Category Archives: Herbs

365 Frankendael day 66

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Here is beautiful and extremely poisonous native climber called White Bryony (Bryonia alba), which I noticed today in a shady Frankendael hedgerow, growing over some Stinging Nettles. This is a new place for me to spot the plant. It also luxuriates throughout the woodland quarter of the park, where I see it a lot. It grows all around the city and thrives with something to scramble up and over, so it is often found against fences, hedges and shrubs. At the moment, whilst in flower it is even easier to identify.


Above is Yarrow (Achillia millefolium), flowering all over the city at present. A very useful and tasty herb. Known as Nosebleed in some parts, it has the ability to staunch or start bleeding. Not one for pregnancy or infancy. A prized women’s herb.

I thought I’d take this photo today to show how easy it can be to confuse plants. It shows Pensylvannian Pellitory (Parietaria pensylvanica) my neighbours’ dog’s favourite, growing beside a seed-setting White Deadnettle ( Lamium alba). Both are edible and both are, amongst other things, both are diuretics. Do you know which is which?

Lastly today, here is a sure sign that the main Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petoilata) season is coming to an end. Today I spotted lots of very yellow looking plants, putting all their remaining energy into seed production, rather than those delicious leaves. So if you have a penchant for this plant, now is the time to harvest from the small, younger plants . Please remember to leave the plants with plenty of foliage and the seed pods intact. That way, hopefully we can all benefit from a good crop next year.

365 Frankendael day 65

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Today has been busy, with a brief Lime Blossom meetup and a poorly cat being taken to the emergency clinic, so just a very brief post today…
Above is a photo of Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica). A member if the compare family, with very strongly smelling foliage which I have mentioned previously. It makes quite a good tea and can act as a digestive, I use it now and again to help digest rich meals but am not a big fan of the pungent angel. It was historically a wound herb, as the English name suggests. It can be made into a poultice, historically with vinegar and used to help reduce inflammation and speed wound healing. This plant grows plentifully on the waters edge in various parts of Park Frankendael. However, due to today’s cat adventure, the photo was taken at the shaded edge of a children’s playground, two blocks from the park.

Secondly a photo of an magnificent Carrot family plant called Hogweed, taken through the Animal Clinic window on Isolaterweg. I’ve seen this amazing plant in many city locations recently and want to mention it briefly today. Obviously I was more interested in my cat when I spotted this one so didn’t measure it or get my field guide out but it is most likely either the toxic, irritating Giant Hogweed/Wild Rhubarb or the closely related Common Hogweed which some foragers, not myself, are rather fond of eating. River Cottage country living guru, Hugh Fernley Wittingstall, apparently loves eating the young tender shoots. Look on the River Cottage website and forum for lots of ideas, if this plant interests you.

365 Frankendael day 64

365 Frankendael, Foraging, Perennial herbs, Wild herbs,

Here is a spindly wild plant that needs a closer look to be appreciated. It is Chicory or Succory (Cichorium intybus). The Dutch nation seems to love to eat the leaf heads of a cultivated & blanched version of this plant, called Witloof. Wild Chicory is best known for its tasty bitter roots which can be roasted and ground to produce a useful though non medicinal, substitute (or addition to) coffee. The young leaves of Wild Chicory (scroll through link for photo) are very tasty, not dissimilar to Dandelion and favoured by some bitter-leaf connoisseurs, for their more delicate flavour. They are rich in bone strengthening Calcium and Magnesium and may be eaten raw in salads through most of the year, or gently cooked. The green leaves, grown in open light, are far more bitter than their blanched sisters. To blanch a plant such as this it must be grown in complete darkness for a season. It is also simple to make a vinegar from Chicory roots and leaves, please see Susun Weed but where I live, there is not enough of this plant to harvest any roots.

To harvest the root, the hardy perennial plant must die and that is not reasonable here but by pot-growing your own, on a balcony (or in your work locker as my friend Micheal used to do at De Hortus) you may be able to produce a tasty and unusual crop for personal use.

