Swedish furniture company Johanson has more than 60 years of experience in creating
simple and well balanced designed furniture, many of which has won prestigious prizes.
Börje Johanson’s original idea was to sew hearth cushions and in 1935 he started his company in Markaryd in southern Sweden. His sons Dan and Paul Johanson took over the business in 1992.
Bitz sofa
With a very clear ambition to manufacture furniture for public interiors, they have invested a great deal of time, energy and resources into design, product development and marketing. The results have been impressive and loyal customers can now be found in Europe as well as in the US, the Middle East and Asia.
Chair
An important step in the company’s development process was their decision to work with external designers, and the company is today continually developing the wide selection of furniture in close and long-term collaboration with some of the foremost designers in Sweden and Europe.
The basic philosophy is to produce all furniture at the factory in Sweden. Although numerous other players in different manufacturing industries have moved abroad, Johanson have decided not to follow suit. In principle, all manufacturing takes place at the production plant in Markaryd.
Comeback hanger
Every piece of furniture is meticulously produced using traditional skills and craftsmanship combined with a very high level of quality consciousness. Johanson is deeply committed to its environmental and quality work. The company is certified according to ISO 14001, their products carry the Nordic Ecolabel and they fulfil the requirements for certification by the Swedish Möbelfakta organization.
Flow chair
The company comply with EU standards, in which the highest requirements for testing and durability for public environments are met. Today, Johanson is an international company with 65 employees and a turnover of 120 MSEK. Approximately 50 percent of the production is exported.
Feature image (on top): Johanson haddock
Swedish Furniture Design Conquers the World, written by Admin
If you’re planning a trip to Gothenburg by car and have some spare time, you should not do like most people and stick to the motorway. Make a detour into the nostalgic Retro Road, and fancy seeing a different side to Sweden. Take a nostalgia-soaked trip along the Retro Road east of Gothenburg.
Macken, Mobacka. Photo: Lars Inge Knutsson
Dense birch forests and rickety red barns edge the winding roads. In Sollebrunn, a small town in the south-west, Sven Liljekvist ran a Shell petrol station for nearly 60 years, occasionally taking time out from his pumps to drive newly-weds through town in his gleaming vintage cars. Even the Swedish king, who is known for his love of speed, has joined him for a spin. The petrol station is still there, and so is a museum, Macken, full of Liljekvist’s classic vehicles.
Main part of the Retro Road was officially opened in spring 2014, but today the road has been expanded and stretches 190 kilometers all the way from Gothenburg to Toreboda.
Enjoy a Buick burger at Mandy’s Diner
A trip along the retro road will give you a feel for some quirky Swedish culture, and let you see some impressive collections of retro stuff. If you should be a foreign visitor, you’ll get a warm welcome, but it’s worth bearing in mind that a couple of places are run by older Swedes, speaking little English.
Kortedala museum, Gothenburg
A two days’ drive makes it possible to travel between retro museums, old shops and apartments that seem unchanged since the 1960s. The route is easy to navigate and you pass beautiful mirror-smooth lakes.
At Brobacka guest house, situated beautifully by Årnas stream in Bjørnsby, Jomala, they offer hairstyling â la 1950s, should you be interested.
Old grocery shop, Stora Melby
Along the way you’ll also find Stora Melby Västegaard, which still practices good old fashioned farming traditions. In the remote village of Stora Mellby, Kurt Olofsson has spent years to build an old mill into a museum. Several years ago he bought the mill and set about turning it into an old-fashioned general store, stocked with productys from times gone by. The former shopkeeper has amassed an astonishing collection of neatly packaged Swedish household products, now on display on wooden shelves inside the mill.
From Melby mechanical museum
The Retro Road is actually a memory lane filled with cafes, restaurants and small stores that remind you of the good old days. These places have two things in common – the word retro and the period of the 1950s, 1960s and a970s.
Scooter museum, Kallby
We don’t suggest you cover the entire route in one go. Pick a few places of interest and plan tour trip accordingly. Gothenburg to Nossebro is comfortably done in one day, provided you don’t stop at every place. There are many charming places along the way to stay overnight.
Maria Albinsson
If you want a guided tour along the Retro Way, you are invited to contact Maria Albinsson, who works as a consultant at besøksweden.se (maria@besoksweden.se)
Old Swedish match box
A few years ago the little, sleepy village of Nossbro showed signs of stagnation, with streets and places that had hardly changed during the past 100 years. Some enthusiasts thought maybe the village could be changed to an attraction rather than being a forgotten spot on the map. So far they seem to have succeeded.
