Hi, I’m Sofija! I very recently moved to Amsterdam from the US and I’m very excited to get to know the land. As mentioned, it’s technically illegal to forage in the Netherlands, but it’s mostly tolerated if you’re being discreet and respectful. In the States it varies, but National Parks definitely don’t allow it without at least a specific license. I started getting into foraging a little before I left, although I mostly focused on mushrooms– was really lucky to find a bunch of chanterelles and lobster mushrooms in Vermont a few weeks before I left, since it’s legal to pick there if it’s for personal use.
I’m excited to get to know the parks here– I’ve been getting acquainted with the area around Westerpark (found some blackberries and a huge chicken of the woods there once!), the Amsterdam Bos, and Sloterpas. Excited to find more place and to start figuring out the rhythm of seasonal growth as I’m here longer!