Where to forage in Amsterdam this September

When leaves begin changing colour, foraging season opens across Amsterdam. Professional forager Edwin Florès says urban nature offers an abundance of wild ingredients in September, leaving plenty behind for local wildlife.

Countless walnut trees across the city drop their harvest in late September. Around thirty trees grow along Mary van der Sluisstraat towards IJburg, while several large nut-bearing trees stand along Transformatorweg.

Nuts and seeds in parks and verges

Hazelnuts grow throughout municipal parks. Florès collects them in Flevopark at the end of September by placing a tarpaulin under branches and shaking them to catch the falling nuts.

Wild carrot seeds can be found in unkempt verges through November. The seeds taste like gingerbread spices once separated from the chaff and lightly roasted.

Berries and mushrooms across the city

Blackthorn bushes grow in nearly all city parks, including Rembrandtpark and the Amsterdamse Bos. The tart, sour wild plums can be harvested in September and October and steeped with sugar in gin for several months.

Rosehips remain on bushes into winter and often taste slightly fermented. To prepare syrup before frost arrives, foragers must deseed the fruit and freeze it overnight.

Rembrandtpark is also home to Judas ear mushrooms, which grow year-round on old elder trunks. Florès recommends drying them, soaking them in sloe gin until swollen, and coating them in melted chocolate to make sweets.

Source: Het Parool