Last Wednesday every month there is a vintage market in Nossbro, which often attracts 10,000 people. It has been arranged since 1903 and is the oldest market in Sweden. The village is also home of the legendary Power Meet Car Show, first Saturday in June, when 1,500 classic American cars descend on the town.
Please bear in mind that most of the museums, shops and attractions along the Retro Road are privately owned and run as hobby projects. Therefore they may be open just one or two days a week. But there are a variety of stops approximately every 15 minutes along the way, so you should have plenty of opportunities to enter into one or another retro attraction.
The route is not very well signposted, so check the official Retro Vägen maps. Most of the places along the route are free to visit, but some accept donations.
Recommended pit stops along the route:
Macken, Mobacka (in Swedish only)
This retro petrol station is one of the prettiest stops on the entire road (see above).
Kortedala Museum, Gothenburg
This museum is actually a one-bed apartment which has been kept exactly as it would have looked in the 1950s. Visitors are free to wander around the rooms, whose selves and cupboards are full of objects for the era. It’s only open a few hours each week.
Lanthandelmuseum, Stora Mellby (in Swedish only)
Kurt Olofsson has spent years to build an old mill into a museum (see above)
Mandy’s Diner, Toreboda (in Swedish only)
This was once a Swedish petrol station, but today you may order a burger and a root beer at this American-style diner.
Scooter Museum, Källby (in Swedish only)
On the top floor of a former sheep barn you find Sweden’s only scooter museum, home to 40 odd rare scooters from Italy, Russia and beyond.
Mackmuseum, Sollebrunn(in Swedish only)
Old vehicles displayed at the old garage (see above)
Nostalgic Driving in Sweden, compiled by Tor Kjolberg
“Bruce Willis could never have done this,” said a local police officer in Kristiansand after a Norwegian car owner had clung onto the top of his car in 56 mph. clad only in his boxer-shorts.
Last month the daredevil stopped a thief from stealing his car in a hair-raising ride at minus 17 degrees Celsius in the middle of the night.
An American stuntman said it would be hard, even if he had a ski rack on the station wagon. “Please spare me the ‘oh, he’s Norwegian and used to that’ shit. It was one degree above zero and he was in his underwear. No one is used to that or will ever be used to that.”
The car owner, 25, ran out from his home without taking the time to dress as he grabbed onto the car door handle of his Volkswagen Passat as the thief attempted to drive away.
Kristiansand is one of the larger cities in Norway, with almost 90,000 inhabitants, situated in the southern part of Norway.
Police say the owner was left “pretty bloody” after the car crashed into a safety barrier on a bridge. The suspect was taken into police custody.
“Moving at 53 miles an hour in one degree temperatures equals a man in his boxer-shorts clinging to a trapeze bar in a wind tunnel set at 35 degree below zero,” says the American stuntman.
Wintertime at Varodd Bridge, Kristiansand
The car thief even tempted to shake the man loose by driving through the snow but was not able to get rid of the determined owner. During the high-speed chase, he managed to break the back window with his knee and enter the car. The thief tried to flee, but the car owner ran after him and held him until the police arrived.
Local police chief Jan Nesland told Norway’s TV2 news that the owner managed to hold on for several kilometers in a trip resembling something from a Hollywood action movie. He was up on the car roof for at least a minute and a half of constant effort, which is much, much longer than you think it is.
“It’s not something we would advise people to do,” said Mr. Nesland, “but now that he’s done it – well, it’s an incredible story.”
Bruce-Willis-like Car Chase in Norway, written by Tor Kjolberg
Maybe You Should. It’s the latest buzz. Scandinavians, join forces! There are no members in Scandinavia yet!
Gone are the days when only your neighbor could watch your house while you went on vacation. With today’s technology, websites connect homeowners with house-sitters from around the world.
Aix en Provence
“We’ve looked after thirteen properties in six different countries. Each assignment is unique and allows us to live like a local and really immerse ourselves in the locations we visit,” says one member of TrustedHousesitters.com.
Dorchester, United Kingdom
What is TrustedHousesitters?
Going away and need your home and pets cared for? Find your ideal sitter from their pet loving community who’ll love your pets and home like their own completely for free.
Membership costs $8.25 per month.
