Linda Runyon is a wise woman who literally “lived off the trees” some years ago, during a particularly harsh winter, whilst homesteading in the US Adirondack Mountains. She taught herself how to harvest from trees and how to preserve and use their plenty. It was a matter of survival at the time so you really learned how to make the most of the trees around her. She has published several books, DVDs and plant ID cards over the years, helping countless people to live in harmony with the land. Her latest offering is an extraordinary book, full of tips and ideas for foraging from trees. The link above gives lots more info about her life and books and how to buy them directly. Mine was ordered via Amazon. I hope that I am also happily surrounded by herbs, when I reach her age.
Many of her methods are applicable to urban spaces, though she discourages foraging from trees located less than 200m from a road. She also lays out how to harvest inner bark from parts of useful trees, this is unlikely to be possible or desirable in an urban setting. Removing bark from living trees will kill them. That said, when winter gales return to Amsterdam, I’ll be happy to find a few small fallen branches to experiment with.
Inspired by this book, tomorrow I’m planning to try willow basket and edible wreath weaving with fresh withies. For dinner, I’ll try to cook up some beech leaves and twigs, Italian style. I also learned how much willow is equivalent to 2 aspirin tablets – its about 6 – 8 inches of tendril or 10-15 catkins. Overconsumption can cause unpleasant side effects.
The book is a quick read, has a study guide at the back to encourage practical learning and is packed with knowledge that is truly worth preserving.
I will never look at a Christmas tree in the same way again!
Magnolia is a tree which I fall in love with again, every year. Everything about it enthralls me. From the graceful angles of the branches, the bark, exotic blooms to the glossy evergreen leaves. A huge magnolia in bloom is a show stopper. One such tree arches quietly over the terrace behind Huize Frankendael, in Amsterdam east. Hundreds of visitors must walk beneath it without giving the tree much thought, until in March or April it explodes into bloom. There is no other tree that I would rather sit beneath and gaze up through than that magnificent magnolia in spring!
Edible and Medicinal Magnolia Petals
The flowers of Magnolia trees are edible and medicinal. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Magnolia flowers are known as Xin yi hua and are associated with the lung and stomach meridians. I enjoy eating them fresh plucked each year and happily report that they taste fragrant and spicy. I can also report that when I eat Magnolia petal, my sinuses become clear, quite like magic.
Imagine a slightly rubbery super sized rose petal which clears the sinuses a little, when you bite into it and you are getting close to the mouth feel and flavour of a magnolia petal. I like them very much and because a little goes a long way with these large petals, I can certainly recommend them to other urban herb lovers. As you may know, via my Apprenticeshipand walks, I teach how to harvest interesting herbs in towns and cities, in a safe and ethical way. This entails taking only a little, leaving no trace and really make the most of the harvest. Do contact me if you would like to know more – This is my passion!
Medicinal Bark
Fairly recent research suggests that Magnolia bark extract can help with oral health, stress reduction and several other disorders. In traditional medicine it is reportedly used as an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer agent, in the treatment of Alzheimer disease, depression, diabetes, and menopause. All Magnolia species varieties are considered to possess the same medicinal qualities and there are apparently no known side effects – although we know that someone somewhere, could be allergic to the plant, so please be cautious. Magnolia Bark Extract is widely available for sale and Magnolia bark is an ingredient in many traditional Chinese medicines including Hsiao-cheng-chi-tang, Wuu-Ji-San, Heii-san, Shimpi-to, Hangekouboku-to, Masinin-gan, Sai-boku-to, Syosaiko-to, Irei-to and Goshaku-san.
Japanese traditional medicine also prizes both the bark and flowers of Magnolia. Bark harvesting is not something suggested for the urban forager because it certainly leaves a trace and it is certainly not ethical.
