Tag Archives: Foraging

A Second Urban Herbology Apprenticeship Group Opens for September

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The response to the newly redesigned Urban Herbology Apprenticeship has been really lovely.

The first September group, Linden, is now full. It has been wonderful to see the people joining this new version of the apprenticeship, and to read the thoughtful messages from those who have felt drawn to it.

But the enquiries kept coming so rather than turn people away simply because the first group’s workshop dates didn’t work for them, I’ve decided to open a second small apprenticeship group. It will also start in September 2026.

This group will be called Hawthorn.

The Hawthorn group

Hawthorn will follow the same apprenticeship structure as Linden, but the workshop days will be on Sundays.

There will be a maximum of six apprentices, meeting for ten workshop days throughout the year. Each workshop runs from 10:00–14:00 and is designed to be a substantial day of learning, making, exploring and spending time outdoors together.

The workshop dates are:

  • 27 September 2026
  • 25 October
  • 22 November
  • 24 January 2027
  • 14 February
  • 21 March
  • 18 April
  • 23 May
  • 27 June
  • 29 August

Between the workshops, apprentices have access to the Urban Herbology Library: an extensive collection of online lessons, recipes, plant information, practical guidance and other resources.

The Library is there to explore when you want to go down a rabbit hole, revisit something we have worked with together, download a recipe or deepen your knowledge of a particular plant.

But the in person workshops are the heart of the apprenticeship.

Learning together, in person

I have deliberately moved away from the idea of an apprenticeship being primarily an online course with assignments to complete. If you like, you can read more about why, in my previous post.

Instead, the year is built around coming together regularly and learning through experience.

We’ll work with plants, make things, explore local habitats, observe seasonal changes, share food and stories, practise skills and spend plenty of time outside.

The online material supports all of this, giving you somewhere to continue exploring between workshops without turning the apprenticeship into a long list of homework.

You don’t need to arrive knowing everything about plants. Curiosity, willingness to learn and an interest in developing a deeper relationship with the natural world around you are much more important.

Rooted in the place where we live

Urban Herbology is particularly interested in what becomes possible when we pay attention to the nature that is already around us.

That might mean discovering useful plants growing beside a city path, learning how to grow herbs in a tiny garden or large allotment, understanding seasonal plants and foods, making simple herbal preparations, or developing the confidence to recognise and respectfully interact with the plants of our everyday surroundings.

It is also about community.

The apprenticeship is intentionally small so that there is time to get to know one another and to learn together over the course of a whole year.

Applications are now open

There are six places available in the Hawthorn group.

If the Sunday dates work for you and the apprenticeship sounds like something you’d like to explore, you can read the full details and register here:

Join the Urban Herbology Apprenticeship

If you have questions before deciding, you’re very welcome to get in touch.

I am looking forward to seeing what grows from this second small circle of apprentices.

Linden is full. Hawthorn is now open.

April 9 – Wildpluk wandeling

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WEDNESDAY 26th MARCH
10.00 – 11.30 – Park Frankendael (Full with waiting list)
€20 per person

WEDNESDAY 9th APRIL
10.00 – 11.30 – Park Frankendael
€20 per person

Click here for full agenda.

Wil je weten welke eetbare en medicinale planten er in Amsterdam te vinden zijn op verschillende tijden van het jaar? Wil je weten hoe je jouw dieet gratis kunt aanvullen met lokale planten? En wilt u weten hoe de lokale giftige planten zijn? Geweldig! Ga dan met mij mee voor een wandeling in Park Frankendael en laat mij je laten zien wat er in de buurt is; Leer hoe je heerlijke en voedzame planten kunt identificeren, hoe je ze op ethische wijze kunt oogsten en hoe je ze kun gebruiken.

