Just a quick post today as have been writing about the Elder Babies event…
We didn’t look for other herbs today but Lynne and her children found some Garlic Mustard in good shape for eating and others with ripe, dry seed pods, very useful for the River of Herbs project.
Here’s some of the Garlic Mustard.
What a beautiful day again today! I have been off on my bike to Nieuwemarkt, stocking up on Carageen (dried Irish moss seaweed) and dried Arnica flowers from Jacob Hooy and dried strands of Agar agar from the Oriental Supermarket, in readiness to write a section in my book about herbal gel making. Then back down the road to the park to collect a few Willow tendrils from Park Frankendael, to make plant rooting hormone tea for the Let’s Make Elder Babies gathering tomorrow morning. I learned about using Willow tea as a rooting hormone, quite recently from Ann at City Plot. Here is a useful link with some background about why the tea works and how to make it.
Here’s the Willow (Salix sp) I harvested from to make the tea today. All Willows contain Salicyclic acid but this Weeping Willow has so many babies growing at her feet, probably from ripped off tendrils which self rooted, that I thought she was the one to use.
I had a look along the Hugo de Vrieslaan outer edge of the park, to check that the Elder shrubs are in good shape to harvest from tomorrow. They look beautiful, with glossy leaves and lots of developing berries.
And here is another sort of berry developing, Blackberry, with a beautifully flowering Teasle plant growing alongside. I was asked about this plant on a recent herb walk. When should it be harvested and which parts are most valued for treating Lymes disease. I had little idea, its a plant I’m not used to using as in the UK you are not supposed to pick it due to its value to wildlife. I have just read the latest Ezine from Susun Weed and she mentions the first year roots being harvested in winter for this purpose so I suggest that route is followed by those I spoke to who have lots of Teasel growing in their gardens.
I collected some more seeds today, from edible, medicinal and beautiful perennials in Park Frankendael. The only wild Angelica that I know of there set and spread its seed in the water some time ago but this beauti in the maintained herb garden is just ripe. I harvested just a tiny proportion of the seeds on the plant and will use them for the River of Herbs project. Angelica archangelica is such a gorgeous plant to look at and has so many uses for humans and wildlife. I hope some other people will enjoy growing it in the city.
If you would like to collect some seeds from plants growing in the city or anywhere else, do remember to:
1. Leave most of the seed on the plant for birds and small mammals to eat and use.
2. Leave the seed heads and stems on the plants, they often make excellent look out posts for birds in winter, create beautiful frosted and dew covered structures until the spring and some become hollowed out homes for all manner of bug life. If you must chop off the seed making structures, to access the seeds, it probably indicates that the seed is not yet ripe anyway.
3. Take only from plentiful perennial plants, which are generally able to proliferate from their root stock and seed. If you take from annuals or biennials the forget to sew the seed, or they fail, then the plants you harvested from may have lost all chance to reproduce.
4. Only harvest seed when ripe and allow them to dry off extra well at home before packaging in small labelled envelopes or similar for future use.
5. Sew your seed as soon as possible. Think about the plants natural cycle, when the plant sets seed the seed usually finds its way to the soil and when ready will germinate. Try to mimick this if possible.
My attempt at Skullcap (Sculleraria sp.) seed collection was disappointing. I had missed the boat almost completely on two accounts, firstly someone had cut off heaps of flower stems from the large plant shown here and secondly when I examined more skullcap plants they had already set seed. I managed to collect about six seeds. Next year I must look for them earlier.
I then turned my attention to the tall wild flower meadow (shown above). Too early for seed collection here but right on time to see Goldenrod in full glory,
And Tansy (here’s a photo illustrating why Tanacetum vulgare is known as Buttons in some regions),
Here’s a little plant which I have been encouraging in a pavement crack near Frankendael, for the past few months. Its characteristic scent, leaf shape and the basal rosette arangement of its young leaf stems, all tell me that it is a Geranium but I’m not sure which. My best guess at the moment is that it is Geranium rotundifolium. I really hope it will survive long enough in this location ,to flower and show me it’s true identity. In the meantime I’ll enjoy its fragrance and an occasional well washed and cooked leaf, in my meals.
