…..and adding a few other things to the one species udo and American spikenard salads (Aralia cordata and Aralia racemosa) and this was the result, the summer’s first extreme salad, on the anniversary of the filming of the extreme salad youtube videos (“B” in the following link!) http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=16712
The centrepiece was Allium humile with tulip, Primula denticulata, Trillium grandiflorum, Trillium erectum, Arabis alpina and Primula veris
The centrepiece was Allium humile
It was commented “as if you were cradling a lover”…spot on!
Last night, I tried American spikenard (American Udo) or Aralia racemosa for the first time! Although Aralia cordata (Japanese Udo) had a hint of bitterness after blanching, the spikenard was mild with no bitterness…a bit like cucumber was my guest’s comment
NB! The spikenard was more thoroughly blanched than the udo, so not a reliable comparison!
Peeled and sliced American spikenard shoots
As with yesterday’s udo salad, I simply added a dressing of roasted sesame oil, salt and pepper! Delicious!
American spikenard to the left and Japanese udo to the right!
Walking past the Udo (Aralia cordata) patch yesterday morning I noticed that the shoots had outgrown their bucket and, as usual, had thrown the bucket down the hill, eager for some sunshine. Sad for it, its effort was in vain as they were bound for the kitchen! Here’s an album of pictures showing how I prepared the udo salad.
I alsø blanced Arali racemosa for the first time, but haven’t tried it yet…
The bucket of cordata let some light in at the top, so the shoots were greener than for A. racemosa
Aralia cordata with ostrich fern, blanched and unblanched shoots
Aralia racemosa, blanched and unblanched shoots
Aralia racemosa and Aralia cordata
Peeled udo shoots
Peeled and sliced udo shoots
Udo salad with a dressing of roasted sesame oil, soy sauce, salt and pepper! My least diverse salad of season 2018 so far!
Woken at 4:15 by a newly arrived garden warbler (hagesanger) (or is it just a blackcap?) singing at full throttle in the garden (sorry about the focus, I was half asleep and didn’t notice!). A few minutes later the sun rose as fishermen motored out onto the still fjord.
The first pink dandelion emerged today, always a thrill. This one is about 11 years old now and hasn’t sowed itself much…I always leave dandeliond to flower on this bed just in case, but they are always yellow!
The first veggie food I ate was macaroni cheese and chips at Edwin Jones (now Debenhams) in Southampton, a treat when we Mum took us shopping back in the 60s…
Most years since I’ve followed this tradition on or near my birthday, no chips this year as the potatoes have run out and nowadays the macaroni cheese is mixed with masses of green stuff both from the garden and, yesterday, fiddleheads harvested on the Homla walk. This is more or less the only time in the year I have dessert and the only time I eat sugar…in rhubarb crumble, also with family roots back to the 60s :)
Macaroni green cheese and ground elder (skvallerkål)
Some other random ingredients…blanched Hablitzia
Blanched moss-leaved dandelion
Blanched moss-leaved dandelion
Top left and left to right: Hosta Frances Williams, ramsons (ramsløk), blanched moss-leaved dandelion, blanched lovage aka spring celery (løpstikke eller vårselleri), blanched sweet cicely (spansk kjørvel), blanched Hablitzia (stjernemelde), sea kale (strandkål) broccolis and ostrich fern fiddleheads (strutseving)
Ostrich fern fiddleheads (strutseving)
Top left and left to right: Hosta Frances Williams, ramsons (ramsløk), blanched moss-leaved dandelion, blanched lovage aka spring celery (løpstikke eller vårselleri), blanched sweet cicely (spansk kjørvel), blanched Hablitzia (stjernemelde), sea kale (strandkål) broccolis
Rhubarb crumble (early variety from the island Træna)
rhubarb crumble, also with family roots back to the 60s :)
Pictures from this week’s 5 hour (botanist pace) walk along the spectacular Homla canyon, the start about 14 km from home!
Storfossen
Storfossen
Ostrich fern (strutseving) had already come too far in most places, but in the cooler air next to the river and in places where the snow lies late, they were perfect for harvestingth the warm weather, the ostrich fern (strutseving) had already come too far to harvest, but other places on the banks of the river and where snow lies longer
Wood anemones (hvitveis)
Ostrich fern (strutseving) emerging from river spring flood silt deposits
Ostrich fern (strutseving) emerging from river spring flood silt deposits
Ostrich fern (strutseving) emerging from river spring flood silt deposits
A particularly luxuriant patch of ostrich fern
A particularly luxuriant patch of ostrich fern
Wild salad gathered for lunch on the Homla walk this week, including giant bellflower (storklokke), alpine bistort (harerug), Viola spp., red and green leaved sorrel (engsyre), Rumex longifolius, raspberry (bringebær) shoots, wood sorrel (gjøksyre), lady’s mantle (marikåpe), stinging nettle (brennesle), young leaves of Cirsium palustre, coltsfoot (hestehov, don’t use much as it contains alkaloids) and dandelion (løvetann)
Wild salad gathered for lunch on the Homla walk this week, including giant bellflower (storklokke), alpine bistort (harerug), Viola spp., red and green leaved sorrel (engsyre), Rumex longifolius, raspberry (bringebær) shoots, wood sorrel (gjøksyre), lady’s mantle (marikåpe), stinging nettle (brennesle), young leaves of Cirsium palustre, coltsfoot (hestehov, don’t use much as it contains alkaloids) and dandelion (løvetann)