Magnolias in Westerpark
Stealthy Petal Plucking
When harvesting from perhaps the most beautiful of city trees, one would perhaps look both foolish and anti-social to pluck entire flowers. So I suggest that you don’t. Instead, I recommend that when stumbling upon a prime Magnolia specimen in bloom, and feeling the urge to eat it, you do the following:
1. After checking for unwanted observers, wander nonchalantly up to the tree. Are the blossoms within your reach? If not move on to another.
2. If so, reach up as if to smell the fragrance of a prime bloom, pull it gently to your nose with one hand, whilst deftly plucking a single petal from its base, with the other hand whilst simultaneously inhaling the spicy aroma.
3. Tuck the plucked petal in your pocket as you gently release the bloom with your other hand.
4. Move along to another flower, as if to compare its scent with the previous bloom. Repeat steps 1 to 3 until you have harvested three or four petals.
A magnolia flower can miss one petal without much issue. If two or more petals are plucked from one bloom, evidence of foraging shows and that is not the plan. So one petal from a flower, move to another, one more petal and so on. When you have three or four petals, you are done. That is enough to make something very tasty and useful and you will have increased your stealth foraging skills..
Untouched – Delicious
Favourite Trees
I tend to forage a handful of petals each year, from 6 favourite Magnolias which are dotted around east Amsterdam. They are all growing in public spaces so stealth foraging is required. I don’t harvest from them if other people are around because apart from it just looks silly. I also limit myself to plucking a petal from two flowers per tree. I first wrote about my love of Magnolia petals on 2012. Since then urban foraging has increased in popularity so I also am careful to only pluck from Magnolias which seem not to have been visited by other foragers.
Magnolia Petal Recipes
Things that I like to do with a precious handful of magnolia petals. I hope that you have a go and let me know how you get on in the comments.
Magnolia Petal Pickle
They can be pickled, old English style by simply filling a small jar with fresh petals and then completely filling the jar again with rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar with a little salt and sugar to balance the flavours. I don’t add sugar or salt so I guess my version is simply Magnolia petal vinegar – I don’t mind because it tastes good 🙂
Fermented Magnolia Petals
You may like to ferment them using a little salt and water, in the style of Sandor Katz.
I prefer to lay them in my handy small Japanese vegetable press. I then sprinkle with a pinch of salt and apply the gentle but consistent pressure of the Japanese press for about 3 hours. This produces a very light ferment and it draws out some of the water from the petals (which tastes good too). You can leave the pressure for a lot longer if you prefer, winding the contraption every few hours to ensure the petals are in fact under a little pressure and to encourage the process.
Magnolia Petal Honey When I first tasted a Magnolia petal and felt its clearing effect on my sinuses, I decided to transfer the petals’ properties to honey. This is soooo simple to make. It creates something which my family and friends find delicious and I hope you will too. If the honey turns you off, try Agave syrup. It works very well but in my experience is less spreadable (being rather runny).
Magnolia petals infusing in honey
How to Make Magnolia Petal Honey (or use Agave syrup)
1. Gather your petals.
2. I rarely wash magnolia petals because I only harvest clean looking ones, which are from way above the ground but unsoiled by birds. You may like to wash yours. If so, then dry them off.
3. Tear the clean, surface dry petals into a sterile small glass jar. I use dishwasher cleaned pesto jars for this sort of thing.
4. Covered completely with runny honey. Use a chop stick or knitting needle to loosen trapped air bubbles. You may need to release the air and top up with honey several times. The jar should be filled to the brim with honey. The air bubbles won’t all leave the honey but prodding with chopsticks, helps them to escape and thus reduces the risk of contamination.
5. When no more air bubbles are escaping and no more honey needs to be added, close the jar tightly with its lid.
6. The constituents of the petals will infuse into the honey over the following days and weeks but the honey will take on a delicious Magnolia aroma and taste within a few hours.
