Just before Christmas, Leah Groeneweg and Tim Horneman guide people through the world of edible plants. Maybe nice for Christmas dinner.
A handful of people walk steadily through the Drentsche Aa National Landscape near Annen. While Tim Horneman sets a sail over the place where the Christmas lunch with edible plants will soon be eaten, Leah Groeneweg leads the group through the woods through the world of yarrow, wild carrot and nettle.
This is not survival or bushcraft, but this is the world of edible plants. And just before Christmas, Leah and Tim ask for a little more awareness of the richness of nature.
Spruce or pine?
And who knows, the visitor may be given an idea for a new recipe from nature; apple punch with Douglas fir or small field cherry in the salad?
Oh well, there is so much to discover in the square mile Leah walks. After she has reflected on the nettle fungus and the ground elder, there is the spruce. “Because it’s almost Christmas and here is the Christmas tree,” she says. “The spruce is slightly different from the pine because of the single needle.”
Mnemonic
Hans, the only man in the group, still has a mnemonic, he says. Because the ‘s’ of spar is also the ‘s’ of single and the ‘d’ of pine is also the ‘d’ of double. Leah nods and remembers a few more. “The ‘l’ of larch and legion, many, and the ‘t’ of yew and toxic. Because pay attention, people: the yew has beautiful red berries, but is poisonous.”
That is one of the basic rules of edible plants, she emphasizes. “Know what you are eating and if in doubt, don’t eat it.”
She tells about a German man who wanted to use the medicinal effect of the spruce (good for the respiratory tract) during corona times, but accidentally got hold of the yew. It turned out to be fatal, according to Leah. “When in doubt, take the pine. But yes, it doesn’t have that nice orange flavor of the spruce.”
The needles are also delicious in mulled wine, says one of the hikers. Also a nice tip for winter days.
Judas ear
After the edible leaves of birch, beech and pine, Leah points out the tree buds. “Because the miracle of nature is actually locked up in those buttons. Greenery emerges from this in the spring. And you can eat them. Take three to five of them and chew them well. For example, it helps against lethargy.”
And so the road continues through the forest – and the rain: past the yellow nailweed, the sheep’s sorrel (the leaf is indeed shaped like Shaun the Sheep) and yes, there grows on a branch the Judas’ ear, a fungus that grows much is used in Chinese cuisine. Moreover, it seems to help against tinnitus.
And so the group returns to Tim, who has made a camp along the forest where lunch is prepared and eaten. While Leah treats the group to homemade chocolate made from lima beans and honey sprinkled with Douglas fir powder, Tim stirs the pot of chowder that is simmering over the fire.
Offer in euros
He points to the book ‘A braid of sacred grass’. “If you want to understand how we live, you have to read it,” he says. The Groningen native worked as a beaver guide in the nature reserve and has gradually become more one with that same nature. “We humans do not realize enough how rich our nature is. There is no shortage, there is an abundance,” he says with passion.
“My own sacrifice, in euros, is that I do not buy groceries that I know have been at the expense of nature. A drop in the ocean, but if we all do that together, it will help.”
He talks about food poverty because vegetables are processed and therefore contain fewer minerals. “Vegetables have lost 30 to 70 percent of their nutritional value. That’s empty food. Many people still follow the scale of five, but that is no longer correct.”
Respect
Tim Horneman thinks things are not going well the way we are using our earth. “I really don’t need to go back to the times of hunters and gatherers, but we do have to look for a different relationship with our nature. We believe that everything is feasible. As a small country, we produce an enormous amount of food and have become very good at it. But by doing so we are causing a problem. We are not above it, but we are part of nature. What makes me better than a cow? I’m not saying you shouldn’t eat meat, but treat nature with respect.”
Leah Groeneweg picks up the small field cress from the ground as an ingredient for the salad. “You literally stand on your own food, so treat it with respect. Then let that be something of a Christmas spirit,” she tells the group. “Sometimes you get discouraged by all the news, but you can also do something for nature with a small balcony in the city. Don’t pick everything, but leave a few flowers; an insect will thank you. Because it is not only your garden, but also that of the bumblebees and the neighbor’s cat.”