Apart from being something of a bitter delicacy, Chicory was historically prised as a non-irritatant laxative, suitable for children when prepared as a syrup or similar. It is also a diuretic and a tonic herb, rather like Dandelion. Being strongly bitter, it acts as a Liver strengthening tonic. The flowers were used historically to make an anti inflammatory eye wash. All parts of the plant are edible and generally seen as safe but historical texts point to over consumption causing unusual side effects such as congesting the blood supply of digestive organs and depleting the power of the retina. They also saw it as unsuitable for people with easily depleated energy. Some modern herbals also point out that Chicory root is an emmenagogue, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.

This Frankendael plant is preparing to flower at the moment and what beautiful blue flowers they will be! I hope to save some of it’s seeds, if the plant is left undisturbed long enough for them to ripen and sow then next spring.

365 Frankendael day 62

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Some common “weed” plants have the most subtely beautiful flowers and I think that Ribwort (Plantago lanceolata)  is one such plant.  Many of you already know of the merits of this wonderful first aid herb and I hope that more appreciate how pretty the flowers are.  I think they ar quite incredible creations and couldn’t resist another Ribwort photo today on an outer edge of the park.  There are many Plantago species growing here. Another notable one which has settled in my roof pots is Plantago major. It has broad leaves and it not as highly prized for it’s medicinal qualities but it none the useful.  Douzens of seedlings have taken root in my pots and they are very useful for first aid. Yesterday I was harvesting rooftop Gooseberries and Blackcurrants with my daughter and we chewed on and a leaf or two before gently rubbing the sap onto her berry bush scratches.  It worked a treat and was much quicker to apply and work physically (and mentally) than any remedy I have inside of the house.

If Ribwort and making remedies at home interests, you may like to join me for a small workshop near the next New Moon.


Here is Greater celandine, a wonderful plant with poisonous/potent orange sap, which can often help with unwelcome skin growths, such as warts and corns.  Today I noticed lots of Greater Celandine setting seed and I look forward to collecting some when the time comes.  Below is a lovely picture of the plant drawn and painted by Elodie some time ago. Sometimes paintings tell more about the spirit of a plant than photos ever can.  I need to make more time to sit and draw plants, maybe it’s something you would like to try too?  Drawing a plant requires that you sit with it for a while, that you and it breathe each other in and out and from that you can learn a lot.

Lastly today, a mixed salad in scrub-land beside the park.  I love this untended patch and I’m pleased it gets little maintenance as the wild edibles love it!  Here you may be able to see Chickweed and Ground ivy growing together with some Shepherd’s Purse.  All three, tasty and nutritious.  The main thing that worries me about harvesting from such locations is not really knowing what is in the soil. You can never really know for sure but some scrub-land such as this may be used for tipping unwelcome materials.  I keep that in mind when I choose to harvest or not.

365 Frankendael day 61

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Today is the Summer Solstice, Midsummer’s Day and I am having a lovely time! Myself, Livvy, Isobel, Esther, Isobel and the two babies, harvested leaves and flowers from some of the Lime trees (Tilia sp.) Which form the main avenue in Frankendael Park. It was so pleasant to share the Midsummer harvest with other like minded people. We cleaned the honeydew from the leaves, in a bowl of fresh water, made tea in flasks of boiled water and sandwiches from the harvest and some Lime honey.

I’ll be doing this again on Sunday in a different location, but I think there is nothing quite like the burgeoning green energy of Midsummer’s Day. The plants seem to be about to pop with the amount of goodness within them and some of them have certainly sprung suddenly into flower today.

I found lots of Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) just in flower, today and harvested some for a tincture. Likewise, Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is in perfect form for tincturing. These and Lime are the three summer herbs which I love the most so I spent time with them today.

I was also pleased to see that some of the Mullein plants in the park have quietly started to flower and patches of Feverfew close to Frankendael park are also standing out. The Plantain (Plantago major) leaves are currently enormous and I will be tincturing some of them and their flowers in the days to come along with Lime tree leaves and flowers.