Wildpluk wandeling
De wandeling start en eindigt op dezelfde locatie, bij de fietsenrekken die het dichtst bij Huize Frankendael/Restaurant Merkelbach liggen. We wandelen door het bos, langs water, op gras en andere plekken in het park, inclusief de tuinen waar je voedsel kunt verzamelen die ik sinds 2014 samen met andere vrijwilligers heb onderhouden. De wandeling gaat door bij alle weersomstandigheden, behalve bij stormen. Je ontvangt een hand-out om je te helpen de planten en toepassingen te onthouden, en we drinken kruidenthee van kruidenvondsten. Als je wat verzamelde vondsten mee naar huis wilt nemen, neem dan een klein papieren of katoenen zakje mee om wat kruiden en zaden mee naar huis te nemen. De wandeling is rustig en vrij langzaam, de paden zijn grotendeels natuurlijk, van houtsnippers of aarde. Er is een openbaar toilet in het park. Kom voorbereid om eenvoudig verbinding te maken met de stedelijke natuur.

Jouw wildpluk docent
Mijn naam is Lynn Shore, ik geef al meer dan 15 jaar les in stedelijke wildpluk- en zelfvoorzienende vaardigheden in Amsterdam. Ik ben een ervaren kruidkundige en een trots lid van de Association of Foragers, en een Trustee van The Herb Society. Door de jaren heen heb ik wandelingen geleid voor grote en kleine groepen (waaronder Greenpeace), gewerkt met topbarmannen, restaurants, milieuvriendelijke bedrijven en gemeenschapsgroepen.

Deze april doe ik mee aan het Wildbiome onderzoeksproject, waar ik een maand lang alleen van geplukt en wilde voedsel zal leven om de effecten op het lichaam te bestuderen. Ik heb speciale interesses in het verbeteren van de stedelijke voedselzekerheid en mentale gezondheid door middel van natuurverbinding. Ik woon heel dicht bij Park Frankendael en ken de planten hier op mijn duimpje!

Deze wandeling is in het Engels. Ik spreek ook Nederlands. This walk is in English and Dutch.

Boekingsinformatie
Om uw boeking veilig te stellen, kunt u mij een e-mail sturen op urban.herbology.lynn@gmail.org om te controleren of er ruimte is. Betaling dient voorafgaand aan de wandeling te worden gedaan op bankrekening NL41 SNSB 0705 8981 99 (LM Shore). Stuur een e-mail naar urban.herbology.lynn@gmail.com, in geval van vragen, of neem gerust contact met mij op via 06 275 969 30.

Annuleringsbeleid
Betalingen worden volledig terugbetaald tot 24 uur voor het evenement. Als u na die tijd moet annuleren (dus minder dan 24 uur voor de starttijd van het evenement), kan er alleen een terugbetaling worden gedaan als we uw plaats met iemand anders kunnen opvullen.

March and April Foraging Walks

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WEDNESDAY 26th MARCH
10.00 – 11.30 – Park Frankendael (Full with waiting list)
€20 per person

WEDNESDAY 9th APRIL
10.00 – 11.30 – Park Frankendael
€20 per person

Click here for full agenda.

Would you like to know which edible and medicinal plants are possible to find in Amsterdam at different times of the year? Want to know how to supplement your diet for free from local plants? And would you like to know how the local poisonous plants? Great! Then, join me for a walk in Park Frankendael and let me show you what’s around; Learn how to identify delicious and nutritious plants, how to ethically harvest them, and how to use them.

These Walks
The walk will start and end at the same location, near the bike racks closest to Huize Frankendael/Restaurant Merkelbach. We will walk in the woods, alongside water, on grass and other areas of the park – including the foraging gardens which I have nurtured with other volunteers, since 2014. The walk will go ahead in all weather except storms. You will receive a handout to help you remember the plants and uses, and we will drink herbal tea from herbal finds. If you want to take some foraged finds home, please bring along a small paper or cotton bag to take home some herbs and seeds. The walk is gentle and fairly slow, the paths are mostly natural, of woodchip or soil. There is a public toilet in the park. Come prepared to connect simply with urban nature.