How to get started:
Sign up for a website that links homeowners with house-sitters.
Create a profile. The more detail (e.g. photos, videos, references, police checks, etc.), the better.
Search for a sitter or search for a house sit.
Benefits:
Free accommodations.
Comforts of home (e.g. laundry, wi-fi, kitchen, etc.)
A car might be provided.
Downsides:
Most homes are available during the off season.
Many homeowners also need pet sitters.
You might need to do some repairs if something goes wrong.
If you’re responsible, clean, and love animals, give house-sitting a try for your next vacation.
Here are the Top 5 Bets International house sitting websites:
Not all house sitting sites cover international assignments. Some prefer to focus on one particular country, such as the UK, or a region such as Australia & New Zealand.
If you are planning to house sit in the UK, USA, Australia or New Zealand, then you might find it beneficial to also subscribe to one of the more focused websites.
Have You Considered House-Sitting? written by Tor Kjolberg
Our road trip starts from Bergen. If you would like to experience Norwegian mountain landscapes, waterfalls, picturesque towns, exciting viewing points and spectacular bridges, don’t miss this route from Bergen to Trondheim.
You drive through the longest road tunnel in the world, climb the famous Troll path and experience the spectacular Atlantic Road.
Wild camping is allowed in Norway, so as long as you’re not on private property and don’t disturb anyone, you may camp anywhere.
Sorfjord from viewing point near E16. Photo: Svein Magnus
From Bergen Follow the E16 national road along Sorfjorden, which is a 38-kilometer (24 ml) long fjord and one of the innermost branches of the Hardangerfjord. It stretches from north of the village of Kinsarvik straight south to the industrial town of Odda. The Folgefonna glacier and Folgefonna National Park are located just to the west of the fjord, and Hardangervidda mountain plateau lies to its east.
Bojabreen glacier. Photo: Andreas Wiesner
Some of the notable villages that line the sides of the fjord include (north to south) Kinsarvik, Lofthus, Vikabygd, Tyssedal, Eitheim and Odda. All the villages along the fjord are filled with fruit farms and orchards, growing fruits like apples and cherries.
Fjaerlands fjord
About 10,000 years ago the Scandinavian land mass started to rise up as enormous glacial ice started to melt. The lower part of the valleys became flooded, and created what we today know as the Osterfjord. The valley was originally not only made through glacial erosion but by the high pressure melting water which pushed its way beneath the ice, carving the landscape as it is today.
Rntrance to Naeriy valley. Photo: Habanero
There are lots of tunnels on the E16 and we arrive at the small town of Voss, which is surrounded by mountains, forests, lakes and flowing rivers. Voss is famous for its Extreme Sports Week, which is hosted every ear in the last week of June. It’s regarded as one of the world’s premier extreme sports festivals. In Voss you also find an open air museum with several old farmsteads, demonstrating medieval life in Norway.
Laerdal tunnel rest cavern. Photo: Wilfrid
About 14 kilometers after Voss, you’ll be passing the 110 meters high Tvidefossen waterfall, which is the biggest of several waterfalls along the way.
Tvindefossen. Photo: Habanero
The Norwegians have constructed a series of tunnels to avoid mountain passes. If you prefer, it is possible to avoid the tunnels and drive on the small mountain roads instead. Many tourists don’t feel comfortable in the sometimes dark and narrow tunnels.
Road to Norfjorrd. Photo: Moszi
However, the newest tunnels are just exciting and car friendly. In Naerøy Valley the Gudvanga Tunnel is Norway’s second longest tunnel, 11,428 meters long (7.1 miles).
Geiranger fjord. Photo: Brandstroms busstrafikk
The Laerdal Tunnel is the longest road tunnel in the world succeeding the Swiss Goothard Road Tunnel. It is 24.5a kilometers long (15.23 miles). The tunnel carries two lanes of E16 and represents the final link of the new main highway connecting Oslo and Bergen without ferry connection and difficult mountain crossings during winter time.
Construction work started in 1995 and the tunnel opened in 2000.
Because of its length, the architects were considering the mental strain on drivers and divided the tunnel into four sections, separated by three 30 meter wide mountain caverns at 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) intervals. Blue and yellow light illuminate these caverns, giving the impression of sunrise.
Snow route in June. Photo: Bernd Mock
Alternative route is the Aurlandvegen between Aurland and Laerdal. This road crosses the mountain and is definitely more exciting than the tunnel. If you are driving both ways, you may choose one driving one way and the other when returning.
