What a pleasure it is to work with enthusiastic people on the topics I love. On Saturday, I welcomed a small group of apprentices into my home and foraging grounds, to work on a variety of preparations and experience more of the world of Urban Herbology. The apprentices are studying my online course at their own pace at home, we meet 4 times a year with additional meetings and communication when needed. The next such meeting will be in December and is open to all my apprentices, online and from the original Amsterdam groups. Further details, at the end of this post.
Here are supplementary links and photos to assist those who were with me on Saturday.
I make mine from the few fruits that I forage and don’t eat straight from the plants. I use honey in place of refined sugar and I don’t always use rum. My recipe is in the apprenticeship notes but the link here shows a selection of suitable (purpose made) containers and explains the process.
My usual method. Of course there are other ways to do this but this is my regular way of infusing herbs into oil, with heat.
Beech nuts
Here’s a nice short video by Wild Edibles, showing how to open beechnuts (although it’s also possible with teeth) and a good mention about their toxicity.
How to process the rosehips, to make rosehip honey.
A very invasive plant in this country. The green seeds smell pleasantly of butter and the plant is edible. Flowers can be eaten in salads, stems used as drinking straws and the plant chopped into salads and cooking. The link post shows several plants (including balsam) which I harvested at this time a couple of years ago.
Some useful information about how to care for the plants which you took home today.
The plant we tasted at my house was Peperomia maculosa. It tastes of coriander and has many medicinal uses. Here is another link about these wonderful plants which are well known as houseplants, outside of the tropics. The Peperomia species which seems to be the best studied regarding its medicinal properties is Peperomia pellucida. hat wasn’t available at the garden centre when I looked for it, but several other species were. I settled happily for P. maculosa (shown in photo) as I love the fresh, spicy flavour.
I had a busy day at school recently, pruning the spiky Japonica which encircles the building. Hundreds of fruit were on the prunings so naturally, I harvested them. Here are some tasty ways to use Japanese quinces.
The last two sections of this UH post mentioning Bali, give an example of how Jamu is used. The anti inflammatory orange drink is called Kunjit asam. We will make it (and sugar free alternatives) at the December meeting.
In December, among other things, we will look at;
- Indonesian Jamu
- Herbal wines
- Immunity boosters
- Schnapps
- Midwinter foraging
- Sacred spaces at home
If you are interested in joining or finding out about my apprenticeship course, please contact me or take a look at this page.
Urban Herbology 