Delicious Gunnera-Chinese Yam salad with goldenberries (Barbadoslykt), Gunnera tinctoria, Dioscorea polystachya (Chinese yam) “Ichoimo”, carrot, turnip, various tomatoes, nodding onion (prærieløk), chicory (sikori), perennial kale (flerårig kål), Worcesterberries, celery, garlic, frozen Nasturtium flowers, Begonia flowers, ….
Around 25 years ago I started reading scientific papers written by various ethnobotanists on the back of the discovery of the traditional Mediterranean diet – people in mountain villages had low levels of cardiovascular disease. The diet is characterised by eating a lot of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, seeds and fish and contains little fat from dairy products and red meat, but rather monounsaturated fat from olive oil and unsalted nuts. Even here in Norway, this is the diet recommended by experts, latest in an article this spring at NRK article in which it’s also suggested that it can also contribute to preventing dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and prostate cancer. Nice to know as this is the diet I’ve followed for some 40 years, although using more dairy products than would have been used.
Reading those articles, it struck me that one component was missing in recommendations and that is a large diversity of notably leafy green vegetables, something not possible for most people in Norway as, unless you are a forager, this isn’t available. In fact, for most people, vegetables seem to be interpreted as tomatoes, cucumbers and squash, all fruits.
One of the first studies I read was Gathered wild food plants in the Upper Valley of the Serchio River (Garfagnana), Central Italy by Andrea Pieroni, published in the journal Economic Botany in 1999. In this study, 133 species
belonging to 48 families were documented and over half were plants used for their leaves and shoots. I could also read in this paper about multispecies dishes for perhaps the first time. Notably, in this area a multispecies soup Minestrella with typically 40 different plants was made and a similar 50 species dish, pistic, traditionally made inland from Venice is also referred to (pistic is also referred to in Stephen Facciola’s Cornucopia II).
This inspired my own multispecies dishes and, a few days ago, 24th August 2023 was the 20th anniversary of my world record salad with 537 plants which lead to me being called Extreme Salad Man on a Norwegian gardening program Grønn Glede the year after! The importance of leafy perennial vegetables and food diversity, both cultivated and foraged also became the subject of my book Around the World in 80 plants.
My main multispecies dishes (with links) made over the years since can be found at the bottom of this post.
On 24th August we decided to mark the 20th anniversary of the world record salad by making a pizza with as many plants as possible, although it was a busy week otherwise so I only managed 229 this time, 225 of which were grown in one of my 3 gardens, the onion garden at the Ringve Botanical Garden, the Væres Venner community garden and my home garden, The Edible Garden. It was served to an unexpecting group of psychologists who had booked a garden tour that evening! They were on a Somatic Experiencing mentoring weekend in Malvik (Vennatjønna Levebruk) and they spend the first evening “grounding themselves” in my garden (this was the second visit)! The list of plants can be downloaded under the pictures below from that evening!
The record pizza ingredients:
To celebrate our good friends’ Jurgen Wegter and Ingvild Haga’s 50th birthdays together with Meg’s 50-year anniversary of arriving in Europe for the first time (in Southampton near where I lived at the time) as well as my 50 year anniversary of leaving school and a memorable holiday with 20-30 school friends in Newton Ferrers in Devon, we made a special gourmet dinner of green mac-cheese. It had masses of veg mixed in – the year’s first broad beans and swiss chard, chicory, common sow thistle (Sonchus oleraceus), Allium senescens leaves, shallots and garlic from last year, rehydrated winter chantarelles, golpar – ground seed of hogweed – Heracleum spp., together with ramsons salt, chili, sun dried tomatoes and mustard, all in a wholegrain spelt white sauce with wholegrain spelt pasta; it was topped with alpine bistort bulbils).
Not to be left out, the Extreme Salad Man contributed one of his Meditteranean diet inspired multispecies salads commemorating it is now almost 20 years since he put together a salad from home grown ingredients in Malvik comprising 537 ingredients. something the world hasn’t seen before or since (see https://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=18997). The record was set on 24th August 2003. This time there were a mere 106 ingredients….sad to see, but he must be losing it….
