How to eat weeds in Hawaii

Oahu-based public artist Gaye Chan once told me and Marko that we were part of her lost tribe. If by that she means we are into Free Stores, foraging free food, and eating weeds, then yes, we are!

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Giveaway: vintage pocket guides on edible/poisonous plants

  
Came upon these handy guides for campers and outdoorspeople on Edible Plants and Poisonous Plants in the Wilderness. I’m about to move across two oceans so I would like to give them away to any loyal reader or contributor to this blog. They are pocket-sized and come with handy protective sleeves for your outdoor adventures. Please post a comment if you’re interested, and email your shopping address to urbanplantresearch at gmail dot com. 

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Wild garlic in Berlin: it’s Bärlauch time again

Since spring is so early this year in Berlin, the Bärlauch (wild garlic) is already at the height of its season here. We went foraging yesterday at the Volkspark Pankow. Some Bärlauch tips I’ve posted earlier:

• Take an edible herb walk in Berlin: Post 1, Post 2
• Recipe ideas for Bärlauch (sandwiches, barley risotto)

What spring vegetables and fruits are coming in season where you are? What are you foraging?

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Warsaw: Solidarność, jam and juice

Jam session in pictures, ©Pixxe.org

Warsaw foragers were almost foiled (unintentionally) by Solidarność protesters before convincing several marchers to save the day. Don’t miss this great post by Pixxe on an eventful fruit-preserving party. The fruit — including dogwood cherries, apples, pears and mystery fruit — looks delicious.

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Berlin: Squash – repurposing public structures

A squash plant thriving in a public wooden structure intended to support a young tree. Mainzer Straße was recently dug up to repair water pipes below; this very young tree appears to have been planted after the street was restored. So it, and the structure supporting it, are rather new arrivals on the block.

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Berlin: Giant strawberries, wild in the streets

Every June and July, big red metal strawberries pop up all over Berlin. I always smile when I see them, pause to buy a pound or two of strawberries (the best in town) but rarely stop to photograph them. Now Kate Seabrook, the photographer behind Endbahnhof, is searching for strawberries every Sunday, camera in hand, and sharing her observations here.

I found the strawberry above at Alexanderplatz station; for Kate’s photos, visit her blog.

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Berlin: Bärlauch, or, cooking spring

As I’ve mentioned, spring has felt massively delayed to many Berliners this year. Maybe our expectations have been warped by global warming, but it feels like we’ve been waiting, shivering at near-zero temperatures, on the brink of spring for ages. We’ve watched reports on TV about Germany’s beloved spring crop, white asparagus, whose harvest has been delayed for more than four weeks by the cold rain. Same for my favorites, bright pink rhubarb and Bärlauch, the tender wild garlic greens that Berliners forage in city parks, which both have been nowhere to be seen… until this week!

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Elderflower season draws to a close

It’s been a wonderful spring for elderflowers in Berlin, their huge creamy white sprays appearing by the dozen on the simple green trees and shrubs that, until then, nobody had paid any attention to, like this low-growing specimen obscuring some graffiti. They perfumed the air around them, and the food and drinks of anyone who took the time to stop and forage.

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Berlin: Seedlings take over kitchen counter

Not all urban plants sprout up uninvited on the mean sidewalks of the city. Indeed, in Berlin, planting the balcony is a spring ritual for many. Those without balconies, like myself, have adopted bits of land in community gardens. It’s still too early for many plants to be planted outdoors, but seedlings are being started in apartments around the city.

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Berlin: First spring harvest – chives – and recipes

So many chives! Although we had not cared for, planted or even visited our community garden plot until yesterday, we arrived to find a ridiculous amount of lush chives to harvest. Now in their fifth year, our plants are apparently robust enough to take care of themselves and provide a hands-off first spring crop for us to enjoy.

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