Tag Archives: herbs

March and April Foraging Walks

Foraging, Urban Herb Walks, Wildbiome2, , , , , , ,

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.

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!

Wild Garlic (Daslook) Ethical Foraging Event

Bulbs, Foraging, Urban Herb Walks, Wild herbs, , , , , , , ,

Extra Date: Saturday 17th February, 10.00 – 11.30, Park Frankendael. Amsterdam

This is an event for wild garlic lovers!

Learn how to identify, ethically harvest, craft, eat, grow, use and generally make the most of wild garlic (Allium ursinum) or Daslook, with Livvy de Graaf, assisted by Lynn Shore, professional foraging teacher and 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 of Park Frankendael, where this walk will take place. She looks forward to sharing some of her skills with you.

We will be working mainly in the River of Herbs foraging gardens, so unusually, will be able to dig up some of the fresh wild garlic bulbs, to plant elsewhere or for you to cook/preserve at home.

Handout with wild garlic info. and recipes, and a cup of herb tea will be provided. You will learn about and try different preparations from sweet, sour, savoury to medicinal. And will be able to make your own potions/creations at home, using what we forage together and the handout.

Wild garlic emerging from the early spring soil, heralds the start of the main foraging season. As you learn about wild garlic, you will also learn to recognise other amazing wild herbs which are around at the same time.

Please bring along:
drinking cup
Paper bag (grocery small bag to take the harvest home)
pen/pencil to add to the notes.
hand trowel / handschep (I will have a couple to share if you forget or don’t have one).

Cost: 15 Euro per person – Payable in advance
Please email urban.herbology.lynn@gmail.com and you will receive the bank details for payment. When payment is received your place is booked.

Cancellation Policy:
If canceling, for any reason, 24 hours or more before the start of the event – Full refund.
If canceling after that time (so less than 24 hours before the start time of the event) you will be refunded only if we have a replacement.

Looking forward to meeting you!

365 Frankendael 247 from Tenerife

365 Frankendael, Wild herbs,

Whilst away from Amsterdam, I’ve taken some photos of just a few beautiful  Tenerife herbs. So many here are familiar to me and extremely useful. Many are available in Amsterdam as well at present. Some clearly not but most are probably familiar to readers of this blog.

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Pennywort above. I remember this from my years in Somerset.

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An extraordinary plant which looks quite like a type of Chicory or Dandelion. I need to look this one up. It grows all around the lush North of the island and is generally found alone, massive and growing out of cracks in stone walls and rocks.

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Above is Chickweed. We’ve been feeding it to local chickens.

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Above  an unusual Mallow species, growing beside the Wine museum.

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A familiar site, African Marigolds, Tagetes, non edible but an extremely potent herb and one used by many as a garden companion plant. They spread like a weed here, at the edge of the vineyard where we are staying.

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Hibiscus. I can’t stop thinking about the usefulness of Hollyhock, even here. This plant has similar looking flowers and is also a useful herb. More about it later.

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Pelitory of the wall. Growing prolifically. I look forward to seeing how out is fairing up I the Netherlands at the moment.

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Beautiful, peppery and healing Nasturtiums. Growing wild and prolific. An old use of these on Tenerife is to use a leaf fresh as a natural substitute for toilet roil. It can cure hemorrhoids when used in this way.

That’s it for today. Time to get back to the plants and the sunshine.

Wild Herb Pasta

Food, Foraging, Wild herbs, , , , , , ,


If you enjoy making fresh pasta and would like to inject some herbal magic into your creations, this recipe may interest you. Fresh herb leaves are blended through the pasta as it is repeatedly rolled in a pasta machine.

I heard about incorporating basil in this way from a colleague, who’d been to an Italian cooking workshop. I’ve made pasta with nettle juice before but find that quite a slow process so I thought I’d try it this way but incorporating some unusual foraged and pot grown herbs.

This method is very easy, it just takes a little more time than regular pasta making. I’ve no idea if this is how the Italian workshop prescribed it but this way certainly works and produces very herby pasta!

If you don’t know how to make pasta I recommend Jamie Oliver’s method. It’s very simple and works for me everytime:

A. Basically fork 4 eggs into 400g of tipo00 flour.
B. Do what you can with the fork then knead it thoroughly with your hands.
C. Wrap in clingfilm, or similar and refrigerate for 2 hours or so.

Whilst it settles in the fridge, get foraging! I used garlic mustard, basil, ground elder and parsley when I took these photos. Use what you have available. Curley Parsley was a challenge to incorporate but it eventually broke down well and tasted great. The other herbs broke down very quickly. Obviously, use herbs which are safe for you and your guests. Basil for instance is often avoided by pregnant women. A small quantity is unlikely to harm but be aware that even seemingly innocuous culinary herbs, can be very potent.

Now, how to incorporate the herbs…

1. As you progressively roll your pasta dough in the usual way, through a pasta machine, or by hand with a rolling pin, simply lay a few herb leaves down the middle of the pasta sheet.

2. Fold over the two sides to cover the herbs.

3. Continue running the dough through the increasingly narrow pasta machine. Each run through, will break down the herbs. Eventually tiny fragments will be distributed throughout the entire pasta sheet – it’s quite extraordinary to watch it happen!

4. Keep going until the pasta dough is as thin a you like and cut or process it as you wish.

I always make heaps of pasta (6 eggs, 600g flour), we then eat a hearty pasta meal and freeze the rest in portion sized containers, when still fresh and just dry enough to handle.