Thanks to Jurgen for the salad pictures:
The second salad:
Here is the plant list:
RAW VEGETABLES
Aegopodium podagraria Ground elder Skvallerkål
Agastache foeniculum Anise hyssop Anisisop
Alchemilla spp Lady’s mantle Marikåpe
Alliaria petiolata Hedge garlic Løkurt
Allium altyncolicum
Allium ampeloprasum Leek Purre
Allium angulosum Mouse garlic
Allium carinatum Keeled garlic Rosenløk
Allium carolinianum
Allium cepa Spring onion Vårløk
Allium cernuum Nodding onion Prærieløk; Chicagoløk
Allium douglasii Douglas onion Douglas-løk
Allium fistulosum Welsh onion Pipeløk
Allium flavum Small yellow onion Doggløk
Allium hymenorrhizum
Allium karilenii
Allium lusitanicum German garlic Kantløk
Allium moly Golden garlic Gull-løk
Allium nutans Blue chives Sibirsk nikkeløk
Allium ochotense Oriental victory onion Orientalsk seiersløk
Allium oleraceum Field garlic Vill-løk
Allium paradoxum var normale Few-flowered leek
Allium paradoxum var paradoxum Few-flowered leek
Allium pskemense
Allium pskemense x fistulosum Wietse’s onion Wietsesløk
Allium ramosum Chinese chives
Allium rubens
Allium sativum Garlic Hvitløk
Allium schoenoprasum Chives Gressløk
Allium scorodoprasum Sand leek Bendelløk
Allium senescens x nutans Hybrid onion Hybridløk
Allium stenodon
Allium tricoccum Ramps
Allium tuberosum Garlic chives Kinagressløk
Allium ursinum Ramsons Ramsløk
Allium victorialis Victory onion Seiersløk
Allium vineale Crow garlic Strandløk
Allium wallichii Jimbur; Nepalese onion Nepal-løk
Allium x cornutum St. Jansuien onion Johannesløk
Allium x proliferum Walking onion Luftløk
Allium zebdanense
Amelanchier alnifolia Saskatoon Matsøtmispel
Angelica archangelica “Vossakvann” Voss Angelica Vossakvann
Anthriscus sylvestris Cow parsley Hundekjeks
Anthriscus sylvestris “Golden Fleece” Cow parsley Hundekjeks
Apium graveolens Celery Selleri
Arabis alpina Alpine rock cress Fjellskrinneblom
Armoracia rusticana Horseradish Pepperrot
Aronia arbutifolia Red chokeberry Rødsurbær
Artemisia dracunculus sativa “German” German tarragon Tysk estragon
Aster scaber Korean aster Koreansk-asters
Atriplex hortensis “Rubra” Orach Rød hagemelde
Berberis vulgaris “Black Berried” Barberry Vanlig Berberis
Beta vulgaris “Red” Beetroot Bete
Beta vulgaris “White” Beetroot Bete
Betula pubescens Downy birch Vanlig bjørk
Bistorta officinalis Bistort Ormerot
Brassica napus napobrassica “Baggens” Swede Kålrot
Brassica oleracea “Daubenton” Perennial kale Flerårige kål
Brassica oleracea “Eiiwig Moes” Perennial kale Flerårige kål
Brassica oleracea “Tree Collards” Perennial kale Flerårige kål
Brassica oleracea “Walsall Allotments” Perennial kale Flerårige kål
Brassica rapa “Gul Finlandsk” Turnip Nepe
Brassica rapa “Målselvnepe” Turnip Nepe
Bunias orientalis Turkish rocket Russekål
Campanula latifolia Giant bellflower Storklokke
Campanula punctata
Campanula trachelium Nettle-leaved bellflower Nesleklokke
Cardamine pentaphylla
Cardamine raphanifolia
Cichorium intybus Chicory Sikkori
Cichorium intybus “Witloof” Chicory Sikkori
Cirsium canum Queen Anne’s thistle Dronning Annes tistel