7. Eat in any honey way (smear on bread, add to smoothies, mix with a little vinegar for an elixir, etc) you choose or take a teaspoon now and them to help soothe anxiety, sore throats or respiratory congestion. I don’t bother to strain this honey as I like the petal crunch. You could strain after 6 weeks if you preferred. It seems a waste of those petals though.
Please note that the herbal honey may start to ferment after a while, due to the high water content in the petals. Keep an eye on the jar, if it starts to bubble, the lid must be loosened to avoid pressure building up and the glass jar exploding. Storing it in a cool dark location will help to preserve its shelf life. Eating it all up will also avoid the problem 🙂
I hope that you get a taste for Magnolia petals this year and have a try at infusing them in honey, agave syrup, vinegar, vodka or olive oil. This herb is so beautiful, so giving and so tasty – it would be a pity to miss the fun completely wouldn’t it? I was looking at my favourite Magnolia at twilight this evening. It will open its blooms very soon and I will be waiting and thanking it for every petal.
Do you like it?
Please do add a comment about your magnolia experiences at the foot of the page or fill in the contact form. I would love to hear how you get on with magnolia and what else you are keen to learn about!
Urban Herbology Online Apprenticeship
If you want to learn more about foraging and using herbs in towns and cities, take a look at my Apprenticeship Course. I have helped hundreds of wonderful people learn about Urban Herbology over the years and I would love to help you on your journey!
Yesterday I walked to a local public garden and harvested a carrier bag full of leaf and blossom sprigs from Lime/Linden (Tilia) trees. These trees smell great at the moment. Whole neighbourhoods are perfumed by Lime flowers, loaded with nectar to attract hoards of bees.
If you pluck clean a clean lime flower from a tree in a safe location, you may like to eat it directly. They taste sweet and aromatic with a hint of bitter tannin. The aroma which will fill your mouth, nose and mind is uniquely delicious and has been highly prized, by many cultures, for centuries. Lime flowers will quickly release a little glutinous, sweet mucilage as you chew. More details about properties of this amazing tree in the main post on Lime.
So with limited space and time…
How to dry tree leaves and flowers.
Once home, lay out the harvest on a light surface and discard any rough, diseased or otherwise unhealthy looking leaves, flowers or sprigs.
Allow time for bugs to escape and find them a new home if they seem lost.
My harvest was partly covered in a dried black film – originating from greenfly droppings in the canopy – so I then used scissors to separate the flowers from the leaves. 99% of the flowers were unaffected.
Gently but thoroughly wash any dirt or film from the leaves, using cold water. If you wash the flowers you will loose the valuable nectar and pollen.
(It was very difficult to remove the black film from some parts so I discarded these and added them to my balcony pots as a mulch)
Dry the leaves with a clean tea towel or muslin.
Lay out the leaves and flowers separately to dry, on clean paper, cloths or trays.
(I spread my harvest out on my dining room table, with a clean, absorbent, cotton table cloth beneath. The room used needs to be well ventilated and fairly warm to facilitate good drying)
This could be done in a very cool oven, I prefer to save electricity and let time do the drying.
Turn the harvest from time to time to allow all surfaces to dry.
If necessary, when the herbs feel dry to touch, move them to a more convenient drying area.
Keep checking and shifting the herbs around to facilitate drying, for as long as it takes them to become completely brittle.
(The flowers will dry much more quickly than the leaves, which could take 3 weeks)
Inspect again for mould, unhealthy looking herbs.
Store in glass airtight containers.Uses:
Lots of information is given in the main Lime post but here are couple of others…
I couldn’t wait to use some of my harvest so I made Lime leaf, blossom and Amsterdam honey sandwiches for lunch.
I also added a few flowers to my cold water bottle this morning. The water tasted and smelt very fragrant after about an hour. It tasted far better than any shop bought, flavoured water and had the added benefit of a few cooling, gooey flowers to chew on during my 30 degree Dutch class. The flowers would also look very pretty in a decanter of dinner table water.
Lime is magical – if you have the chance, give it a try!
