Here are some of the vegetables we’re currently using. From left to right: Common sow thistle / haredylle (Sonchus oleraceus) will be in most meals from now to September Parsley / persille Ground elder / skvallerkål Perpetual spinach (Beta vulgaris var flavescens) Moss leaved dandelion (Taraxacum sublaciniosum “Delikatess”) Oregano / bergmynte (Origanum vulgare) Chopsuey greens (Glebionis coronaria); I’m growing out about 10 varieties from IPK Gatersleben this year Day lily / daglije (Hemerocallis): flower buds from two species Urtica kiovensis (nettle / nesle) Nodding onion / Prærieløk (Allium cernuum) flower scapes Hablitzia tamnoides (Caucasian spinach / stjernemelde) leaves Rumex patientia (Patience dock / hagesyre) Rumex acetosa (non-flowering); sorrel / engsyre Perennial kale / flerårig kål (Brassica oleracea) Dandelion / løvetann (Taraxacum officinale) Sherpa or Nepal onion / Sherpaløk (Allium wallichii)
Used in a green pasta sauce with wholegrain spelt pasta
As we approach midsummer many of my perennial vegetables are beginning to flower and from spring leaves and shoots we are now in the flower bud, scape (flower stem) and broccoli stage. Many stronger tasting plants have much milder upperparts than the earlier growth. This is presumably because the plants transfer their energy from insect defence to seed production.
From left to right: Turkish rocket / russekål (Bunias orientalis); Allium x proliferum (topset onions / luftløk); heartleaf crambe / buskstrandkål (Crambe cordifolia); sorrel / engsyre (Rumex acetosa) and sea kale / strandkål (Crambe maritima)
40 years ago this month I came to Norway to find a place for us to live as I was to start work at Institutt for kontinentalsokkelundersøkelser (IKU; Continental Shelf Institute) in Trondheim in October 1981. The flat I found was here in Malvik kommune (Torp). To celebrate 40 years in Malvik I made a salad with 40 different genera. The names of the genera are below the pictures!
The Extreme Salad Man was asked last night to make a salad…..but he only managed 55 in total. He blames the fact that he was only given an hour. Nevertheless, all were pleased with the result. He hopes you like it too! A full list of plants can be found at the bottom below the pictures.
A little over a year ago we made pakora (Indian fried vegetables) with 65 perennial vegetables to celebrate my 65th birthday (see https://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=25405) I made the following comment: “Just wish I’d had broad / fava bean (bondebønne) flour available for the pakoras rather than gram flour (chick peas)…next time I hope :)” Well, my wish came true and a Swedish guy kindly sent me a packet (sorry, I forget your name, but I think he produces this great slow food product; see http://svensk-fava.se). (I don’t have the equipment to grind my own broad beans). So here you are. The album below shows the flour, the pakora mixture, the 30 veggies used (list at the bottom) and the final delicious product, a dream come true, something I’ve wanted to make and talked about for years!!
Not something I can make very often as I don’t find fasciated dandelions very often! A simple salad was put together, made fascinating with a fasciated dandelion. The blanched udo (Aralia cordata) was ready: I harvested some blanched sea kale (Crambe maritima) too and I found a fasciated dandelion to decorate the salad The udo was peeled
…and the salad was put together with the fasciated dandelion flower stem cut into strips and mixed in with a sesame oil – soya sauce dressing:
Presenting the 14 permaveggies used in tonight’s Indian dal!
last minute addition was this moss-leaved dandelion
Moss-leaved dandelion
Moss-leaved dandichokes, self-blanched as they were under the soil surface!
Here are the ingredients: Around the outside: Blanched sea kale / strandkål (Crambe maritima) Stinging nettle / brennesle (Urtica dioica) Top left and anti-clockwise: Caucasian spinach / stjernemelde (Hablitzia tamnoides) Hedge garlic / løkurt (Alliaria petiolata) Cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum) Day lily / daglije (Hemerocallis shoots) Common wintercress / vinterkarse (Barbarea vulgaris) Giant bellflower / storklokke (Campanula latifolia) Blanched lovage / løpstikke (Levisticum officinale) Ground elder / skvallerkål (Aegopodium podograria) Victory onion / seiersløk from the Lofoten Islands in Norway (Allium victorialis) In the middle: Great waterleaf (Hydrophyllum appendiculatum) grows well in my garden and self-sows. It’s natural habitat is damp calcareous woodlands in Eastern North America. Patience dock / hagesyre (Rumex patientia) Afterthought: Moss-leaved dandelion / mosebladet løvetann (Taraxacum sublaciniosum “Delikatess”) – one entire leaf rosette with dandichokes and top of the roots)
We occasionally eat wild fish and are particularly fond of baccalao (dried salted cod from Lofoten). These were yesterday’s ingredients (list at the bottom):
Allium victorialis at the top.
Allium ursinum at the bottom
Top left and clockwise: Dandichokes / løveskokker (the white blanched part which is under the soil surface and hence blanched) plus masses of green leaves; Scorzonera / scorsonnerot (Scorzonera hispanica) blanched shoots from the cellar; Victory onion / seiersløk (Allium victorialis); 7 varieties of heriloom Norwegian potatoes; Ramsons / ramsløk (Allium ursinum) at the top right; Cirsium canum tubers; Scorzonera / scorsonnerot (Scorzonera hispanica) roots; Sweet cicely / spansk kjørvel (Myrrhis odorata); blanched lovage / løpstikke (Levisticum officinale); stinging nettle / brennesle (Urtica dioica); Caucasian spinach / stjernemelde (Hablitzia tamnoides) and garlic / hvitløk and golpar spice (ground seeds of Heracleum spp.) The greens are added at the end so as not to overcook.
A wonderful birthday dinner again this week! As is the tradition since I left home, my birthday dinner has been Macaroni Cheese with rhubarb crumble for dessert. Mac Cheese was the first veggie dish I ate back in the 60s – Mum took us to Edwin Jones in Southampton (the superstore of the time) where they served it in the restaurant, sadly no more as Debenhams that took over closed for good last year during the first COVID lockdown… We loved it and it became a tradition for Mum to make this every Tuesday! Nowadays, we use whole grain spelt macaroni with masses of greens…Hablitzia or Caucasian spinach ( stjernemelde) and others (see this year’s list below). Dedicating this once again to my dear Mum…it’s after all her 66th birth day too! Ingredients: Hablitzia tamnoides (Caucasian spinach / Stjernemelde) Rumex acetosa (Common sorrel / Engsyre) Rumex patientia (Patience dock / Hagesyre) Ligularia fischeri (Fischer’s Ligularia / Koreansk nøkketunge) Allium nutans Aegopodium podograria (Ground elder / Skvallerkål) Urtica kioviensis Myrrhis odorata (Sweet cicely / Spansk Kjørvel) Campanula latifolia (Giant bellflower / Storklokke) Allium hymennorhizum Dystaenia takesimana (Giant Ulleung Celery) Rumex acetosa “Abundance” (Non-flowering sorrel)Allium cernuum (Nodding onion / Prærieløk) Crambe maritima (Sea kale / Strandkål) Allium ursinum (Ramsons / Ramsløk) Allium sativum (Garlic / Hvitløk) Hemerocallis dumortieri shoots.
Perennial vegetables, Edimentals (plants that are edible and ornamental) and other goings on in The Edible Garden
I harvested some blanched sea kale (Crambe maritima) too and I found a fasciated dandelion to decorate the salad
The udo was peeled 