Cirsium oleraceum Cabbage thistle Kåltistel
Claytonia virginica Spring beauty
Cornus mas Cornelian cherry Vårkornell
Corylus avellana Hazel Hassel
Crambe maritima Sea kale Strandkål
Elaeagnus umbellata Autumn olive Sølvbusk
Epilobium angustifolium “Alba” Rosebay willowherb Hvit geitrams
Fragaria x ananassa Strawberry Jordbær
Hablitzia tamnoides Caucasian spinach Stjernemelde
Helianthus tuberosus “Dagnøytral” Jerusalem artichoke Jordskokk
Helianthus tuberosus “Dave’s Shrine” Jerusalem artichoke Jordskokk
Helianthus tuberosus “Dwarf” Jerusalem artichoke Jordskokk
Helianthus tuberosus “Stampede” Jerusalem artichoke Jordskokk
Hosta sieboldiana Hosta Hosta; bladlilje
Houttuynia cordata Himalayan water creeper Kameleonbusk
Humulus lupulus Hops Humle
Humulus lupulus “Aureus” Golden hops Gullhumle
Hydrophyllum virginianum Virginia waterleaf
Hylotelephium spp. Sedum Sedum
Lepidium sativum
Leucanthemum vulgare Ox-eye Daisy Prestekrage
Levisticum officinale Lovage Løpstikke
Ligularia fischeri Fischer’s Ligularia Fischersnøkketunge
Malus domestica “Aroma” Apple Eple
Melissa officinalis Lemon balm Sitronmelisse
Myrrhis odorata Sweet cicely Spansk kjørvel
Oenanthe javanica Water dropwort, Seri Seri
Origanum vulgare Wild marjoram Bergmynte/Kung
Oxalis acetosella Wood sorrel Gjøksyre
Oxalis triangularis Purple shamrock Triangelgjøksyre
Oxalis triangularis “Fanny” Purple shamrock Triangelgjøksyre
Oxalis tuberosa “Red” Oca Oca
Oxalis tuberosa “Yellow” Oca Oca
Physalis peruviana Goldenberry Barbadoslykt
Phyteuma nigra Black rampion Svartvadderot
Phyteuma spicata Spiked rampion Vadderot
Primula denticulata Kuleprimula
Primula elatior Oxlip Hagenøkleblom
Primula veris Cowslip Marianøkleblom
Primula veris “Macrocalyx” Cowslip Marianøkleblom
Primula vulgaris Primrose Kusymre
Prunus cerasus Sour cherry Surkirsebær
Prunus domestica “Sviskeplomme” Plum Plomme
Ranunculus ficaria Lesser celandine Vårkål
Raphanus sativus Radish Reddik
Rheum palmatum tangeticum Turkey rhubarb Prydrabarbra
Rheum x rhabarbarum “Træna” Rhubarb Rabarbra
Rhodiola rosea Roseroot Rosenrot
Ribes divaricatum “Worcesterberry” Worcesterberry Worcesterbær
Ribes nigrum Blackcurrant Solbær
Ribes sativum Redcurrant Rips
Ribes uva-crispa Gooseberry Stikkelsbær
Rubus idaeus Raspberry Bringebær
Rubus idaeus “Gul” Raspberry Bringebær
Rubus idaeus “White Russian” Raspberry Bringebær
Rubus occidentalis “Black Hawk” Black raspberry Svartbringebær
Rumex acetosa Sorrel Engsyre
Rumex acetosa “Abundance’ Non-flowering sorrel Engsyre
Rumex acetosa “Belleville’ Sorrel Engsyre
Rumex acetosa “Profusion” Non-flowering sorrel Engsyre
Rumex patientia Patience dock Hagesyre
Rumex scutatus Buckler-leaved sorrel Fransksyre
Stachys affinis Chinese artichoke; chorogi Knollsvinerot
Taraxacum albidum White Japanese dandelion
Taraxacum officinale Dandelion Løvetann
Taraxacum tortilobum Moss-leaved dandelion Mosebladet-løvetann
Tigridia pavonia Tiger flower, cacomitl
Tragopogon pratensis Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon Geitskjegg
Tropaeolum tuberosum “Ken Aslet” Mashua Knollblomkarse