Old Stryn Mountain Road. Photo: ArtDrenalin
Leaving E16, you follow National road 5 northwards. The Fodnes-Mannheller ferry takes you across the Sognefjord in 15 minutes.
Don’t miss the famous stave church in Kaupanger before leaving the town of Sogndal and entering into the Fjaerland region where you will have glaciers on both sides of the road.
Before you arrive at Jolster, leave Route 5 and take the E39 and later Route 60 to Norfjord and Stryn.
Route 15. Photo: U. Walli
When in Stryn, leave the main road and head towards Grotli by Road 15. You will pass the lake Strynsvatnet after a few minutes and later, from Videseter, you have a beatiful view of the Stryn valley.
Old Stryn mountain road. Photo: Hubert
It’s like driving in a postcard when you take Gamle Strynefjellsvei (Old Stryn mountain road) to Grotli. The road was built in 1894 and its surface is still gravel. It takes you across the Stryn mountain pass and is one of the National Tourist Roads, only open during the summer season.
Old Stryn mountain road. Photo: Thies Peter Lange
From Grotli to Geiranger, by Route 15 and later Route 63, the landscape is breathtaking.
Geiranger is probably the most touristic town in Norway. Thousands of cruise ship passengers and other tourists enjoy the beautiful scenery here every year. The town has 4 hotels, some 50 cabins and souvenir shops selling trolls, knitwear and postcard. The town has been nicknamed Pearl of the North.
Sunrise at Trollstigen. Photo: Brandstoms busstrafikk
Continuing on Road 63 we pass scenic mountain lakes until we reach Norddalsfjord and take the ferry from Eidsdalen to Linge. We are now heading for the Trollstigen (Troll’s Ladder) 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) north-east.
Trollstigen has an incline of 9% and eleven hairpin turns up a steep mountain side. Vehicles over 12.4 meters long are prohibited from driving the road. Stigfossen waterfalls near the top are falling 320 meters down.
Trollstigen is and has been the connection between two regions, Synnmøre and Romsdal. The crooked road was officially opened on 31 July, 1936 by King Haakon VII. Today it is a part of Road 63.
Atlantic road. Photo: Petter Haavin
Back at sea level again, we head for Andalsnes, a village near the Romsdalsfjord. Road 64 brings us towards Afarnes where a ferry takes us across Eresfjord, and passing the Bolsoya Bridge we arrive in Molde. Road 64 continues towards Kristiansund and we’re on our way to the Atlantic Ocean, and a part of the road, appropriately called the Atlantic Road.
Atlantic road. Photo: Giergio Ghezzi
The spectacular road has become such a popular tourist attraction that caution must be shown when driving it, as both locals and visitors frequently use the road to go fishing directly from the roadside.
Cars are passing the Storseisund- bridge, part of the Atlantic Ocean Road, in western Norway . Photo: Winfried Rothermel/dpa/Corbs
Atlanterhavsveien was voted “Norwegian Construction of the Century” on 27 September 2005. The road’s sharp turns and wild nature have ranked it first on The Guardian’s list of the world’s best road trips. Even in bad weather condition it stays open, which can be a thrilling experience.
From Kristiansund, take Road 70 and later R39, heading for Trondheim.
Ferature image (on top): Atlantic road. Photo: Glenn. HGSO
Northern waters are still teeming with fish, even if it’s not as it used to be. Overfishing of certain species is a threat to the sustainability if marine life, with the cold waters being more fragile than warm seas, and restrictions are being made on the most popular fish, such as cod, herring and salmon.
Danish fishing fleet
This brings in new species to try, and for the adventurous it’s a thrill to eat strange-looking creatures from the deep with eyes like huge silver coins, dressed in spikes and thorns.
From Mathallen in Oslo
These days. Scandinavian fish lovers are beginning to eat more humble fish, as the most popular types become more expensive. Chefs are doing their best to introduce new fish, showing us how to cook them, because even if people in the north eat lots of fish, most of us stubbornly cling to the well-known ones, despite other fish being just as delicious.
Fishmarket in Stockholm
Garfish, shark, Norway haddock, whiting, ling, fork-beard, smelt, witch, dab and Pollock are slowly becoming household names. Even die-hard traditions are challenged – new fatty fish are being cured, smoked and pickled, which is a solace to people in other parts of the world who want to try Nordic way of preparing fish, using their local varieties.