If you tend to see Midsummer as the end of the lightness and you morn its passing, perhaps try and see it in a different way. More as a time to thank the Sun and light for all the transformation it has provided and welcome in the gradually approaching darkness. The darkness can teach us much about ourselves, it gives a chance to reflect inwardly on what has happened in the preceding time and encourages us to appreciate the light, when it returns.

365 Frankendael day 60

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Very early this morning I was out tasting dew that had collected in this Teasel’s “water cup”, the part of the leaf that joins the stem.  There had been a heavy morning mist over most of Amsterdam but by the time I got to the park it had been burned through by the midsummer Sun.  This Teasel (Dipsacus sp.) had quite a lot of water stored in it’s “cups” or “traps” this morning.  There are different ideas about why the plants are adapted in this way. Some think that the cup shaped leaf joints serve the purpose of trapping insects, perhaps to prevent them climbing the plant, perhaps which the Teasel then somehow digests and absorbs.  The trap/cup which I chose was high up, fresh and insect free. The water within it tasted delicious and set me up for the rest of my cycle.  Teasel is increasingly valued as a useful herb to help counter the effects of Lyme’s disease.


Next is the beautiful, if unextravegant, flower head of  a small Mugwort plant (Artemisia vulgaris).  This plant really is my Midsummer favourite.  So many uses, so common, so inconspicuous to most, so tasty and so much interesting associated folklore.  This plant grows as a welcome weed, beside a park planted tree.  Just notice the moon-like silvery grey undersides of the leaves.  A beautiful contrast to the dark green upper sides.


Lastly today is Brassica oleracea, Wild Cabbage.  Yes, it tastes of cabbage!  No need to harvest the whole plant though, this one is good as a cut and come again plant – cutt a leaf off now and again throughout it’s season.  Very tasty and convenient!

Mugwort Teabread

Food, Foraging, Wild herbs, , , ,

Here’s a basic outline of how to make the Mugwort Teabread from the late Maida Silverman’s book, “A City Herbal. Lore, Ledgend, & Uses of Common Weeds.” The book is available from the publishers; Ash Tree Publishing, Woodstock, NY. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in city foraging and herbs.

I posted Information about adding Mugwort to my usual bread recipe previously but I made this Teabread for the Mugwort Workshop today and some of the participants wanted the recipe. I have slightly changed the ingredients to match what I used today and am not reproducing the recipe exactly. To see it in full, have a look at the book from a library or perhaps purchase a copy, it is full of lovely and tasty ideas.

2 cups spelt flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
1 egg beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried or 2 tablespoons fresh chopped Mugwort leaves
1/2 cup grated firm cheese (I used goat cheese)

Preheat oven to 180 C.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and spread evenly in a small or medium, greased bread tin.
Bake for about 30 – 40 minutes, until an inserted sharp knife comes out clean.
Turn out onto a rack and eat warm or cold.

This recipe is extremely easy and I like to make it regularly when Mugwort is plentiful. You could easily adapt the recipe to miss out the egg and or cheese, should you want to.

365 Frankendael day 58

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Today a few photos of beautiful flowers from useful plants and a tasty Fat Hen plant.

Firstly a front on photo of Soapwort, Bouncing Bet or Saponaria officinalis She is just coming into bloom at the moment and isn’t ready useful to many people these days but is still made into one of the most delicate cleansing natural soaps for heirloom lace and woolen articles.


Next, above, those delicate and delicious purple flowers of Geranium.

Here above is a familiar Poppy flower. The seeds of this annual plant are so precious to it that it’s not acceptable to harvest them in places such as this, where they stand out due to their scarcity. But, if you find dense swathes of them growing and can positively the plant without doubt, it may be worth considering sprinkling a few onto a home made loaf of bread.

Here’s the Fat hen plant which I harvested a few leaves from today.

I also picked a 5 cm top of a Mugwort stem, ready to make some savoury bread to share at the Herb by Herb Mugwort Workshop. I’m really looking forward to working with this plant tomorrow morning. Whatever the weather, at midsummer there is also plenty that can be learned from Artemisia vulgaris, the plant that shimmers like the Moon and nourishes our bodies and spirits.

