cucumber, kohlrabi, kohlrabi, pak choi, palm kale, parsnip, snow peas, leek, rapeseed, rhubarb, radicchio, radish, red cabbage, lettuce, spinach, pointed cabbage, chard, green beans, Brussels sprouts, sweet corn, fava beans, lamb’s lettuce, fennel, yacon, sweet potato, and winter purslane.

Pluck van het veld

fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs

noord-brabant

Pluck van het veld is a self-picking farm and community garden located in Cromvoirt, in the countryside near Den Bosch. The farm grows over 70 varieties of vegetables, herbs, small fruits, and flowers using no-dig, regenerative methods without chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Members can join a seasonal subscription (Pluckabonnement) that runs from May through mid-December, offering weekly access to pick 5 to 15 types of vegetables and herbs, with additional small fruits and edible flowers throughout the season. The picking field is open every day during daylight hours for subscribers, and a gardener is typically present on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. The flower picking garden (Bloemenpluktuin) is available from late May to mid-October, and from 2026 onward it operates solely through seasonal subscriptions; a separate tulip picking event takes place in early spring (late March to early April) with over 7,500 organic tulip bulbs. The farm also hosts workshops (bouquet making, vegetable gardening), courses for aspiring market gardeners, guided tours, and corporate team events. A solidary pricing system allows members to pay according to their means. General contact hours (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 9:00–17:00; Wednesday, Friday 9:00–16:00; Saturday 10:00–12:00) apply for inquiries, while the picking grounds remain accessible to subscribers throughout the season.

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.

Blauwe Bessengaard op ´t Leeuweriksveld

fruit, vegetables, herbs, berries

drenthe

’t Leeuweriksveld is a biodynamic vegetable farm and orchard located in Emmen, in the province of Drenthe. For over 20 years, the farm has offered a wide variety of vegetables and fruit. Across the property, a blueberry orchard on a quarter-hectare of land is open for self-picking seasonally. The blueberry picking season typically runs from late spring through the end of August. In addition to blueberries, the farm grows other types of berries for picking, including blackberries and tayberries, as well as grapes, medlars, quinces, and apples.

'T Leeuweriksveld

fruit, vegetables, herbs, berries

drenthe

’t Leeuweriksveld is a biodynamic vegetable farm located in Emmen, Drenthe, that has been cultivating its land for over two decades. The farm focuses on producing a diverse range of vegetables using biodynamic methods and offers several ways to access its harvest, including a self-picking program, weekly vegetable subscriptions, and a farm shop. The farm is situated at Zandzoom 72 and is part of a wider initiative that includes a blueberry orchard.