Urtica dioica Stinging nettle Brennesle
Vaccinium myrtilus Bilberry Blåbær
Vaccinium uliginosum ssp uliginosum Bog bilberry Blokkebær
Scorzonera hispanica Scorzonera Scorsonerrot, svartrot
COOKED VEGETABLES
Angelica sylvestris “Vicar’s Mead” Wild Angelica Sløke
Anredera cordifolia Madeira vine
Beta vulgaris flavescens “Flaming Pink” Swiss chard Mangold
Beta vulgaris flavescens “Sunset” Swiss chard Mangold
Beta vulgaris flavescens “Swiss Chard” Swiss chard Mangold
Beta vulgaris flavescens “White Silver” Swiss chard Mangold
Conopodium majus Pignut Jordnøtt
Dystaenia takesimana Giant Ulleung celery Ulleung kjempeselleri
Hemerocallis dumortieri Day lily Daglilje
Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus Yellow day lily Gul daglilje
Hemerocallis middendorfii Day lily Daglilje
Heracleum sibiricum Siberian hogweed Sibirbjørnekjeks
Lamium album White dead nettle Dauvnesle
Matteuccia struthiopteris Ostrich fern Strutseving
Mertensia ciliata Mountain bell
Oenothera biennis Evening primrose Vanlig Nattlys
Pastanica sativa Parsnip Pastinakk
Polygonatum biflorum American Solomon’s seal Amerika-konvall
Rudbeckia laciniata Cutleaf coneflower Gjerdesolhatt
Rudbeckia laciniata “Hortensia” Cutleaf coneflower Gjerdesolhatt; Kyss-meg-over-gjerde
Sagittaria latifolia Wapato Wapato
Solanum tuberosum ” Sharpe’s Express” Potato Potet
Solanum tuberosum “Blå Kongo” Potato Potet
Solanum tuberosum “Carolus” Potato Potet
Solanum tuberosum “King Edward” Potato Potet
Solanum tuberosum “Sarpo Mira” Potato Potet
Solanum tuberosum “Sarpo Tominia” Potato Potet
Solanum tuberosum “Shetland Black” Potato Potet
Solanum tuberosum “Troll” Potato Potet
Solanum tuberosum “Tysk Blå” Potato Potet
Tricyrtis latifolia Toad lily Paddelilje
Tricyrtis spp Toad lily Paddelilje
Tropaeolum tuberosum “White” Mashua Knollblomkarse
Urtica dioica Stinging nettle Brennesle
Urtica holosericea Hoary nettle
Urtica kioviensis Marsh nettle Sumpnesle
Urtica platyphylla
LAST MINUTE ADDITIONS
Allium schoenoprasum “Black Isle Blush” Chives Gressløk
Allium validum Swamp onion; Pacific onion Stillehavsløk
Aralia cordata Udo
Barbarea vulgaris Yellow wintercress Vinterkarse
Campanula glomerata “Alba” Clustered bellflower Toppklokke
Carum carvi Caraway Karve
Coriandrum sativum Coriander Koriander
Lepidium campestre Pepperwort Markkarse
Lepidium latifolium Dittany Strandkarse
Malva alcea Hollyhock mallow Rosekattost
Melissa officinalis “Aurea” Lemon balm Sitronmelisse
Petroselinum crispum Parsley Persille
Sanguisorba minor Salad burnet Pimpernell
Sanguisorba officinalis Great burnet Legeblodtopp
Viola altaica Altai violet Altaifiol
Viola tricolor Heartsease Stemorsblomst, Natt og dag
Many thanks to Liz Dom who lead the event and project leaders Cat Kramer and Zack Denfeld and Anne Maisey from the museum, who took part remotely from Porto in Portugal at the start, for a great collaboration!
I was going to post an album of pictures showing off all the late flowers in the garden this record-breaking mild autumn still without any frost, but as they’re all edible I made a salad instead!