Who am I?
My name is Lynn Shore, I have been teaching urban foraging and self-sufficiency skills, in Amsterdam for over 15 years. I am an experienced herbalist and a proud member of the Association of Foragers, and a Trustee of The Herb Society. Over the years, I have led walks for large and small groups (including Greenpeace), work with top bartenders, restaurants, eco-friendly businesses, and community groups.

This April I am take part in the Wildbiome research project where I will live only on foraged food for the month to study the effects on the body. I have special interests in improving Urban Food Security, and mental health through nature connection. I live very close to a Park Frankendael, and know the plants here like the back of my hand.

This walk is in English – I also speak Dutch.

Booking Information
To secure your booking, please email me at Urban.herbology.lynn@urbanherbology.org to check there is space. Payment should be made in advance of the walk to bank account NL41 SNSB 0705 8981 99 (LM Shore). Email urban.herbology.lynn@gmail.com, in case of questions, or contact me on 06 275 969 30.

Cancellation Policy
Payments are fully refundable up to 24 hours before the event. If you need to cancel after that time (so less than 24 hours before the event start time) a refund can only be made if we can fill your place with someone else.

Foraging in January

Foraged only, Foraging, Wild herbs, Wildbiome2,

Would you like to know which edible and medicinal plants are possible to find in Amsterdam in the middle of winter? Want to know how to supplement your diet for free from local plants? How to make simple remedies and first aid treatments from them? And would you like to know about the local poisonous plants? Great! Then, join me for a walk in Park Frankendael and let me show you what’s around, even in the colder part of the year; Learn how to identify delicious and nutritious plants, how to ethically harvest them, and how to use them.

January Walks – Choose from:
Sunday 12th January
11.00 – 12.30 – Park Frankendael
(Full – Contact to join the Waiting List)
€15 per person
and
Wednesday 22nd January
10.00 – 11.30 – Park Frankendael
€15 per person

The walks will start and end at the same location, near the bike racks closest to Huize Frankendael/Restaurant Merkelbach. We will walk in the woods, alongside water, on grass and other areas of the park – including the foraging gardens. The walk will go ahead in all weather except storms, so dress for it 🙂 You will receive a handout to help you remember the plants and uses afterward and we will drink herbal tea from herbal finds. If you want to forage, please bring along a small paper or cotton bag to take home some herbs and seeds. The walk is gentle and fairly slow, the paths are mostly natural, of woodchip or soil. There is a public toilet in the park. Come prepared to connect simply with urban nature.

Who am I?
My name is Lynn Shore, I have been teaching urban foraging and self-sufficiency skills, in Amsterdam for over 14 years and have been running a city foraging garden for the past 10 years. I am a fully qualified herbalist and a proud member of the Association of Foragers. Over the years, I have led walks for large and small groups (including Greenpeace), work with top bartenders, restaurants, eco-friendly businesses, and community groups. This coming April I will take part in a research project where I will live only on foraged food for the month to study the effects on the body. My Master of Public Health degree specialised in Urban Food Security and all of my work aims to connect city people with nature – to improve health, wellbeing and the environment. I am passionate about this and love teaching others how to do it. This walk is in English – I also speak Dutch.

Booking Information
Payment is by bank transfer to account NL41 SNSB 0705 8981 99 (LM Shore). Payment is required to secure your booking.
Please Email urban.herbology.lynn@gmail.com to book or in case of questions.

Cancellation Policy
Payments are fully refundable up to 24 hours before the event. If you need to cancel after that time (so less than 24 hours before the event start time) a refund can only be made if we can fill your place with someone else.

Approaching Samhain Walk

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Join Lynn Shore, professional forager and herbalist, to explore local nature as we approach Samhain.

SATURDAY 26th OCTOBER
10.00 – 12.00 – Park Frankendael
€30 per person

On this 2-hour gentle walk, we will look to local plants, animals and other life forms, for signs of Samhain. That is the cross-quarter day between the Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice. It is seen by many as the start of the Pagan New Year. It is the time when the wild hunt is said to rip through the world, and certainly, it can be a time of spectacular changing weather. Samhain is a time of reflection, inwardness, mushrooms and roots (both the plant and family kind).

