Hi Alice,
Just catching up on this one now and we two spoke about it at last weeks workshop so a reminder here, as you are certainly not alone in living in a beautiful area but where the soil and air are not clean and most of the green areas get a lot of traffic..
So my first thought in the centre of Amsterdam is to look at the weed of each street. My street gets lots of baby lemonbalm and baby wormwood, each year, growing along where the cars park or in the little pavement gardens. If they are in “no man’s land” I see the chance to rehome them, into a nice pot of molehill soil, or organic soil from the garden centre. I have grown on many plants for different places in this way – cheap, connects me to the energies of the street, and in a year or two they grow big enough and clean enough to use.
Secondly is to look at getting as much growing options into your home as possible. You are at the wonderful Stadsboerderij Osdorp already so you have good access to ideas, seeds etc. I would consider upping my game at indoor and window box food gardening, with herbs primarily as they tend to be pretty tough and can be perennial.
Thirdly, have a look around for the local community gardens. I now remember a very nice organic herb garden, quite well stocked when I last visited, not far from Paradiso. It was set up by locals and the council gave them plenty of resources. That could be a nice place to get familiar with and see if you are able to pluk from the “pluktuin”.
I hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Lynn