There were 33 different edible flowers (see the list below the pictures) plus 30-40 greens and a whopper carrot which I decided to keep whole as a feature! It was cut up when the salad was tossed afterwards. It has a story too as it is one of the Danish accessions rematriated from Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) in the US last winter. I took a few seed before sending the rest on to Danish Seed Savers (Dansk Frøsamlerne). It’s called Kämpe which means Giant in Swedish/Danish (I call it Whopper as it’s probably the biggest/thickest carrot I¨’ve grown here). It’s not a very old variety and SSE informed that it was a cultivated variety originally from the Swedish seed company Weibulls. Anyone know more about it?
Salad flowers, all harvested from the garden
Salvia (blackcurrant sage / solbærsalvie)
Fuchsia magellanica
Hemerocallis “Stella de Oro”
Taraxacum spp. (dandelion / løvetann)
Rubus fruticosus (blackberry / bjørnebær)
Papaver somniferum (opium poppy / opium valmue)
Viola altaicum
Campanula persicifolia (peach-leaf bellflower / fagerklokke)
Sonchus oleraceus (common sow-thistle / haredylle)
Glebionis coronaria (chopsuey greens / kronkrage) (3 varieties)
Daucus carota (carrot / gulrot) (unopened flower umbel)
Geranium sanguineum (bloody cranesbill / blodstorkenebb)
Brassica oleracea (kale / grønnkål)
Oenothera biennis (evening primrose / nattlys)
Begonia
Malva moschata (musk mallow / moskuskattost) (white and pink flowered)
Malva alcea (hollyhock mallow / rosekattost)
Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot / rørhestemynte)
Monarda “Elsie Lavender”
Calendula officinalis (pot marigold / ringblomst (2 varieties)
Campanula trachelium (nettle-leaved bellflower / nesleklokke)
Calamintha nepeta (lesser calamint / liten kalamint)
Tropaeolum majus (nasturtium / vanlig blomkarse) (2 varieties)
Pisum sativum (garden pea / ert)
Origanum spp. (wild marjoram / bergmynte) (2 varieties)
Campanula lactiflora
Alcea rosea (hollyhock / stokkrose)
Tragopogon pratensis (Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon / geitskjegg)
My dad Harald George Barstow (HGB) sadly passed away on 7th June at 97. A few days later on 11th June I’d scheduled a long-awaited visit from my friend Helene von Bothmer, the Koster Islands Permaculture Queen accompanied by participants on a one day permaculture course on Katy Chada’s farm (I had twice visited Koster but this was Helene’s first Malvik visit). They had asked if I could make a salad for lunch that day, so with my Dad’s loving memory in focus, the salad became a tribute to Dad as well as a welcome to Helene, Katy and the participants. It had exactly 97 ingredients <3 (a list can be found at the bottom of this page)
There’s an H in there (sort of!)
Now some pictures taken during a lovely visit! I hope it isn’t long before our ways cross again Helene!
…and a few pictures taken by Helene:
THANKS FOR THE MEMORABLE VISIT!
The ingredients:
1-2. Oxalis triangularis
3. Claytonia perfoliata
4. Gynostemma
5. Physalis “Indian Strain” fruits
6. Begonia heracleifolia (flowers)
7. – 11. Lettuce (salat) – 5 varieties
12. Dill
13. Chopsuey greens (kronkrage)
14. – 15. Celery (selleri) – 2 varieties (Green Utah and Red Stem)
16. Allium “Purple Sensation” flowers
17. Allium ursinum (ramsons / ramsløk) flowers
18. Allium stipitatum “Album” flowers
19. Allium victorialis (seiersløk) flower stems
20. – 21. Allium fistulosum (Welsh onion / pipeløk) – 2 varieties
22. Myrrhis odorata (sweet cicely / Spansk kjørvel) flowers
23. Allium karataviense flowers
24. – 25. Polygonum viviparum (alpine bistort / harerug) bulbils (2 varieties – light brown and purple)
26. – 27. Viola cornuta “Alba” (flowers and leaves)
28. – 29. Crambe maritima (broccolis and flowers)