You will learn about
Local wild creatures, edible and medicinal plants
Signs in nature as the seasons change
Wild and feral Amsterdam plants
How to identify, harvest and safely use local herbs
Ways to help local wildlife
Increasing your connection to place and self-reliance
Simple rituals to bring yourself closer to urban nature at Samhain

What to expect
This small group walk will be 2 hours long, starting and ending at the same location, near the bike racks closest to Huize Frankendael/Restaurant Merkelbach. We will walk in the woods, alongside water, on grass and other areas of the park. The walk will go ahead in all weather except for storms, so dress for the occasion and check for updates if we get storms. There will be opportunity to walk barefoot, but no pressure if you prefer not to. There will be a handout to help you remember things afterwards and we will drink herbal tea from herbal finds. If you want to forage, please bring along a small paper or cotton bag to take home some herbs and seeds. The walk is gentle and fairly slow, the paths are mostly natural, of woodchip or soil. We will sit outside to drink herbal tea and eat the wild snack. There is a public toilet in the park.
Come prepared to connect simply and more deeply to urban nature.

About your guide
Lynn is an experienced herbalist and professional forager, who is specialized in local herbs and reconnecting city people to nature. She has been teaching foraging in Amsterdam and helping city people become more self-reliant for 14 years, and has been a practicing herbalist for over 20 years. Her special interest is improving mental health through herbs and nature. Lynn set up the beautiful community foraging gardens, over 10 years ago, in Park Frankendael. Part of this walk will be in there. In April 2025, she’ll be participating in the Wildbiome project, eating only wild food for one month, as part of a research project investigating how wild foods affect our health.

Booking
Email urban.herbology.lynn@gmail.com to book your place. When payment is received, your place will be confirmed by email. Please see the fair cancellation policy on the Events page.

Wildbiome 2 Project

Foraging, Projects, Wildbiome2, , , ,

How do wildfood diets effect the human body?

I’m a foraging teacher and herbalist in Amsterdam. I have been eating something wild and local every day for many years and I believe that it helps my body and mind, but does it really? To find out, I’ll be participating in the Wildbiome 2 research project, eating only wild food for one full month in April 2025. I need help to pay for my tests to see the health effects of the study.

Wildbiome 2 is a large follow-up study looking at how eating a wild food diet (like our hunter gatherer ancestors) affects human health today. The first study in 2023 was relatively small but delivered some fascinating results so I’m looking forward to finding out more this time as 120 foraging volunteers will take part.

During April 2025 I will eat only locally foraged wild food, no sneaky extras, no chocolate, matcha, spelt or homegrown veg, just 100% wild and local food. In Amsterdam, I’m sure it’s possible to be healthy by adding locally foraged food to our diet each day, but will eating it 100% show up issues? Will it show the effects of pollution? Will I be lacking in some nutrients? I think it will be fine, positive, but as someone who used to work in a research lab, I want to put this to the test scientifically. So some clinical tests need to be done.

Blood, stool and other testing will be done at the start and end of the trial month to look for effects on my gut microbiome, blood sugar, hormones, inflammation levels and many other health/illness markers. The tests are quite expensive so I need to raise funds to cover those costs alongside preparing my wild food store with acorns, apples, roots, leaves, berries, etc.

If you want to support this project, to help find out how wild food affect us, and to help pay for my tests, please donate through my Gofundme appeal.

The project starts on 1 April 2025 but I need to raise funds now.

As a token of my gratitude, I am offering the following:

First 20 people giving €25 donations: each a place on one of my Amsterdam herb group foraging walks, during Autumn, Winter or Spring 2024/5.

€50 donations: join a 1:2 walk.

€100 donations: a 1:1 walk at a mutually convenient time.

link to the Gofundme appeal

Autumn Equinox Walk

Urban Herb Walks, Wheel of the year,

Join Lynn Shore, professional forager and herbalist, to explore local nature on the autumn equinox.

SUNDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER – Fully Booked
14.00 – 16.00 – Park Frankendael
€30 per person – Full booked waiting list only through Meetup not email.

On this 2-hour gentle walk, timed when the sun should be at its peak, we will look to local plants and animals for signs of balance and change, on the autumn equinox. This is the time when light and day hang in balance. From now till midwinter the nights get longer, days get shorter and nature turns inward. This is traditionally, the last day of the year to harvest some plant material and the start of harvest time for others.

You will learn about
Local wild creatures, edible and medicinal plants
Signs in nature as the seasons change
Wild and feral Amsterdam plants
How to identify, harvest and safely use local herbs
Ways to help local wildlife
Increasing your connection to place and self-reliance
Simple rituals to bring yourself closer to urban nature through autumn

What to expect
This small group walk will be 2 hours long, starting and ending at the same location, near the bike racks closest to Huize Frankendael/Restaurant Merkelbach. We will walk in the woods, alongside water, on grass and other areas of the park. The walk will go ahead in all weather except for storms, so dress for the occasion. There will be opportunity to walk barefoot, but no pressure if you prefer not to. There will be a handout to help you remember things afterwards and we will drink herbal tea from herbal finds. If you want to forage, please bring along a small paper or cotton bag to take home some herbs and seeds. The walk is gentle and fairly slow, the paths are mostly natural, of woodchip or soil. We will sit outside to drink herbal tea and eat the wild snack. There is a public toilet in the park.
Come prepared to connect simply and more deeply to urban nature.

About your guide
Lynn is an experienced herbalist and professional forager, who is specialized in local herbs and reconnecting city people to nature. She has been teaching foraging in Amsterdam and helping city people become more self-reliant for 14 years, and has been a practicing herbalist for over 20 years. Her special interest is improving mental health through herbs and nature. Lynn set up the beautiful community foraging gardens, over 10 years ago, in Park Frankendael. Part of this walk will be in there. In April 2025, she’ll be participating in the Wildbiome project, eating only wild food for one month, as part of a research project investigating how wild foods affect our health.

Booking – only through waitlist on Meetup now as event is full
Email urban.herbology.lynn@gmail.com to book your place. When payment is received, your place will be confirmed by email. Please see the fair cancellation policy on the Events page.

Late Summer Foraging Walk

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Join Lynn Shore for a late summer herb foraging walk around one of the tastiest parks in Amsterdam.

THURSDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER

10.00 – 11.45 – Park Frankendael

€20 per person

We will look at many different edible and medicinal plants, which grow in and around Amsterdam. Learn how to identify, ethically harvest and safely use the plants for health, connection to place and to increase urban self-reliance, whilst caring for the environment.

This small group walk will be 90+ minutes long, starting and ending at the same location, near the bike racks closest to Huize Frankendael. We will look at herbs which live in the woods and alongside local roads and water. There will be a handout to help you afterwards and we will drink herb tea from some of our finds. Bring along a small paper bag to take home some herbs to help you to connect more deeply to local nature.

This will be during the end of the main foraging season so expect to take home plenty of foraged herbs and ideas about how to use and eat them.

Lynn is an experienced herbalist and professional forager, who specialises in local herbs and connecting people to the nature which we are all part of – especially in the middle of a city. She has been teaching foraging in Amsterdam and helping city people become more sufficient for 14 years. Her special interest is improving mental health through herbs and nature. Lynn set up the beautiful community foraging gardens, over 10 years ago, in Park Frankendael. Part of this walk will be in there. In April 2025, she’ll be participating in the Wildbiome project, eating only wild food for one month, as part of a research project investigating how wild foods affect our health.

Email urban.herbology.lynn@gmail.com to book your place. When payment is received, your place will be confirmed by email. Please see the cancellation policy on the Events page.

City Herb Events for Children

Urban Herb Walks, , , ,

City Herb Foraging for Children
Sunday 7th April and Sunday 21st April
Park Frankendael Foraging Gardens
10:30-12:00

These are small group sessions for children aged 7+ and their parents.

