Stornesle

Når det gjelder blad grønnsaker og nytte planter regner stornelse som kongen. Det er ganske rik på vitaminer og har blit brukt som mat, medisin og tekstil for mer enn 1500 år.


Høsting rundt Oslo
Fra slutten av mars begynner stornesle å dukke opp langst åker og enger på Bygdøy. Men det finnes også på mange andre steder: langst elver, i parker og hager. Det foretrekker nitrogen holding jord- rund stall, og kompost hauger hvor det er rikelig tilgang på gjødsel. Så søk ved siden av gårder hvor de har kuer og hester. Men, husk å ta med hansker. Det er beste å plukke de unge, nye bladene på top som ikke brenner. Men, man må være forsiktig med de store bladene som brenner. Heldigvis forsvinner brennhårene etter et par minutter i kokende vann.

Brenneslesuppe

4 porsjoner

3 dl friske grønne blader av brennesle
1 liter kraft eller vann og buljongterninger
1 ss margarin
2 ss hvetemel

Vask bladene godt og damp dem i litt vann til de faller sammen. Hakk bladene fint. Lag en jevning av smør og mel, spe med kokende væske og la det koke ca 10 minutter før den hakkete brenneslen tilsettes.
Smaker fortreffelig med brødskiver stekt i smør med gressløk. Veldig rimelig mat. Bruk de nye neslene om våren og forsommer.

Flere oppskrifter

Winter Olympics 2010

Photo: The uniforms of the Norwegian curling team have sparked a demand for clown pants.

Olympic obsession
The 2010 Winter Olympics concluded last weekend in Canada, another resounding success for Norway. They walked away with 9 gold medals (23 overall medals), ranking 4th, just behind Canada, Germany and the US. Norway also celebrated their 100th gold medal this year, when Tora Berger won the women's 15 kilometer individual biathlon last Thursday. How does a country with a population of 4,7 million produce enough top-level athletes to be at the same level as countries that are 7 to 65 times its size?

Norwegians are obsessive about the winter games. For the past few weeks, it has been the dominant topic in the media, newspapers, at the lunch table, on the bus and everywhere else. The excitement started building when we returned from Christmas, and then exploded when the games went on air. Almost every channels covered it, and you could watch the full, unedited footage at your own pace, online. Everywhere we went, people were keeping up with the events on cell phones and laptops, even in class. In the middle of an evening lecture at the business school I looked down to see the guy in front of me with the biathlon playing on his laptop screen. At an event for my environmental group last Friday, we ended up turning on the TV and watching the mens relay. And on the bus, the riders have been unusually chatty, bubbling with National pride.

But, the culture of "sports" is far more than avid observers. Many of same people who were glued to the screen last week, will be out skiing this weekend, bringing along the whole family. It's not uncommon to see a mom and dad out with their 9 year-old kid, skate -skiing 20 km. You can hear the parents coaching them along to the next warming hut, hoping perhaps that the kid might be Olympic material one day. With top-notch gear and matching outfits, the family could be a poster for any of the sports shops in town. It is no surprise that Norway has one of the highest per-capita consumption rates for winter sports gear.

Matt and I enjoy cross-country skiing, but for us, the winter Olympics are all about the women's figure skating competition. The tension and drama are unmatched.