Fish drying in Svolvaer, Norway
As long as you replace them with a similar societies: fatty on lean meat, dense flesh or flaky, the result will be successful. And it’s also a necessary challenge to find new ways with fish. Even if there are fine traditions of fish cookery in the north, we need to reinvent: crisper skin, less overcooking, more spice.
Feature image (on top): Shellfish from Sweden
Fresh Fish and Shellfish From Scandinavia, written by Tor Kjolberg
Until a few years ago no one outside Norway had heard of the Norwegian painter Nikolai Astrup. From today, 5 February to 15 May, a collection of over 90 oil paintings and prints will be exhibited at Dulwich Picture Gallery in London.
Astrup, Apple Trees in Blossom
In Norway, Nikolai Astrup (1880-1928) is one of the most renowned artists, but the radically innovative works of this artist is almost unknown to art lovers outside his native country. When he now finally has been recognized abroad, the media calls him “Norway’s other great painter”.
Nikolai Astrip, painting by Henrik Lund, 1900
British paper The Guardian called him “the lost artist of Norway”. Ian Dejardin says that “he is one of the artists you’ve never heard of, but you’ll never forget once you do encounter him.”
Astrup married a 15-year-old daughter of a local farmer, and they had eight children. Their home is today preserved as a museum and stands in a plot so steep that they had to crawl on their hands and knees home from the lake shore below. Later Astrup built a track and terraces and made a village-like collection of small wooden houses there.
Astrup, Belonging and Identity
‘Edvard Munch, I cannot abide,’ wrote Nikolai Astrup in a letter to his friend Arne Giverholt. ‘Everything that he does is supposed to be so brilliant that it doesn’t have to be more than merely sketched.’
Astrup, Moon in May
Edvard Munch and Nikolai Astrup were near contemporaries and both were innovative and admired painters. Munch is today one of the few household-name artists, while Astrup has been, until now, neglected by everyone outside Norway.
Astrup, Springnight in Garden
His talent was, however, recognized as a student, and one of his avid collectors was in fact his world famous countryman Edvard Munch.
Astrup studied in Copenhagen and Paris, and visited London, but in 1902 he abandoned his studies and returned to Norway.
During his short life he found all the motifs that would define his work at his beloved lake Jølstravatnet in Jølster. One of his best known paintings is the Main Midsummer Eve Bonfire (1915).
Nikolai Astrup, drawing
As a boy Astrup was forbidden to join what his father regarded as pagan celebrations, but the layers of folklore and paganism that seeped through the cracks in the nominally Christian community were never far away in Astrup’s world.
Astrup, Jolstraholmen
Astrup suffered all his life from asthma and later contracted tuberculosis.
Norway’s Forgotten Painter in London, written by Tor Kjolberg
Nudity rules on Facebook stopped a Danish politician from publishing a photo of the iconic statue Little Mermaid in Copenhagen.
The bronze figure is 102 years old, and the nude woman based on the fairytale by renowned Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is one of Copenhagen’s most visited tourist spots. It is situated along the Langeline promenade.
Social Democrat MP Mette Gjerskov received a rejection notification from the site when she wanted to post a small image of the bronze statue on her blog last month. The message stated that the image contained “too much bare skin or sexual undertones” and added that the rules applied even if an image had “artistic or educational purposes”.
Facebook claims it restricts nudity because “some audiences within their global community may be sensitive to this type of content.”
In an interview with Ekstra Bladet, Gjerskov says the issue is “totally ludicrous”.
In March 2015, the site clarified its rules on nudity and said that it does allow photos of paintings, sculptures and other art that depicts nude figures.
The social network has realized its mistake and re-added the post.
This is not the first piece of Danish art to be removed from a Facebook blog. In September, Facebook blocked a Danish tourism organization from posting an image of C.W. Eckersberg’s 1841 painting Woman Standing in Front of a Mirror, before later admitting the decision was an “error”.
The new millennium brought change for one of Scandinavia’s oldest schisms. The Øresund road and rail bridge rejoined Denmark and Sweden in 2000, a connection broken by the cataclysmic convulsion at the end of the Ice Age.
The Scandinavian crime drama television series The Bridge (Broen) were shot in Denmark and Sweden. What appeared to be the body of a female Swedish politician was discovered in the middle of the Øresund Bridge, which connects Copenhagen with Malmö.
