In the town of Malvik on the north coast of Norway near the Arctic Circle TREME lives an extraordinary X gardener, Stephen Barstow, inventor of the ‘extreme’ salad.

salty sensation; , nuts and Alpine Bistort bulbils (Polygonum viviparum) a common wild in Norway which gave a nutty taste; Sweet Aztec Herb (Lippia dulcis) added a sweet taste; Lemon Verbena and Lemon Mint, a fresh lemon taste. Visitors were able to sample the salad during the day and many were impressed by the multiple-taste experience (how many different flavours can the brain process simultaneously?). I have no plans, however, to try and outdo the record in the near future.

WORKING UP TO EXTREMES The making of extreme salads was a gradual development. On Saturday evening

2003 Salad, Hazel Barstow the family would have pizza for dinner (popular with the kids) and I would always make a salad to go with it. As the collection of edibles in the garden increased so did SALADS the number of used in the salad. But due to the time needed to prepare the ingredients, I wouldn’t normally use more than 30 varieties. riginally from Britain, my wife, plant varieties and 382 distinct plant The record salads were also partly Eileen Stoupe, and I moved to parts (i.e. including and inspired by ritualistic spring dishes ONorway in 1981. Both vegetarians from the same variety). All bar two of the traditionally prepared in Mediterranean (virtually unheard of in Norway at that varieties were collected in the garden.2 countries, such as the Italian dish ‘Pistic’, time) and keen organic gardeners, we This was well and truly beaten at the in which more than fifty wild greens are were keen to experiment with growing follow-up event on 24th August 2003, used. As traditional gatherers, we are no food at extreme latitudes where carrots however, when I put together a salad doubt adapted to eating a wider range of and potatoes was usually the choice of with 537 varieties. It took 20 hours and greens than we do and like the late forest available vegetables. This spirit of adventure help from neighbour and professional chef, garden pioneer, Robert Hart, I believe there has culminated in the establishment of Trond Nubdal, to assemble and document are real health benefits from increasing an abundant edible garden and the world the salad’s ingredients. In addition, many the diversity of in the diet. record for the greatest number of plant hours were used in planning what plants Another notable salad I prepared in varieties in a salad. should be used from which beds in the June 2002 was put together in connection The world record attempt all started garden. The vast majority of the plants with the official opening of the new on 19th August 2001 when I decided I (all but 28) were organically produced in Renaissance Garden at the Ringve Botanical wanted to break the world record for the garden, not bad given that we have Garden in Trondheim. This is a historical the greatest number of plant varieties in just two seasons a year – one green and herb garden demonstrating vegetables, a salad with plants grown in our garden. one white winter! Of the plants used, medicinal and seasoning herbs and From internet searches beforehand, how- 70 were different types of onion (Allium flowers which were grown in Trondheim ever, it didn’t seem that anyone had been spp.) and 60 different edible flowers were in the 17th century. The garden was daft enough to try this at 64ºN. The salad used to decorate the salad. Horseradish, opened on the 300th anniversary of the itself was composed and put together in mustard greens and Day Lily flowers publishing of Norway’s first gardening connection with the Norwegian National (Hemerocallis) gave a peppery taste; book Horticultura, written by Christian Open Organic Garden Day.1 The final several halophytes (plants which grow in Gartner, the town’s official gardener at salad had a grand total of 363 distinct high salt environments) contributed a the time. The salad contained about 80

