The Field Guideby Moss & MarrowThe Field Guideby Moss & Marrow
Also called lamsoor, zeegroenten, sea aster, zilte groenten.
In the Netherlands, samphire is in season May to September, at its best in June and July. November is outside the Dutch season for samphire.
Samphire, zeekraal, grows on the Zeeland and Wadden salt marshes and is sold from May to September. Wild cutting in Zeeland needs a licence and from 2026 is only allowed after the breeding season, 15 July to the end of August, so most of what fishmongers and farm shops sell is grown on salt-watered fields.
Bright green, crisp and salty; it turns woody and tough by late summer. Fishmongers in the guide sell it beside the mussels.
Sodium, naturally, plus magnesium, iodine and vitamin C.
To get the most: Keep the cooking short and skip the salt; it brings its own.
Content per NEVO, the Dutch food composition database. This describes what the food contains, not what it does for you.
Blanch a minute, no salt needed, and toss in butter. Raw in a salad with fish.
1 producer in The Field Guide sells samphire, according to their own website or shop list, each checked against our inclusion criteria and listed by province. Another 15 growers passed our bar for this food group; we have not yet recorded what each of them grows, so ask them or search the map.
Open on the map →Dates read on 2026-10-11. If a window on this page is wrong, tell us with a source.
guideWhy choose local and seasonal food?Food picked ripe in its own season carries more vitamins, travels days instead of weeks and keeps good farms in business. Twelve reasons, with the evidence.Read the guide →
A free list of what’s in season this month, then one slow email a month with seasonal tips and goodies.