Category Archives: 365 Frankendael

365 Frankendael day 326

365 Frankendael

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Today was Forest school again and I finally identified this tree in Beatrix park by nipping of a leaf bud and chewing it very gently and thoughtfully! The taste was unmistakable – Lime tree (Tilia sp).

The taste itself was mild for a tree bud but more importantly upon prolonged chewing it released a large amount of gooey unctuous mucilage – as does fresh Lime blossom. It also tasted exactly the same as those midsummer blossoms. I was very pleased to find this as I have a real fondness of Lime and it’s lovely to now know a tree with low hanging branches and hence flowers in midsummer.

365 Frankendael day 325

365 Frankendael

Today was the sixth meeting of my first apprenticeship group. It was a very cold day! We did find lots of herbal variety in the park however. Here are a few of our finds…

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This strong scented Labiate, which I don’t recognise but looks less like a Figwort than when I found it last week!

Primula vulgaris, not for picking in this area as the plants are scarce. Pretty and useful though.

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Wild garlic, still abundant but a little bartered by the recent cold weather.

And lastly, Woodland Geranium.
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365 Frankendael day 324

365 Frankendael

Just a quick photo today, of an edible and reputedly medicinal plant which takes a lot of work to remove from a garden!

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These are the tiny but unmistakable early leaves of Ground elder (Aegopodium podograria, NL: Zevenblad). I really enjoy eating this plant through the spring and early summer. If the soil it grows in, is unpolluted then eating it certainly beats fighting it, in my book anyway. The plant is part of the Carrot family and has a distinct parsley flavour. It goes well with lots of foods (steamed fish being my favourite) and is easy to prepare and cook (simply clean it, finely chop it and sprinkle over the cooking food for ten minutes cooking).

365 Frankendael day 323 – Second apprenticeship group

365 Frankendael, Apprenticeship

My second apprenticeship group gathered for the first time today and headed for the woods of Park Frankendael.

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What a pleasure it was to meet these lovely women, even if on a rainy day!

We found several beautiful and useful plants on our walk. My hands seized-up with the cold, part way round so I couldn’t take many photos but here’s a list of our main seasonal herbal finds…

Primrose ( Primula vulgaris )
Not for picking, in any shape or form due to the scarcity but a valued remedy of old.

Pestites japonica (Fuki). In resplendant bloom!

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Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Nose bleed is an old name for this feminine, feathery wound herb with a fascinating ability to regulate blood flow.

Wild garlic (Allium ursinum), is everywhere at present. It is developing at different rates in different locations, even within the same woods.

Violet (Viola ….)
Heartsease, literally.

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A pink/red flowering Pestasites, soon to be found sporting gigantic kidney shaped leaves.

Elder (Sambucus nigra). With snapable, soft pith-filled branches and almost year round leaves – if you look around carefully. The green parts contain a potent toxin which is metabolised to cyanide in the body. The ripe berries and flowers are great though! The leaves make a wonderful external remedy also.

Yellow archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon)

Hedgerow geranium (Geranium pyrenaicum)

365 Frankendael day 322

365 Frankendael

Here is a sign of things to come…

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Tiny Stinging nettle plants popping up in pavement cracks. There are perennial and annual nettles in Amsterdam. Both are useful but I find the perennials stronger and more potent. Both are rich sources of nutrients which can boost iron levels, energy levels and calcium levels – and a host of other useful things!

365 Frankendael day 320

365 Frankendael, , , , ,

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I think that these are early leaves of Scrophularia nodosa (Common Figwort), the foliage smells like it but I haven’t noticed it this early in the year before. Time and flowers will tell.

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Above, Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis) again. This time with a mixture of pink and purple flowers. It really stands out at this time of year.

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Here is pretty wild Dog Violet (Viola riviniana).

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Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). Rich in protein (10%!), vitamins and nourishing minerals. This one could be harvested now but I’ll wait for slightly larger plants, to allow leaves to be left on the plant, after I harvest tender tops.

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And this spring beauty is Petasites japonica (Japanese butterbur). I think it’s an absolutely beautiful plant and feel very fortunate to have found this one in full bloom in good light today, and in a place I could actually reach! It grows in park Frankendael in just a few places along side three water, on the steepest banks where I guess most people don’t dare to tred, consequently it survives year on year. In Japan this spring growth causes excitement in markets where it is sold as delicacy. It is used as an astma and migraine medicine but contains alkaloids which are toxic to the liver and are strongly linked with some cancers. So consumption should be limited! I have been waiting for this day for a couple of years, since wondering if those massive kidney shaped leaves of late spring/summer, in pockets along the waterways of Amsterdam which so looked like Fuki (Japanese butterbur) really were the real deal. I’m quite happy this evening. Of course not all of the big summer Fuki-like leaves belong to this plant, some are completely unrelated and inedible to say the least. That’s one reason why identification with flowers and watching a plant for it’s whole lifecycle is so important.

365 Frankendael day 318

365 Frankendael, ,

The plants in park Frankendael seem to have appreciated the sunshine and warmth today…

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Elder leaves surging through.

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Pretty purple flowers of Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis). It doesn’t really do much for the lungs but is said to be of mild medicinal action. It’s a borage family plant so is likely to contain some harmful alkaloids.

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Hazel catkins.

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Woodland geranium (Geranium species) above.

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Not edible but very pretty, crocuses.

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Primrose (Primula vulgaris), edible, medicinal but too slow at proliferating to pick at all.

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Snow drops, too pretty to pick and poisonous.

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Lastly today, Wild garlic (Allium ursinum) with equally edible Yellow archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon) with it’s evergreen silvery leaves and toxic Hedge parsley (Torilis arvensis).

365 Frankendael day 317

365 Frankendael

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The three of us went foraging Wild Garlic (Ramsons, NL: Daslook) today, in Flevopark. There is a large concentration of healthy plants there and out was possible to pluck a handful of leaves without leaving a mark that anyone else would notice. Unfortunately we noticed signs that again, people have been ripping handfuls of leaves from individual plants. If you like to gather this plant, please do so in an ethical and environmentally sound way.

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Already, the plants in Flevopark have flower stalks appearing. Once they become really obvious and are about to bloom, the plants taste differently and are best left alone to flower and set seed.

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Stinging nettles are now springing up and are ready for picking the tips, to make infusions, pasta, soups, whatever takes your fancy – except for a salad 🙂

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Could this be Garlic mustards early leaves? It looks like them but my hands stank of garlic by this point so out was difficult to tell.