Raw and Romantic from Skjærgårdshagen

Camilla Anvik was only going to make herself a small kitchen garden for private use. Three years later, she delivers organic edible flowers to restaurants with Michelin stars on the menu.

What came first? The organic plants in Skjærgårdshagen in Brunlanes, or the chefs’ interest in flowers on their food? One thing is certain, at least: Camilla Anvik has, quite literally, a large market to feed.

– We’ve always been a food family, explains Camilla, who in addition to the organic Skjærgårdshagen also runs Stall Anvik. – In England, a combination like this, with horses and a garden, is completely classic, she says. – The horses graze on unsprayed pasture, and the manure is used as nutrients for growing vegetables and flowers.

Blooming: Skjærgårdshagen is a kind of a Wonderland where everything can happen. Photo: Marte Østmoe 

When an Old Airstrip Became a Garden

The horse has always been at the top of Camilla’s list of priorities, but just under three years ago something changed. The year was 2017, and Camilla was given the opportunity to buy the farm on the other side of the road. The man who had lived there had once converted part of the barn into a large hangar, and on the slope from the enormous garage door down toward the sea he had established his own airstrip.

– Nothing had been cultivated there for more than thirty years, Camilla explains.

– The grass pasture had never been fertilized or sprayed.

Camilla’s goal now became to take care of the soil and rebuild it according to organic principles. Cutting corners had never been her strength, and the work had to be done properly, by the book. As Camilla often says: – If you’re not going to do it properly, you might as well leave it alone.

– I chose the ‘no-dig method, she explains.

The first step was to cover the grass with thick cardboard. Then she mixed cow manure with horse manure from her own animals. Finally, 18-month-old compost was laid on top as a covering layer.

From vegetable garden at home to Michelin: Camilla Anvik from Brunlanes South in Norway has transformed a dead field into a blooming meeting place. Foto: Marte Østmoe

Building Living Soil

Camilla describes as both new, costly, and complicated. Not only was there a lot of work, the comments and criticism grew worse than couch grass! Was it necessary with so much compost? And was there any point in insisting on organic farming?

– Yes, Camilla believes today. – You must know the history of a flower before you can put it in your mouth and eat it. The same varieties may exist in ordinary garden centers, but there they have been both fertilized and sprayed so they’ll come into bloom quickly.

At Skjærgårdshagen they think more holistically, and as Camilla explains, they look at the entire process.

– We have pollinating plants, the bees come here, collect pollen and make honey that I sell in the shop.

But in order to produce healthy—and beautiful—products, the soil must also be carefully cultivated.

– The soil here in Brunlanes is very sandy. To keep the nutrients from simply disappearing, you need to give it a little extra help.

Wood chips were also laid between the rows. The main intention was simply to make it easier and cleaner to walk there and harvest, but the measure turned out to have other benefits as well.

– We cut the trees from our own property and were certain they hadn’t been sprayed either. What I hadn’t thought about was that the chips help form mycorrhiza, which helps the plants draw nutrients from deeper in the ground. In addition, it seems that slugs don’t thrive where there are wood chips.

Learning from Nature

In record time, organic herbs, vegetables, and flowers could now be grown at Skjærgårdshagen. Three of the total seven declares of land are each year left ready for inspection.

– It’s good to quality-assure the production, Camilla believes.

At the same time, she is very humble about the craft.

– Nothing must go wrong, but at the same time there’s no definitive answer to this. My best teacher is nature itself.

Fortunately, the eco-debutante also has others to lean on. Tore Jardar, a local, community supported agriculture (CSA) farmer, is a great source of inspiration. The same applies for Skalleberg nursery, and Camilla would especially like to thank Arvid De Haes.

– He has been my mentor when it comes to vegetables.

But where De Haes has large greenhouses, Anvik only has a stable.

­– I grow the plants forward in the tack room and then move them in and out for air.”

Once again Camilla must remind herself that she was originally only supposed to make a kitchen garden for the family. At some point, it simply took off. – Taking off” is, incidentally, an expression that is also frequently used in her actual profession.

– It’s no secret that my real job is as an air traffic planner in the tower at Oslo Airport.

Work ethic: The speed of Skjærgårdshagen moves with the seasons. Photo: Marte Østmoe 

Between Runway and Flower Beds

At Gardermoen, Oslo´s international airport, Camilla makes sure that airplanes both take off and land safely. When she is at home, she tends the flowers that now grow on the east and west sides of a local airstrip.

In other people’s eyes, there is a long distance between airplanes and gardens, but both are important in Camilla’s life.

When describing herself, she first and foremost uses the term “garden person.”

Organic farming may not be her strongest academic discipline. But when she talks about the operation now, her eyes light up. Perhaps it is because of little sleep, perhaps it is enthusiasm—or perhaps it is the Michelin stars we, see?

More and more: The philosophy of minimalisme is not practiced at Skjærgårdshagen. Photo: Marte Østmoe

Flowers for Michelin Kitchens

Camilla scrolls through the feed on her Instagram account. Was it in 2019? Or 2020?

In any case, this is what happened: the master chef Gunnar Hvarnes was asked to serve a six-course dinner at the climbing park Høyt & Lavt in Lardal. Someone tipped him off about the edible flowers from Skjærgårdshagen. In a flash, Hvarnes and Anvik had made contact. Since then, the national culinary team has held several events at Skjærgårdshagen.

In addition, she has gained many local customers, and once a week a car arrives to pick up edible flowers destined for Restaurant Speilsalen in Trondheim.

­ I think I’ve brought out many of the same qualities I had as a competitive rider, explains Camilla Anvik. – I always searched for the best trainers so that I constantly had something to strive for. Running an organic garden is something quite different, but there are similarities. It certainly helps to be a competitive!

Do you want to read this article in Norwegian? Test your self, and try reading the text published in the Norwegian magazine about organic food, REN MAT. 

The case has even some epic recipes for a wild, wild crazy cake and Skjærgårdshagens special, signature-drink. 

Toast: Skjærgårdshagen do share some of their best recipes with you. Here juice of lilacs. Photo: Marte Østmoe