Category Archives: Urban Herb Walks

365 Frankendael day 51

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I harvested a little Russian Comfrey today, to make a healing foot ointment. The plant is still in flower but the leaves will stay contain many of the active constituents. Also plucked for the table were a small number of Daisy flowers, some Ground Elder, a little Garlic Mustard and a few pretty Pelargonium flowers. The Ground Elder itself is still on top form for foraging although it is starting to become quite dirty in some locations, due to bird droppings and general honey dew dripping from aphids and ants in the trees above. So I would say that by now it is just past it’s best and I need to focuss my forager’s attention elsewhere.

Here are today’s photos:

Here is a White Dead Nettle, setting seed alongside the Middenweg and the park. I think you can quite clearly see how the flower and now seed clusters encircle the square Labiate family stem, quite unlike the unrelated but often mistaken Stinging Nettle. Both plants are edible.


Above is German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) growing close to the White Dead Nettle.


Above is Brassica rapa Wild Turnip. It smells of cabbage when picked and the flower heads remind me of broccoli. It was growing close to a patch of very young Fat Hen (Lambs quarters) but both were unfortunately in a bit of a dirty location so not for the plate tonight.ill certainly keep my eyes open for both tomorrow though as they are perfectly in season at present and make very good eating when cooked. All parts of Wild Turnip are edible and tasty.

I was also very pleased to spot some Calamints in flower for the first time this year. Photos of those tomorrow hopefully.

365 Frankendael day 50

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I picked a small pile of Elderflowers today, from along the outer Hugo de Vrieslaan edge of the park. The resident bugs are now crawling out of the flowers. I am about to get going with the Elderberry Delight recipe in the River Cottage Hedgerow Handbook. You will find the book and hence the recipe via my Books page. So before the flowers are ready for the pot, here are my few photos of today’s edibles in this part of Amsterdam:


Above is Greater Celendine (Chelidonium majus), still growing and flowering useful but not one for the pot. This is a poisonous plant but the bright orange juice within the stems can be helpful to dissolve warts.


Here’s a pretty and no doubt tasty cultivated, scented Rose. It grows on a house which borders the park. Not one to harvest of course but there are plenty more like this in town at the moment.


Above, lovely and tasty Wild Lovage. This makes very good eating and although another member of the troublesome carrot/parsnip/hemlock family, the leaves are quite different from its relatives and, with a field guide, very easy to identify. Just a leaflet or two will add a lovely flavour to cooking.


Here is a first for my 365 Frankendael Project – Fat Hen (Chenopodium alba). I am very pleased to find it, close to one of the Frankendael bus stops in some neglected land. In fact growing alongside another lover of neglected places – Mugwort. I harvested some of this one for this evening’s meal and my cat is having a good chew on a leaf at present. He seems to find it quite agreeable. Fat Hen makes great eating and is a weed which does very well on fertile soil, such as on allotments. Generally gardeners dig it up and dispose of it. I suggest they give washing and cooking it a try. Lots of Fat Hen recipes are available online and in foraging books.

If you would like to join me for a walk around the richest parts of this park, then why not sign up for my next guided walk on Sunday 15th July?

Sunday 15th July 2012 – Urban Herbology Walk – Park Frankendael

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Maybe it will be hot, maybe not but whatever the weather there will be lots of herbs around in Amsterdam, on July 15th. To help more people appreciate some of the edible, medicinal and interesting herbs, growing within the city, I’m offering another Urban Herbology Walk, on Sunday 15th July 2012, from the main gates of Frankendael Park.

The walk will start at 11am and every one interested in finding out about wild herbs, which can be found in central Amsterdam, is welcome to subscribe.

My previous walks have been great fun to organise and very well received.  We will take a relaxed look at the bounty of summer herbs to be found in and around the park. The walk will last about 90 minutes and will probably end at the lovely cafe/restaurant Merkelbach, situated just inside the main entrance of the park.

Cost per participant will be €8. Maximum 12 places. Previous walks have been oversubscribed so if you wish to join me you must contact me beforehand. Please email Lynn.Shore@gmail.com or call me on 0627 596930.

During the walk you will…
Receive a useful handout, to refer to after the walk
Learn how to find and identify some safe, useful, local herbs,
Learn how to harvest with respect for the environment,
Learn how to use herbs safely in several different ways,
Receive some tasty Urban Herbal recipes.

And of course you will get the chance to meet other folk who like to know a little more about what’s growing beneath and above them!  If it sounds interesting to you then please contact me.

I really hope to meet you on 15th July!

Thank you! 365 Frankendael day 49

365 Frankendael, Foraging, Urban Herb Walks, Wild herbs

Thank you to the wonderful Urban Herbies who joined me in Frankendael this morning! Another lovely group joined me for a guided walk around some plant rich areas of the park. We found lots of beautiful herbs and raised an eyebrow or two as we picked Lime leaves from one of the trees lining the main walkway. This was the last guided walk I’ll be doing for a while. I plan to offer another on a Sunday in July and my forthcoming Mugwort field workshop (also at Frankendael), on Monday 18th June has a couple of spaces available. If you are interested please contact me and start collecting your pesto jars! Also on the 20th June, Midsummer’s Day, a group of us will be gathering Lime for lunch and a tea. Keep an eye on my Events page for further details.

The Lime tree (Tilia vulgaris) in this photo is just by the main entrance. I noticed this beginning of a leaf spur as I sat waiting for the walkers to arrive. Lime has a fascinating ability to send out such leaf spurs, directly from the truck. It is quite handy from a foraging point of view, these leaves are often within reach on trees with otherwise inaccessible leaf canopies.