365 Frankendael day 57

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Firstly today a poisonous member of the Nightshade family, which I have seen for the first time this year, today in Park Frankendael. It is called Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara) And if you know what potato and tomato plants look like (also in the Nightshade family) then hopefully you will easily recognize this plant when you see it. Unbeleivably I found the tomato like fruits of related and extremely poisonous Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum) on Thursday, growing on display in Beatrix Park’s beautiful herb garden. It is labelled poisonous, in Dutch, but I’m sure that young tomato loving children may not understand that sign. It isn’t labelled with the plant name, perhaps to avoid Harry Potter fans and the like, from recognising the name and sampling it. It was wonderful to see the plant in real life and up close, but very worrying none the less. I wonder if the volunteer herb gardeners wear ear protection when they dig up the Mandrake roots? If love to meet the gardener there with an interest in such plants.

Here’s Bittersweet in Frankendael…

Here’s the Beatrix Park Mandrake…

On the topic of interesting park management decisions, I returned to the patch of Pellitory, in Frankendael today. It has been strimmed down to the ground. I photographed it a couple of weeks ago and it has not yet set seed. Perhaps it was managed to prevent it spreading too much. Sure enough it does grow quite successfully in this part of the park and it certainly bounces back each year from this sort of management. It also reminds me that when I worry about harvesting from parks, at least I use what I harvest.

Here is Ground Elder, ripe for foraging today:

365 Frankendael day 56

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I visited the park very early this morning and was pleased to find a surprise clump of my favourite herb for grounded-ness and muscle pains – Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca). It is shown in this photo growing in a location quite far away from the ones I already know. So, I have high hopes that there is quite a good population of this useful plant in the park and also the city.  I’d really like to know if any followers f this project know of Motherwort growing near them in other locations.  I know that Jennie Akse knows of plenty in Beatrix Park, I’m not sure in which part they are but they certainly like it there too.  Note that the pink flowers, next to the Motherwort leaves, are from another plant (see below).  Motherwort is sometimes mistaken for a member of the Geranium family due to it’s leaves, however it is easy to spot the square labiate family stems. Failing that, if you mistakenly taste even a fraction of a Motherwort leaf, the extreme bitterness will soon teach you it’s not an aromatic Geranium!  Motherwort is generally used as a tincture.

Here is a beautiful plant, from a very common and varied city tolerant herb family – called the Cranesbills or Scented Geraniums or Pelargoniums.  I think that this one is most likely Geranium pyrenaicum, Hedge Crane’s-bill and as I’ve mention plenty times before, all member of the Geraniums are edible, tasty and useful.  I read the other day of an old Rose Geranium infused alcoholic punch recipe, from Arabia.  It is in Patricia Telesco’s Kitchen Witch’s Cookbook – a nice resource book containing many traditional and interesting herbal recipes. This plant is not Rose Geranium but itis related and extremely fragrant.  I am quite tempted to have a go at it, maybe when the summer really arrives.

Another herb which is in season for harvest at present, is Lavender.  I don’t see much of it in this park but it grows prolifically in the city and can be used very easily for many applications.  Christian Huygensplein, near my home is planted out with it.  Thank you Amsterdam Oost! Unfortunately, each day I have had time to visit any Lavender with my scissors, the weather has been damp so harvesting those pretty flower stems has been out of the question.  No point in harvesting when the flowers are likely to mould, before they can dry out thoroughly.  If you are lucky enough to find a huge patch of Lavender, the flower stems can be carefully but quickly thinned out, just above the foliage, perhaps taking every 20 stems, without much visible impact on the plant.  I’m sure that my neighbours would not appreciate anyone chopping clumps of the flowers from the shopping area but I’m sure a few carefully flower stems wouldn’t be missed.

Lastly and shown above, is a striking herb which I have no experience of using at all but know it has historic uses.  It is called Yellow Loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris) and I know it only as a garden plant from Somerset.  Here’s a link to a page from a wonderful recent-historic book, offering a glimpse into historic uses of herbs.