With the weather finally coming around after a rough and wet winter, Anna and I finally found a day to bike down to the local sandy cove. We found three types of seaweed that we enjoy, but it was the Kelp that was the main focus of my search.
When I was living in the remote Southeast area of Alaska, the sea vegetables where a major source for vitamins and minerals. Here in Ireland, harvesting seaweeds historically has been a profound source for food, baths, and fertilisation.
Kelp is a great seaweed to start with. It is easily identifiable, has no look-a-likes, and is easy to harvest. There are some simple things that you can do with this plant. First, harvesting consists of finding a beach that is not contaminated by sewage, or agricultural runoff. Second, make certain that there are enough plants to continue to repopulate after you have harvested. I use a 1 in 20 rule. This means that I will harvest one plant and then leave nineteen. With seaweed, there usually is plenty to go around.
How to harvest: find the plant where it is attached to the rock. Carefully use a knife or scissors to cut the plant near the base where it attaches itself to the rock. By leaving the very bottom part of the plant, you enable the plant to quickly regrow for future harvesting.
How to use it: Bring the harvest home. Wash it in drinkable water, hang it in a warm and dry place. It is better to dry it quickly over a few hours. If you let it hang in a cold and damp environment, it will start to mold or decompose.
Once it is crispy and dry, use a pair of scissors and cut it up into small pieces. You can now use this as a seasoning for stews, stir fries or any type of cooking. Place the kelp in a glass or plastic container that is air tight. Any moisture that gets into it could cause it to mold or decompose.
Kelp is a great alternative to store bought seasoning or salt. Due to its salty nature, it will provide enough seasoning and will reduce your salt intake. This is a great alternative for people with high blood pressure, or other heart issues.
Kelp is a wonderful source for vitamins and minerals. It has vitamin A, B, C, D and E.
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We used to derive great pleasure (not to mention a valuable source of vitamins and minerals) from harvesting kelp here in West Cork but more and more of the beaches are becoming polluted with sewage and agri run off which is a real shame.
ReplyDeleteSuzume,
ReplyDeleteYes, there is contamination here in Kerry as well. When we first moved here from Canada I found a wonderful source of sea lettuce in Waterville. I ate some fresh as I gathered. It wasn't until months later that I learned that the village waste management facilities dumped right at that location.
That was why there was so much lush sea vegetation.