Although Scandinavia was hit by the 2008 financial crisis, with sharp rises in inflation and unemployment, signs of recovery are good and there are plenty of ambitious projects in the works.
The Fehmarn Tunnel
Denmark and Germany are forging closer links with a 32 billion-kroner undersea tunnel across the Fehmarn Strait. In Sweden, the Hallandsaas railway tunnel, Sweden’s longest railway tunnel (8.7km) opened in October last year, as part of a larger project to create super-efficient train links between Norway, Sweden and Germany.
Hallandsaas railway tunnel
Norway insulated itself from economic pain by using its sovereign wealth fund to buy cheap shares – by June 2015 topped 7 trillion kroner (over US$900 billion).
A Norwegian national flag flies from a vessel near the Scarabeo 8 deepwater oil drilling rig, operated by ENI Norge AS, in Olensvag, Norway, on Tuesday, April 3, 2012. The world’s seventh-largest oil exporter boasts no net debt, adding to its appeal as an alternative to the debt-riddled euro area. Photographer: Kristian Helgesen/Bloomberg
A tense stand-off with Russia over Arctic territory was resolved in 2010, allowing Norway to begin oil and gas exploration in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean.
Today, Norway has the highest GDP per person and the lowest working hours in Scandinavia, pointing to a level of individual wealth and leisure that the rest of the world can only dream of.
Norway’s oil age is far from over. However, activity in the petroleum sector has passed the peak. Norwegians must now be prepared for lower returns in the oil industry. In the period ahead, the key to economic progress is Norway’s ability to restructure.
Feature image (on top): Øresund bridge. Photo: Wikipedia commons.
Despite county boundaries and differences between the three counties of Telemark, Vestfold and Buskerud, both in terms of scope, livelihood and tradition, there are still more similarities than differences.
The differences are most often seen in the cultural scene in that many great artists come from this part of the country.
Food is both an art and a culture with Norwegian national dishes highly valued in the three counties.
Telemark Excursions by Olivenreiser
Telemark county extends from Skagerrak to Hardangervidda bordering on Buskerud, Vestfold, East-Agder, Rogaland and Hordaland. Tourists have cast their eyes on this area, able to choose between a “Riviera existence” in the archipelago, or a proper mountain holiday in the many mountain areas Telemark has to offer. In the hilly skiing terrain, many famous Norwegian skiers have laid the foundation for their later achievements. Telemark has a rich variety in folk music and is known as Myllargutten’s home county. Myllarguttnen’s real name was Tarjej Augundsson and he is regarded as Norway’s most famous player of the Hardanger fiddle.
The Whaling Monument in Sandefjord
Vestfold, is Norway’s smallest county in size. Here the phrase “small but good” is appropriate. Vestfold is on the west side of the Oslofjord, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. Vestfold is a coastal county, but has also large agricultural areas within its borders and was once the most important whaling county in Norway. Seamen previously associated with the fishing industry gradually turned towards industrial work.
The climate in south east Norway is stable and attracts many tourists.
Ringvold fruit garden
Buskerud is also one of the trio of counties in Southeastern Norway, in which we now explore. Buskerud County ranges from the Oslofjord all the way up to Hardangervidda, bordering on seven counties. Lofty mountains and broad communities are characteristic for Buskerud and we must remember that it is one of the most important counties for forestry in Norway, only beaten by the county of Hordaland when it comes to number of fruit trees. This is an industry that has had great significance for Norway. The number of fruit gardens here leaves its mark on the culinary traditions.
Norwegian national dishes have a strong foothold here, and the diet is as powerful as it is tasteful in this area of prosperity.
Welcome to South East Norway, written by Tor Kjolberg
Feature image (on top): Autumn in Telemark (Photo: Visit Telemark) Recipes from the trail: Two hunters’ takes on gourmet game
Hanging birds. Photo: Andy Mannett /Wikipedia Commons)
Ptarmigan Dinner
by Erik Wanberg
2-3 clean ptarmigans
birch or applewood chips, for smoking
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup Port wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. ground sage
1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste
Optional:
1/2 cup dried chanterelle mushrooms (or other light mushroom)
1/2 cup dried cherries
(or dried cranberries, or a tablespoon or two of lingonberry jam)
1/2 cup boiled and peeled chestnuts
Take the ptarmigans and quarter them so the breasts are split in two pieces and the thigh/drumsticks are one piece.