An introduction to some common Amsterdam herbs that grow in parks, streets, and gardens. A handout with information and recipes will be provided. We will make herb tea and some herbal concoctions after foraging the herbs.

Learn how to:

  • Identify, forage, and use key plants safely & ethically
  • Identify (and avoid) look-a-likes and common poisonous plants
  • Create simple foods, lotions, and potions using local herbs.

Each session will be led by Livvy de Graaf and assisted by Lynn Shore. Lynn is a professional foraging teacher (member Association of Foragers) and consulting herbalist. Livvy, is Dutch-British and has been harvesting and eating wild food for longer than she can remember. She is Lynn’s daughter.

We will be mainly in the River of Herbs foraging gardens, behind Huize Frankendael, which Lynn has run as a community project for the past 10 years.

Price per session
1 child – €15
1 child + 1 parent – € 25
[8 spaces available in total – no spaces available for adults alone]

Sugar and rain
As the beautiful Dutch saying goes, we are not made of sugar. So our events go ahead come rain or shine. We will postpone (and refund) if severe weather is forecast, such as a storm, because that could make the outdoor event unsafe. Otherwise, as the other saying goes – There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing..

To Book
Please Email stating your preferred date of event and how many children/adults.
To secure your place, payment must be received by bank transfer. We will send you the payment details when you email to book. Please look out for that reply as without payment, your booking is not complete and only a small number of places are available for Livvy’s events.

Refund Policy – Fully refundable up to 24 hours before the event. If you need to cancel after that time (so less than 24 hours before the event start time) a refund can only be made if we can fill your place with someone else.

Nettles – Urban Foraging Event

Foraging, Urban Herb Walks, Wild herbs, , , , , , , , , , ,
White deadnettle
Stinging nettle
Purple deadnettle

It is nettle time!
Learn how to identify, ethically harvest, craft, eat, grow, use and generally make the most of locally growing nettles, so Stinging nettles (Urtica species) and several Deadnettles (some of the Lamiaceae family), with Livvy de Graaf, assisted by Lynn Shore. Lynn is a professional foraging teacher (member Association of Foragers) and consulting herbalist. Livvy, is Dutch-British and has been harvesting and eating wild food for longer than she can remember. She is Lynn’s daughter and certainly knows her way around the woods and foraging orchards, where this event will take place. She looks forward to sharing some of her skills with you. The walk will be primarily in English.

Location
We will be working mainly in the River of Herbs foraging gardens, which Lynn has run for over 10 years, so unusually will be able to dig up some of the stinging nettle roots, to plant elsewhere or for you to cook/preserve/process at home.
Meeting at main entrance of Park Frankendael, closest to Middenweg 72, Amsterdam (Restaurant Merkelbach / Huize Frankendael).

Handout
Written info and recipes will be provided. You will learn about and try different preparations made from the focus plants (including a cup of tea). You will then be able to make your own potions/creations at home, using what we forage together and the handout.

Who is Stinging nettle’s sister?
Yellow deadnettle
Stinging nettle

The plants
Different “nettles” are up and forageable in Amsterdam all through the year, but at this time the Stinging nettles are growing strongly, and different Deadnettles begin to flower. This is the best time to start using them in simple remedies and to enrich food. As you learn about Stinging nettles and Deadnettles, you will also meet some other amazing wild herbs that are around at the same time. For instance, wild garlic is also in full growth at this time, so you will be able to dig some of those bulbs up, from legal places, if you want that and have uses for them.

Please bring along
cup/mug
paper bag (grocery small bag to take the harvest home)
pen/pencil to add to the notes.
hand trowel / handschep (we will have a few to share if you don’t have one).

Booking
€15 per person, paid in advance
Please email to reserve your place and receive the bank details for pre-payment. Your place is secured when your payment has been received.

Cancellation policy
100% refund if cancellation more than 24 hours before event start time. Cancellation after that time (so less than 24 hours before the start time) can only be refunded if we can fill your place with another person.

We are looking forward to meeting you!