City bees are dizzy with happiness at present. The sweet perfume of Lime (NL:Linden, Tilia spp.) trees fills the air in many streets and parks, attracting bees from far and wide. This tree looks wonderful, can grow to a stately height, is great for wildlife and it’s flowers are used to make the best herb tea and honey on Earth (well, I think so anyway!). The Lime tree is able to calm our nerves and bring us happiness.
The tree is easily identified. It has a classic tree shape, if allowed to grow unchecked, has large heart-shaped and sharply toothed leaves which are smooth above. Lime flowers hang yellowish-white from the trees from Midsummer to July, not necessarily all over the tree. There are often burrs on the handsome trunks.
Uses
Linden flower tea is very popular here in the Netherlands and across the continent. Lime grows abundantly in the UK yet is less widely used. The French prize the herb tea made from Linden flowers above most others and call it Tilleul. It was used traditionally in Europe to treat nervous disorders such as hysteria, nervous vomiting and palpitations brought about by stress.
Linden honey has been highly prized for generations, has a heavenly taste and carries many of the properties of the tree.
Lime wood is excellent for minutely detailed carving and turning, being close grained, strong, durable and unattractive to woodworm.
Lime bark has been traditionally used in Europe to make baskets and fishing nets.
The sap is plentiful in spring and has a high sugar content. It can be tapped in the same as Maple and Birch.
The leaves can also be made into a tea/infusion whereupon they yield an extremely thick (mucilaginous) and cooling drink. They also make a simple and tasty sandwich filling.
It is found by many to be helpful for coughs, colds, fevers, headaches, inflammation, as a diaretic, general tonic, to calm the gut and to soothe nerves.
In general this herb is thought of as soothing, relaxing and promoting feelings of happiness.
Narcotic intoxication:
Lime blossom is easy to harvest, dry and use but as with all herbs, it should be treated with great respect. Harvest when in full bloom and all should be well but beware that Lime blossom tea can produce a mild, non addictive intoxication. Flowers left on the tree too long before harvesting are said to have a more intoxicating effect. The mildly intoxicating effect of appropriatly harvested Lime makes many of us feel happy. It also makes Lime extremely valuable to those seeking to enter a state of trance and other magical journeying.
On a spiritual level, Lime is renowned as a tree herb which can help relieve grief and induce feelings of vibrancy and youthfulness. To appreciate these qualities it is said that you should carry a small bag, filled with dried Lime leaves, or that you place them under your pillow.
How to harvest Lime/Linden.
Harvest from mature Lime trees, in as clean and unpolluted an area as is possible.
Choose a dry day, preferably before it becomes too hot and after the dew has dried.
Snip off young healthy sprigs, containing blossoms and a few leaves, from branches which you can reach easily.
Respect the trees and harvest sparingly.
Spread the harvest out on a clean dry surface, preferably on trays so air can circulate easily.
Leave in a warm, well ventilated place for 2 – 3 weeks, until the sprigs are thoroughly dry and brittle.
Store in sterilised airtight containers.
How to make Linden/Lime tea and infusion. You can make Linden tea by simply steeping a sprig of fresh Lime in a cup of boiling hot water for as long as desired for taste. Or you can use a teaspoon full of dried crushed herb per cup.
To make an infusion place about 5 tablespoons of crushed dried herb in a pot or jar which holds about 500ml of water (you could scale this up to suit the size of your container). Add 500ml boiling water and leave with a tightly fitting lid and without heat, for between 4 and 8 hours (preferably overnight). Then strain, separately retaining both the herb and infusion. The infusion should be good for 24 hours if refrigerated. Return the “used” herb material to the pot and add about 300ml of boiling water. Simmer gently, for up to 2 hours, after which a very mucilaginous fluid should be obtained. Again this should be good for about 24 hours if refrigerated.