Lightly cold smoke them with birch or applewood chips, about 1/2 hour, just for flavor. If you don’t have a smoker, this step can be omitted, but I really like the mild smoke flavor.
Remove from smoke and lightly brown on both sides on medium-high heat in a large fry or sauté pan with some melted butter. Remove from the pan and place on a plate.
Deglaze the pan with the Port. Add the remaining butter.
Add the flour to the chicken broth and stir or whisk to remove any lumps, then add to the pan. Add the optional ingredients and sage and bring to a simmer.
As it thickens, add the cream. Lower the heat and place the ptarmigan pieces flat in the pan. Simmer gently for approximately 45 minutes.
Serve with mashed rutabagas and a steamed green vegetable such as broccoli or sautéed green beans.
Notes: While the traditional Norwegian style is a simple brown sauce gravy, rich in butter and cream, it usually has some wild mushrooms in the sauce and a handful of lingonberries. I like adding the Port to bring out the flavor and the dried cherries and chestnuts. While rich, it is perfect around the holidays.
As ptarmigan are not flying around the midwest, or even available in the corner supermarket, this recipe works well with other game birds such as grouse or pheasant, and I have even cooked cottontail rabbits this way.
After dinner, open that Port wine bottle again and serve with a plate of Jarlsberg chunks…Hunting doesn’t always mean roughing it!
To hang or not to hang: that is the question
When hunting with my Norwegian relatives it is customary—no, just expected—to hang the meat for a few days to make it darker and more flavorful. Some might say this makes it more gamey in taste, and they would be correct.
It is a practice in Norway, and especially in Voss, to hang the meat for a few days in the open air to cure it. I am almost embarrassed to say that they don’t even clean the bird first, just hang it fully intact. In the U.S., we often field clean the birds straight away. In contrast, in Voss, upon returning from a two-day hunting trip the ungutted birds are simply hung by their necks in the garage with the temperature in the 35-40 degree range. After a few days, the flesh is very dark, almost black, and the flavor is much stronger.
On one trip to Voss after a day of hunting, I offered to cook some freshly killed ptarmigan for dinner. My uncle wrinkled his nose and reluctantly agreed to let me forge ahead with dinner.
At dinner in the mountain cabin (hytte), I asked how he liked it. He said, “Well Erik, that is… ummmm, well, very interesting.”
Lesson learned. However, I don’t recommend doing it here unless you really know what you are doing.
Quails browning in pan. Photo: Stewart Butterfield (Wikipedia Commons)
Mashed Rutabagas
by Erik Wanberg
3 large rutabagas
1-2 large red potatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup cream or half-and-half
1/2 stick of butter
salt and pepper to taste
Peel the rutabagas and potatoes and cut into one inch chunks. Boil in a large pot.
When soft to a fork (about 30-40 minutes), strain the water off and add the butter, start mashing, and then add the other ingredients and continue mashing until nearly smooth.
I sometimes add a splash or two of akevitt, as the caraway flavor really complements the rutabaga flavor, even more so if serving akevitt at dinner.
Notes: While I will often serve wine with a ptarmigan dinner, (a nice light-bodied pinot noir goes great with upland game like this), this is not always the case in Norway. The traditional beverage pairing in Norway, and especially in Voss, is a large glass of hjemmebrygg (homebrew) and a shot glass of akevitt. While a good wine is a great pairing with this dinner, nothing compares to the pairing of a smoky Voss homebrew (usually 10-12% alcohol) with juniper flavors, combined with smoked and hung (read gamey) ptarmigan. The akevitt then cleanses the palate with the caraway flavor, and you’re ready for another bite.
Wild stew at its best
by Ottar Nord
4.4 pounds tiur meat or a blend of poultry
2.6 ounces salt pork
4 tsps. flour
1/2 tsp. pepper
salt to taste
16 ounces boiled stock
one onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. crushed juniper berries
one cup lingonberry or cranberry jam
Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, and cube the salt pork.
Blend together the flour, salt, and pepper.
Brown the salt pork in a pot and remove, leaving the pork drippings in the pot.
Dredge the meat in the flour mixture and brown in the fat.
Pour the stock over the meat. Add the chopped onion, pork cubes, crushed juniper berries, and jam, and let the mixture steep until the meat is dark.
These recipes originally appeared in the Norwegian American Weekly. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call them at (800) 305-0271.