30. Anthriscus sylvestris (cow parsley / hundekjeks)
31. – 40. 10 different Hosta cultivars and species
41. Alliaria petiolata (hedge garlic / løkurt)
42. Sorbus (rowan / rogn) leaves
43. Campanula trachelium (nettle-leaved bellflower / nesleklokke)
44. Allium oleraceum
45. Stellaria media (chickweed / vassarve)
46. Meum athamaticum
47. Nasturtium (blomkarse)
48. Hablitzia tamnoides
49. – 50. Humulus lupulus (hops / humle) – 2 varieties
51. Basil
52. Aster scaber
53. Allium spp.
54. – 55. Lepidium sativum (cress / karse) – leaves and flowers
56. Rosebay willowherb / geitrams
57. Ground elder / skvallerkål
58. Allium macleanii – flowers
59. Lepidium latifolium
60. Origanum “Aureum”
61. Scorzonera hispanica (flower stems and buds)
62. Cichorium intybus (chicory / sikkori)
63. Cryptotaenia japonica “Atropurpurea”
64. Allium nutans x senescens
65. Sonchus oleraceus (sow thistle / haredylle)
66. Oxeye daisy / prestekrage
67. – 68. Rumex scutatus – 2 varieties
69. Tragopogon pratensis (Jack-go-to-bed-by-noon / geitskjegg)
70. – 72. Allium schoenoprasum (chives / gressløk) – 3 varieties including Black Isle Blush
73. Campanula latifolia (giant bellflower / storklokke)
74. Campanula punctata
75. Allium scorodoprasum (sand leek / bendelløk)
76. Rumex crispus (curly dock / krushøymole)
77. Phyteuma nigra (black rampion / svartvadderot)
78. Viola arborescens
79. Allium cernuum (nodding onion / prærieløk)
80. Kale / grønnkål – “Ragged Jack”
81. Lamb’s lettuce / vårsalat
82. Diplotaxis tenuifolia (perennial rocket / flerårig rucola)
83. – 84. Perennial kale / grønnkål – 2 varieties
85. Oxalis spp. (red leaved)
86. Plantago major “Atropurpurea”
87. Alchemilla spp. (lady’s mantle / marikåpe)
88. Fragaria vesca (wild strawberry / markjordbær) – flowers
89. Allium x proliferum (walking onion / luftløk)
90.- 91. Brassica juncea (mustard greens / sennepsalat) – 2 varieties
92. Chervil / hagekjørvel
93. Malva alcea
94. Ligularia fischeri (gomchwi)
95. Pisum sativum (garden pea / hageert) – top shoots
96. – 97. Malva moschata (musk mallow / moskuskattost); pink and white flower forms
Sorry for the silence here on the Edimentals blog. I’ve been busy preparing to produce signs and plant labels for the Allium garden and the World Garden as well as working on various KVANN (Norwegian Seed Savers) projects. However, I had to share the joy of making the first salad where all (25) plants were collected outside in the garden (we’ve been making salads from cellar ingredients all winter). The snow is now gone from most of the garden and the temperature rose to above 5C today which has stimulated a lot of early shooting edibles. No complete plant list, but the salad included various Alliums, Rumex, Dystaenia, Taraxacum, Arabis, Hablitzia etc.
The first outside edible flower of 2022 was a Primula veris subsp. macrocalyx.
The Extreme Salad Man has been quiet recently. He was inspired to make this 5th November salad by a 10 year old Facebook memory of a salad he made (last picture below). Like 10 years ago, we¨’d had a very mild autumn (we may have the first frost this weekend). By chance the number of ingredients equalled the number of years I’ve been on this beautiful planet (66). For the recipe with the full list of ingredients (many are perennials), see the bottom of this post. It took less than an hour to forage around my garden and put together!
THE RECIPE or how to make this at home?
