Urban Foraging in Landschaftspark Herzberge: Wild Flavors of Early Summer

As spring gives way to summer, foraging season is in full swing! This is a special time of year: a time of abundance, of bursting wild flavors in every park and street corner. The diversity of edible plants that surround us in Berlin is extraordinary, and there's no better time to dive into foraging - because once you know what to look for, there is wild food everywhere!

Join Simka (they/them) for a spring wander through Landschaftspark Herzberge, where we will get acquainted with a delicious range of common, beginner-friendly herbs and flowers abundant in Berlin in the early spring – no experience necessary.

This park is a hidden treasure of Berlin. With wildflower meadows, grazing sheep, fruit trees and tangled forest, it provides an idyllic landscape for a spring wander, and excellent clean areas to forage.

Here you will learn which plants explode with flavor in sauces, pestos, and side dishes, such as tangy sorrel, artichoke-like burdock, or earthy nettles – and which ones you can use for extraordinary salads, desserts and drinks, like crunchy black locust blossom, pine tips and sweet elderflower.

In a friendly, informal setting, we'll talk about how to make everything from herby wild pesto, to exquisitely floral fermented soda, to immune-boosting tinctures, to funky noodles with the world's most expensive vegetable (which grows as a weed all over Berlin!). Throughout the afternoon, you'll hear practical tips on plant identification, explanations of each species' culinary and medicinal uses, insights into their surrounding folklore, and loads of relevant recipes. 

Please be aware, due to the nature protection rules in this park, we won't be harvesting actively during this workshop. That doesn't mean we won't get to nibble along the way, however!

With a big focus on keeping yourself – and the land and its other inhabitants  – safe while foraging, you'll discover how to get confident enough to bring your own harvest home, and come away with loads of ideas for how to prepare your finds.

When: Saturday March 29th, 12.00 - 16:00
Where: Landschaftspark Herzberge (~ 4km walking in total)
Cost: 45€ / 35€

Attendance is limited to 15 people, so registration is required!

Add a spring foraging guide:

Last year I created a foraging guide with an incredible illustrator, Juliette Patissier. The guide is made up of a set of 7 cards, each featuring identification pointers, harvesting tips, recipe ideas and more for delicious, common plants, many of which we'll meet during the tour. The set also includes general foraging advice and the recipe for the pesto we'll make together, plus a waterproof envelope to keep it all safe. 

The guide usually costs 15€, but if you buy one together with your ticket, you'll get a 2€ discount!

See here for more information about the guide.

A note on pricing & philosophy:

It's a deep value of mine that this learning – which radically connects us with ourselves, the land, and one another – should be accessible for everyone, which is why I'm keeping my tours as low-price as I possibly can. This spring, I'm trying out a new system to uphold this financial accessibility while keeping it sustainable for myself. 

There are now two ticket levels: Full price and Concession. Please choose the concession level only if you aren't able to afford the full price ticket. 

If the concession level is also not accessible for you, I really see you and I still want you to come foraging with me! I'll be offering a fully donation-based community tour once a month throughout the season. Please join my Telegram group or send me an email to get updates on future Community tours!

My intention with all of this is to earn a living wage while widening the reach of financial accessibility to more folks than I was able to with my previous sliding-scale model. Thanks for being with me in navigating through the challenges of capitalism with justice, honesty and compassion!

Registration and cancellation:

Once you register for the workshop, you'll receive an email with all details on the exact meeting location as well as what to bring.

The event will go ahead regardless of the weather. The plants don't mind if it's wet!

If you can't make the event, you may cancel by email up to 48 hours in advance. This ensures another participant can take your place. Refunds for cancellations within 48 hours of the event are not possible. Within 48 hours, you may transfer your ticket to someone else, but please make sure to let me know by email.