Next, the developing seed pods and remaining flowers of Scullcap (Sculletaria altissima) How quickly this amazing woodland plant moves through its flowering process!

Next is a clear photo of developing Hawthorn berries (Crataegus monogyna). I have been learning more about ways to use these (when bright red and ripe) in cooking. The ripe berries will be mainly filled with seed but the fruit encompassing that is useful and quite tasty. A modern classic foraging recipe is to make hawthorn leather from the fruit. I have tried it before and found it imensely fussy and time consuming. I then forgot to eat the leather before it turned mouldy – so all in all a big waste of berries and time! This year thanks to Amalie Bang, who came on one of my recent walks, I’ll be trying to make Danish style Hawthorn juice which can then be used in different ways to make tasty foods. I can’t wait for this year’s harvest!

Many other herbs around today but it’s time to put my feet up and start thinking about the Mugwort workshop…

365 Frankendael day 48

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Here is a very tasty and edible salad herb which I hardly ever use but is quite easy to find in Amsterdam and many other cities. It is called Shepherds purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) and is well adapted to grow alongside roads, paths, grassy and waste areas. You can only really see the seed pods on the long flower stem in this photo, it is mixed in with another plant (White mustard). I found this patch alongside the Vomar entrance of Park Frankendael, right beside a path. It is very easy to identify, with it’s signature heart shaped seed pouches. The leaves quite slim and plain looking but are peppery tasting and are very good when picked young and added to a mixed salad. It has been found to be high in Vitamins C and K and has many stoic applications.


Next today is a mixture of mature (and thus not to tasty) Plantain (Plantago major) leaves and White mustard. These were growing alongside the Shepherds purse. So all in all the potential for quite a tasty salad, from this small green patch of land between the park and road.

Foraging in De Baarsjes

Foraging,

My thanks to Olia, Robin and Elodie, for inviting me over for a lunchtime forage, in a beautiful wild patch of De Baarsjes! We found lots of super edibles including Mugwort, Garlic Mustard, Plantain, Elderflower, Lime, Hops, Rosebay Willowherb, Wild Strawberry, Cinquefoil, Cats tail, Ground Elder and more.

We brewed up a flask of Elderflower tea as we walked and shared it, as we munched on homemade bread and just plucked herbs, here close to Metro 50 station de Vlugtlaan.

Olia & Robin joined my last herb walk from Amstel Station and they are based at a fantastic creative centre called Novel. Also Elodie, my friend and frequent foraging buddy.

What a great lunch!

365 Frankendael day 47

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Firstly today, fragrant and edible flowers of the urban prolific Rosa rugosa. It is much used by urban landscapers and I think, underused by urban foragers. To be used as any other rose, ensure they are clean and unsprayed as ever.

Next is Cleavers (Galium aparine), still looking fresh and cleansing in the Volkstuin area of Frankendael.


Here is a mature Ginkgo biloba tree which I hadn’t noticed until today. Recently I learned that in some parts of the world it is illegal to plant female Ginkgos because the smell of their fruit is so obnoxious! Perhaps this one is a male? Either way, the leaves will be ripe for the picking and eating or tea making in a few months. There are a great many Ginkgos in Amsterdam.


Above is a small Ladies mantle (Alchemilla) plant. This is a bitter and very useful herb. I grow several on my roof and sometimes eat the flowers as a garnish. The leaves are good as a bitter tea and can be used to make a good breast toning oil. That is one of their traditional uses.


Lastly today, another coppiced Willow living in apparent intimate harmony with a different plant species. This time the lodger USA flowering Elder (Sambucus nigra). Two great herbs together!

365 Frankendael day 46

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I’ve been preparing for the next Urban Herbology walk today so here are several photos and not much chat…


Developing cobweb-spirally Burdock flowers.


The Middenweg Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) continues to grow despite being reported to the council. Apparently it’s not a risk to the public because it is growing in the green strip… It is now wider than my bike, well over 2m tall and (although less than before I pruned it) still overhangs the pavement. I shall snip off the flower heads before the seeds set. A deadly beauty.


Greater Celendine, with seed pods developing well.


Comfrey (Symphytum uplandicum), still growing, still flowering – everywhere in the park!


Skullcap (Sculletaria altissima) in the woods. Flowers development very quickly moving up the stalk, sowing be visible for much longer.


The flowers of wild Sage (Salvia officinalis).


On the edge of the rhododendron planted section, I found this shady patch of tasty Pelargonium, Garlic Mustard and also Stinging Nettle and Cleavers, just out of shot.


Lastly, frothy flowers of Hedge Bedstraw.

Urban Herb Love

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Yesterday was our seventh anniversary, here is what we cooked: Scallops, marinated in the juice of half a lime, a sprig of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped and a small nugget of fresh ginger, squeezed. After cooking in the marinade, the scallops and sauce were laid on wilted spinach and Elderflowers were sprinkled on top.

Next came grilled lamb cutlets served with a caprese salad and most importantly, Mugwort vegetables. The taste of a top of almost flowering Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) infused into mixed vegetables, as they cooked in one of my magical cast iron pots. It was served sprinkled with detached individual Red Clover flowers. Mugwort (Cronewort, Artemisia vulgaris, NL: Bijvoet)  is extremely tasty and aromatic when cooked in this gentle way. Just a splash of olive oil, finely chopped leeks softened then chopped aubergine and courgette added to the pan. Lid on and simmer gently for ten minutes or so.

Umm, now that’s Urban Herb Love!