Harvested first around the living room a few Basella alba leaves, lemony flowers of two Begonias, leaves of the Okinawan spinach (Gynura bicolor), a couple of flowers of blackcurrant sage / solbærsalvie (Salvia microphylla v. grahamii), Ragged jack kale (grønnkål) leaves, leaves of chopsuey greens / kronkrage (Glebionis coronaria), four different perennial kales / flerårige kåls (Brassica oleracea), leaf shoots of Egyptian onion / luftløk (Allium x proliferum), a few leaves of common sow thistle / haredylle (Sonchus oleraceus), perennial rocket / flerårige rucola (Diplotaxis tenuifolia), parsley / persille leaves (Petroselinum crispum), leaves of Chicory / sikkori variety “Catalogna gigante di Chioggia” (Cichorium intybus), berries of black chokeberry / svartsurbær (Aronia melanocarpa), flowers of hollyhock mallow / rosekattost (Malva alcea), flowers of two varieties of hollyhock / stokkrose (Alcea rosea) – black and pink, hedge mustard / løkurt (Alliaria petiolata), mouse garlic (Allium carinatum), two varieties of dandelion / løvetann (Taraxacum spp.) including moss-leaved, flowers of Japan thistle (Cirsium japonicum), leaves of Allium senescens, a few of the last blackberries / bjørnebær (Rubus fruticosus), berries of black nightshade / svartsøtvier (Solanum nigrum), flowers of Allium mairei, flowers and leaves of anise hyssop / anisisop (Agastache foeniculum), flowers of two varieties of hardy Fuchsia / Magellan-tåre (Fuchsia magellanica) “Alba”og “Tricolor”, Autumn olive / Japansk sølvbusk (Elaeagnus umbellata) berries, radish / reddik (Raphanus sativus)flowers and unripe seed pods, flowers and flower buds of mustard greens / sennepsalat (Brassica juncea), a flower of marigold / ringblomst (Calendula officinalis), new shoots of curled dock / krushøymol (Rumex crispus), leaves and bulb of nodding onion / prærieløk (Allium cernuum), flowers of two varieties of nasturtium / blomkarse (Tropaeolum officinale), two varieties of spring onions / vårløk (Allium cepa), a few leaves of two varieties of sorrel / engsyre (Rumex acetosa), flower buds and flowers of chives / gressløk (Allium schoenoprasum), two leaves of chicory / sikkori variety “Rossa de Treviso” (Cichorium intybus) on the edge of the salad bowl, leaves of perennial chicory (Cichorium intybus), leaves of horned violet / hornfiol (Viola cornuta “Alba”), leaves of Rumex scutatus “Silver Shield” (buckler-leaved sorrel / Fransksyre), a flower of a reflowering variety of strawberry / jordbær (Fragaria x ananassa), flower shoot of scorzonera / scorsonnerot (Scorzonera hispanica), seen in the centre of the salad, a flower of Begonia “Double White, a Dahlia (georginer) flower, oca leaves (Oxalis tuberosa), tomato / tomat “Ida’s Gold” (Lycopersicon esculentum), berries of Physalis “Indian Strain”, two varieties of celery / selleri (Apium graveolens), berries of Ribes divaricatum “Worcesterberry”, carrot / gulrot, turnip / nepe and garlic / hvitløk!
Put the flowers and other colourful ingredients to one side for the topping, wash, cut (I use scissors) and mix everything else for the main body of the salad, add the salad dressing (olive oil, salt, pepper and vinegar with crushed garlic) and mix, then use the artist in you to decorate the salad!
20 years ago on 19th August 2001, the Extreme Salad (Man) was born when I made my first (of two) world record salads with 363 different plants and 382 ingredients (i.e., including flowers and leaves from the same variety). During last night’s garden tour, the occasion was marked by a 120 plant salad (1/3 the number of the 2001 salad)….and it was tasted by the participants! Although far from the world record, it was probably the fastest made extreme salad as I only had 30 minutes to collect the ingredients and 30 minutes to put it together before the participants arrived! The second picture below shows the only known picture of the original extreme salad!
5 years ago…on the 15th anniversary, I made this salad with my garden helper Josefine Marie Dichmann:
Other related links:
Link to the 2001 salad recipe :)
http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=206
Rejection letter from Guinness :)
http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=462
Stephen’s salad: a six part series following me around the garden collecting plants for a springtime extreme salad in mid-May, also fully indexed by plant names in the film description:
Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvSB5cb_FXI
Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUiS0cOhASA
Part 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKmEJhSgp7g
Part 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5mXiVd5u4A
Part 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqYDlKqHEbs
Part 6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BZGXsUR6hA