46 Permaculture Magazine No. 50 www.permaculture.co.uk www.permaculture.co.uk No. 50 Permaculture Magazine 47 of the varieties grown in the garden, of red, green and gold-leaved are Mouse Garlic (Allium angulosum), truly a Renaissance salad. One interesting available; Ragged Jack Kale (let kale Egyptian Onion (A. cepa proliferum) and fact is that Jerusalem Artichokes from in its second year and you can have masses cultivars, Nodding Onion (A. cernuum), North America were already grown in of delicious young plants the following Siberian Garlic Chives (A. nutans), Trondheim at the time of Gartner’s book, spring); others are Lamb’s Lettuce Twistedleaf Garlic (A. obliquum), predating the South American potato. (Valerianella locusta) and Miner’s Lettuce Chives (A. schoenoprasum), German Garlic Future salads are likely to be theme (Claytonia perfoliata), both often grown as (A. senescens montanum), Prairie Onion salads like the Renaissance salad. winter crops in milder climates than ours. (A. stellatum), Korean Ornamental Onion (A. splendens). Allium zebdanense is SOME FAVOURITE CULTIVATED SPRING SALAD PLANTS particularly useful as it flowers early and SPRING SALAD INGREDIENTS Grown in a cold greenhouse for early the beautiful white flowers can be used. In my opinion, a good mixed salad harvesting, seed sown as soon as the soil should include a mix of taste sensations. is frost-free include favourite oriental OVERWINTERED (NON-HARDY) PLANTS Some of the varieties actually come into greens such as Mibuna, Mizuna and Sweet Aztec Herb (Lippia dulcis) and their own only when mixed with other Tatsoi, Mustard Greens (particularly Stevia are examples of plants kept inside things or coated with salad dressing – frilly varieties and Giant Red), Kale at room temperature over the winter. a salad with just mallow leaves wouldn’t (harvested young), Arugula or Rocket Both have very sweet-tasting leaves. be very exciting, for example, and a lot (Eruca sativa), Turnip Greens, various of people are put off mallow leaves when varieties of Cress (Lepidium sativum) OVERWINTERED TUBERS they taste the leaves alone. Bitter tasting and Radish. Sprouted Garlic bulbils of (harvested in spring) greens such as dandelion are also much the Alexandra, sown the previous Both Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus improved in a mixed salad. A choice of autumn are also ready now. For later spring tuberosus) and Chinese Artichoke cultivars with coloured or variegated harvest various Chicories (including (Chorogi) are hardy enough to leave in leaves adds to the visual impact as do attractive dandelion look-alike Red-Rib), the ground for spring harvesting. many different sorts of flowers. Some of Lettuce, Snowball Turnip and Diplotaxis Chorogi is an example of a so-called joke- my favourites which we use in spring are (also sold as Arugula, and much more plant (as the tubers resemble giant larvae, given below. (I have concentrated on productive in our climate). but are otherwise fairly tasteless) some of the more unusual ingredients or unusual varieties of more common CULTIVATED PERENNIALS 1 http://www.bioforsk.no/dok/ plants, omitting some of the more Good spring perennial salad plants include senter/okol/tin/stjernehage/ common ones such as lettuce.) various Dandelions (Taraxacum species besokshager.html (In Norwegian) and vegetable cultivars), Buckler-leave 2 The entire ‘recipe’ for the salad SPRING sorrel (Rumex scutatus) try the silver- can be found at www.the-world-of- The springtime is in many ways the best variegated form ‘Silver Shield’, perennial seeds-trade.netfirms.com/salad.htm time of year for salads. At this time, the Mallows ( moschata, M. sylvestris with some pictures. new growth on perennial greens (includ- and cultivars), ing a number of wild plants and weeds) Tulip ( is at its best. Fast growing salad crops only), Mitsuba or which grow best in low temperatures Japanese Parsley become available and some overwintered (Cryptotaenia tubers such as Jerusalem Artichokes can japonica), in be dug up before the plants start to grow. particular the red- leaved cultivar, PERENNIAL & BIANNUAL ‘Atropurpurea’, the WEEDS IN SALADS Anise Hyssops Ground Elder (Aegopodium podograria), (Agastache spp.), and the variegated cultivar which we favourites being have introduced, are one of the best and Agastache foenicu- we use this almost every day in spring; lum, the true Anise Giant Bellflower (Campanula latifolia) Hyssop, (A. rugosa), collected in the Middle Ages in spring Korean Mint and by local farmers; Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) the yellow leaved most Norwegian kids of my generation cultivars of both of would have eaten this plant while playing; these and Hop Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), shoots (Humulus both leaves and flowers; Lady’s Mantle lupulus). There are (Alchemilla spp.); Viola spp. (one of the also many Onions earliest spring edible flowers); Hedge (Allium spp.) to mustard (Alliaria petiolata), both leaves choose from as and flowers. soon as the ground is frost-free: some SELF-SOWN INTRODUCED PLANTS of our spring Quite a few edibles have gone wild in favourites are the garden and when they are useful this is encouraged. Good examples are the Right: biannual Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium); Stephen Barstow annual Garden Orache or Mountain with daughter

Spinach (Atriplex hortensis), a mixture Hazel. Ole Iversen, Malvikbladet

48 Permaculture Magazine No. 50 www.permaculture.co.uk www.permaculture.co.uk No. 50 Permaculture Magazine 49