Written by Muriel Maple
Is it only me, or hasn’t the rain really stopped since we arrived back to Hogwarts? Rocking my bright red wellies, your friendly forager still embraced the weather – and, to my surprise, I noticed something! Many of the seasonal forageables that you can only gather during the warmer months are still having some leftovers around the castle grounds! Maybe it helps that we are not around during the summer, so the castle and its gardens have plenty of time to grow back.
However! There are potions to brew and recipes to try, so here is a last, last, LAST-MINUTE foraging guide for Hogwarts before the last sprigs of summer flowers have withered away! In this guide, I will ONLY focus on the ingredients that you can ONLY harvest during the warmer months! Everything else will be covered in the upcoming autumn foraging guide! Think ahead for your potion-making projects and hobby cooking, and stock up on these ingredients while you still have the chance!
Disclaimer: Especially for the firsties! Always wear reliable shoes when going foraging, and do not forget warm clothing with long sleeves to cover all your skin (nobody wants a scratch from aconite!) and your trusty dragonhide gloves! A basket is nice to have, too!
Unless you haven’t heard it a hundred times by now: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE GO CLOSE TO, ENTER, OR EVEN LOOK AT THE FORBIDDEN FOREST! If you need help finding or gathering something, best to ask an older student or a professor for assistance.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get going!
Our first location: the little orchard and gardening plot behind the Greenhouses
I just adore returning to Hogwarts after the summer and getting to work on getting this little plot of paradise ready for the winter! There are also a lot of cooking ingredients to find! If you check the herb planters along the fences, you may find some remaining Lavender and Oregano if you want to use them for syrups or seasonings. Speaking of seasoning – and also as a tip for those vampire-fiends among you – summer is the only season when you may gather Garlic! Thankfully, there is still some to find amongst the rows of vegetables, and you can spot it by its white, bulbous flowers. If you’ve got the aptitude and some sturdy gloves, you can also gather some Chinese Chomping Cabbages.
Through the Greenhouse Gardens
As we walk from the little orchard through the Greenhouses, you can pass by some planters that might still have some useful things for you! I would look out for bugs as well before they draw themselves inwards to the warmth of the castle for the colder months. You can find Hairy Caterpillars chomping on some leaves, or Horned Slugs enjoying some shade or the moisture of the soil. When it comes to flowers, you might still spot some Garlic by its flowers, but during my walk here I also noted some Moly, White Dittany, and Sneezewort. I could tell you that you can easily spot these by their white flowers, except… they all have white flowers! So it will be a great exercise to try to identify them properly! On higher altitudes or near patches of sandy planters, you might also spot a Common Rue.
On the Castle Grounds
As we walk down towards the shores of the Great Lake, you might spot patches of Daisy or the yellow-petaled Dandelion. So be sure to gather some of those! If you are in the courtyard or close to the cold stone walls of our beloved pile of rocks that we call Hogwarts, you might spot a Flobberworm enjoying the cold stones.
Down to the Lake
I’ll leave it up to you where you prefer to gather your waterside herbs, but please be careful not to fall into the water! Or bring a buddy who knows how to swim. Around the shores, you might find Gurdyroot, which looks quite similar to the flower of Garlic. Watersides are also great places to find Asphodel, Cowbane, and Hemlock, but these plants require somebody who has more knowledge in Herbology! It does take a bit of practice to tell the difference between a Hemlock and a Cowbane right away!
I hope that this hastily written guide was useful! Be sure to gather what remains of summer on the castle grounds while it still has something to offer – and tank up on sunshine while you can!
Sincerely yours,
Muriel Maple