This afternoon I was privileged to collect and drink sap from a mature birch tree in a friend’s Amsterdam garden. Today’s tapping was something of an experiment, the process went quite smoothly and we managed to collect about 75ml of Birch Sap (Birch Blood) in about 20 minutes. I shall certainly be trying it again on other trees, hopefully this spring.
Allergic to apples = allergic to Birch
It seems that those with an allergy to apples are very likely to be allergic to Birch sap and thus should avoid it.
Benefits of drinking Birch blood
Birch blood or sap is a weak solution of nutrients which were stored in the roots over winter and are pumped up through the trunk and branches in spring, for the tree to use in new growth. The sap is drawn upwards through a system of vascular cells, from roots to crown by osmotic pressure. It is mainly water and contains some vitamins (mainly C), minerals (mainly potassium, calcium, magnesium and zinc), amino acids, fructose, glucose and other fruit sugars. It is clear (not blood red), has a slightly soapy appearance when shaken and has a refreshing watery taste with a hint of birch aroma, a little sweetness and perhaps little bitterness in the aftertaste. Some say it can taste slightly of Wintergreen, I’m not sure I could taste that today but there was certainly more to it than water. Sugar content in Birch blood peaks in the middle if the tapping season.
Across cultures, there are a great many health claims associated with drinking Birch sap. It is said by many to be an excellent spring tonic, to help prevent scurvy and rickets, to help relieve rheumatoid arthritis and gout symptoms, to ease symptoms of multiple sclerosis, to accelerate the metabolism, to help with diabetes myelitis, to help kidney disorders and to cure birch pollen allergy symptoms. That’s quite a reputation to live up to!
Which birch trees and when?
Sap should only be collected from healthy birch trees, with a base trunk diameter of at least 25cm. The owner’s permission should be obtained before attempting to collect any sap and care should be taken to prevent further damage to the tree during and after tapping. If drilling a hole, use a very clean drill bit and insert very clean collection materials.
If you can reach the branch tips of a birch tree in spring, you could break off the tip of a twig and watch for dripping sap. If it happens quickly, this is a good sign that the sap is flowing well and that it may be possible to collect from the trunk. Spring time, before the leaves form, is the best time to collect birch sap. Some say that the best time to collect is when the nights are cold (below zero) and the days are warm. The tapping season varies depending upon climatic region but it generally only lasts for a month or so.
Some say the same tree can be tapped yearly, others say no more than once every three years. Be cautious and look after the tree. One tree can be tapped continuously through one season (change the collection vessel regularly of course).
How to tap Birch Blood (I used a cordless drill (thank you Herman!), part of an old but tidy metal olive oil spout, 1 meter of aquarium tubing from my local pet shop (cost 1€) or find it here on Amazon, used plastic baby milk bottles for sap collection and an old plastic tub to stop the baby bottle falling over).
You must get the permission of the land owner first.
The tree must have a trunk diameter of at least 25 cm and must be healthy and strong.
Ask permission mentally or audibly of the tree itself. If you are inclined as I am, then discretely make an offering of something precious to you and natural, to the roots of the tree. You are taking some of it’s life force so be respectful, careful and only take what you need.
Between 50cm and 1 meter up the trunk, drill a 1 inch deep hole through the bark, at a slight upward angle (about 30 degrees) with a very clean drill bit (about 6mm diameter bit).
The sap will immediately or very soon start to flow out of the hole.
Insert sterile, sturdy but flexible tubing (about 1 meter long), of the same diameter as the hole (this will be a little bigger than the bit size) into the hole. Like me, you may like to insert a graduated metal tube into the hole to ensure a good seal and then fit flexible tubing over that short tube.
N.B. Tubing and collection vessels can be sterilised in various ways; I choose to clean them well in slightly soapy water, then boil in clean water for about 10 minutes, then dry on a clean muslin or tea towel..
Insert the flexible tubing into a sterile collection vessel such as a plastic drink bottle.