One photo today, some very tasty Stinging Nettle seeds (Urtica dioica) dangling from plants and a mass of beautiful Thistle seeds, about to float away to new pastures from the mother plants. I’m not which type of thistle but seeing these reminds me that Thistle and Artichoke are closely related and useful medicinals.
Nettle seeds are not only tasty in their item right but make a useful infusion. Do although Nettle is not at its best for eating right now, a tonic infusion, which has a more moist effect on the body than the leaves alone, can be made.
This morning I went for a sunny wander and chat in the woods with Femke, one of the organisers of Otopia Fesitival at OT301, Overtoom.
The festival promises to be very interesting indeed. I’m very pleased to be offering 3, hour long Urban Herb Street walks on Saturday 15th September, as part of the event. They will be in the afternoon. More details to follow but I’m mentioning it now as places will be limited for the walks.
I was to busy chatting to take many photos but this Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) was just too beautiful to miss.
This is for Mirjam, who asked for the Dutch name of this plant and what it looks like. It is Plantago major, Plantain in English and Weegbree in Dutch. It is a very useful first aid and wound herb, is good to eat (if you cut out those stringy veins), good to juice, good for skin ointment recipes, for a multitude of ailments and I ran a workshop on the plant and its close cousin Ribwort, last week.
Not much time to write today, I really need to get my UH essentials book finished!
I did find some lovely herbs though..
Firstly, a carpet of dark green evergreen Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) with a few purple flowering spikes of Self Heal (Prunella vulgaris) poking through.
Greater celandine (Chelidonium majus), fading but still flowering and still oozing that amazing (poisonous orange) wart zapping sap, when a stem is broken.
Wild Rocket (Eruca sativa), Arugula.
Plantain (Plantago major).
The flower head of a Reed Mace / Cat’s Tail (Typha sp.)
My little girl and I were so pleased to meet this flower head as it is developing on a bent over stem. All other flower heads in this part of the park are growing too far out in the water for us to reach safely. I don’t know if that’s the reason for the US common name, but it feels very like our cat’s tail when you stroke it! Maybe I’ll ask the Park gardeners, if I can help out when the autumn clearing comes?
I harvested some of this beautiful Pennsylvania pelitory this morning and set up a vodka tincture for Tobias my canine neighbour.
I’m looking out for Arnica at the moment, I’ve no idea if it grows in Amsterdam or this park, but I want to make a fresh batch of Arnica gel so need to make a tincture first. I found this pretty plant on my quest…
Also today, I’m often asked about Evening primrose. Yes its edible and medicinal and you can see it has big blousy flowers. I’m not a big fan of taking the seed oil but its nice to make a tincture from or to cook the leaves or roots.
Ground Elder (Aegopodium podograrium) is making a comeback in parts of the woodland. I suspect that the recent plentiful rain has helped it to freshen up. There is a little Enchanter’s nightshade also in this photo.
Here is a beautiful Marsh Mallow plant (Althaea officinalis) downy and gentle amongst Tansy and Geraniums and more, not so far from a waters edge.
And lastly, another beautiful Queen Anne’s Lace flower (Daucus carota) with the tell tale red spot.
Today a photo of some young plants which are destined to grow in Park Frankendael but which currently reside in a gutter along my street, a block away from the park. I recently wrote about how my geveltuin Wormwood shrub has spread by seed to neighboring tree pits and pavement cracks. I transported a few to a pot in my kitchen and left others that had sprung up in safer spots. A couple of people are going to take on a plant or two at their homes.
Today I noticed that there are are at least a dozen more Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) plantlets, doing rather nicely in the street gutter. I am about to gently move them to another pot. I’m all for leaving pop-up herbs where they choose but these are definitely destined to meet a swift end, via a council strimmer. Wormwood is a species listed as currently struggling to hang on to life in the Netherlands.
So, Would anyone else like one of these easy to grow and useful plants?
And, would anyone else like to help me replant them, in to sandy parts of the park?
Urban Herbology 