Collect as much sap as required or possible in the time you have available. If leaving the tapping unattended make sure to cover the collection vessel well (plastic bag and elastic band?) so that insects etc. won’t climb in.
Seal the collection vessel and use the sap immediately or refrigerate or freeze.
Carefully remove the tubing and or metal spout from the hole. See the following section about sealing or not sealing the wound.
Clean your tubing, dry it and store for future use.
To seal or not to seal?
There are differing opinions about whether the hole should be plugged or not after tapping. Some say the tree should be left with an open hole as it will seal it and heal itself best this way. Recent research on Maples in Canada, suggests this is the best method. Others warn against leaving the tree to literally bleed to death with an open wound. Today we plugged the hole as best we could with a twig of the same diameter as the drilled hole. It worked fairly well and stemmed most of the flow. Beeswax is suggested by some as another way to seal the hole, I have not yet tried that. Others suggest inserting a cork, I tried this before the twig today and it was ineffective; the cork had to be whittled to fit and then became too pliable and weak.
It felt better to seal the hole today, I didn’t like to leave all that beautiful sap running down the trunk, although as the weather is not too warm at present and any seepage from the wound runs down the trunk towards the roots, I can’t really imagine that the loss of sap would cause too many problems for a healthy tree.
An easier way to collect a little sap
Simply cut off the ends of some birch twigs or branches and point the cut ends into a bucket or ease them downwards into a bottle. Sap will soon start to drip out of the cut ends.
Storing and using the sap
Birch sap should be consumed quickly and stored at refrigerator temperature. The sap can apparently be frozen for some time. Birch sap can be made into a delicious wine, be boiled down to make a syrup – rather like maple syrup and can be drunk fresh. I have also heard that some chefs like to make Birch vinegar from the sap.
There is a lovely natural children’s play area in Frankendael Park, made from woven living willows. As you can see, from the photo taken today, the willow structures have sent out lots of new growth and need some pruning and reweaving.
This Saturday, 19th February, at 10am locals interested in helping to tidy up the structures are invited to meet at the play area. Warm drinks will be provided by the Friends of Frankendael. This was posted in Het Parool newspaper yesterday. I suggest that taking a pair of gardening gloves and secateurs would be useful.
Willow (Salix alba, S. fragilis, NL: Wilgen)
A wonderful pain reliever.
Willow bark contains salicin which is the active ingredient in aspirin, but unlike the isolated ingredient, Willow bark doesn’t irritate the gut or thin the blood. A country remedy I can vouch for is to chew the twigs of willow for headache relief. I have found it works and it is also quite tasty!
Willow tincture or vinegarmade in spring, can also be very effective. It can be taken for headaches, muscle pains & cramps, rheumatism, arthritis, period pain, colds, flu. However Willow should not be used by those allergic to Asprin, pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Pack a sterile jam jar full of leaves and young twigs.
Cover completely with vodka or apple cider vinegar.
Seal the jar with a well fitting lid.
Leave for 4 – 6 weeks at room temperature
Strain and pour the tincture or vinegar into a sterile bottle
Label and store in a coolish dark place
Take a few drops of tincture in water or a teaspoonful of vinegar for mild pain relief.
Linda Runyon is a wise woman who literally “lived off the trees” some years ago, during a particularly harsh winter, whilst homesteading in the US Adirondack Mountains. She taught herself how to harvest from trees and how to preserve and use their plenty. It was a matter of survival at the time so you really learned how to make the most of the trees around her. She has published several books, DVDs and plant ID cards over the years, helping countless people to live in harmony with the land. Her latest offering is an extraordinary book, full of tips and ideas for foraging from trees. The link above gives lots more info about her life and books and how to buy them directly. Mine was ordered via Amazon. I hope that I am also happily surrounded by herbs, when I reach her age.
for further information about the virtues of Birch.
, used plastic baby milk bottles for sap collection and an old plastic tub to stop the baby bottle falling over).
Urban Herbology 