“Sea Veggies,” our planet’s most ancient foods, are high in trace minerals, iron, calcium, iodine and vitamins, including B12, making them essential to any nutritious diet.
We harvest our sea veggies from the California coastline in Mendocino county. This coastline rates in the top 5% of the world’s richest and most pristine waters. A place where the current and the tidal upwelling so enriches the marine flora that only a few other areas in the world can rival the abundance and diversity of our bountiful aquatic gardens.
We hand harvest the sea veggies at sunrise during the low tides of the new and full moons, and we take them home to the redwoods for drying in the sun to preserve the prana of the veggies.
Ocean Harvest has been providing Macrobiotic Quality Sea Vegetables for over 30 years.
Our Sea Vegetable Selections
Mendocino Coast Kombu
(Laminaria setchellii)
Kombu – Firm blue-black blades and sumptuous flavor of the kelp family. Our native California Kombu may be used interchangeably with the Japanese variety as a healthful and flavorful addition to soup stocks, vegetable dishes, pickles and condiments. Don’t forget that of all the marine alga, Kombu isolates heavy metals and radioactive substances in the body for elimination and contains the amino acid Laminin, which effectively combats hypertension and high blood pressure. It is also a rich source of protein and B vitamins.
At low tide, the arching stems of the rich brown Kombu plants hover above the waters edge, the flat shiny blades immersing themselves in the swirling currents. Each blade is trimmed 2-3 inches above the stipe to ensure the continued growth of our Kombu, and then individually hung to be sun-dried in the redwood hills.
Indispensable in soups and beans also makes tasty pickles and nutritious condiments. Restorative and refreshing, mineral rich Kombu has been shown to eliminate heavy metals and radiation from our bodies.
Exceptionally rich in nutrients including protein, vitamins, high in iron, iodine, zinc, essential elements and trace minerals. Excellent base (“Kombu Dashi”) for soups and sauces. Makes a fine pickle – “Shio Kombu”.
Sweet Kombu
(Hedophyllum sessile)
Sweet Kombu: a frilly, kombu-like sea vegetable, with a delicious smoky flavor and sweet taste. *An Ocean Harvest exclusive.
Use in soups and stews, especially suitable for Aduki, Squash and other bean dishes. Nice with baked beans. Abundant in minerals and saccharides (the source of its sweetness).
Ocean Ribbons
(Lessionopsis littoralis)
Ocean Ribbons: nutrient-rich, quick cooking, pasta thin ribbons. Growing on the outermost reaches of the rocky intertidal zone among neighboring sea palm and mussel beds, this perennial marine alga resembles a glistening Bonsai Willow tree overhanging the water at low tide. *An Ocean Harvest Exclusive.
As many as 500 blades branch off the woody trunk-like stipe of the older Lessionopsis, sweeping the rock face clear of most other organisms in the thrashing of the tidal surge.
Ocean Ribbons are a brown alga and resemble a delicate thin-bladed Kombu. However, they are sweeter than most varieties of Kombu and more closely akin to Wakame for their quick-cooking palatability.
Like most of the Kelp family, they are rich sources of carbohydrates and trace minerals. Once you try this beautiful sea vegetable in Nishime or soup style cuisine, you may become a devotee of Ocean Ribbons! Quick cooking, delicious in sautes, soups, beans or pickled in tamari and citrus. Ocean ribbons are a delicate “leafy Kombu” ideal for quicker cooking – rich in trace minerals. Try it in grain dishes, soups and stews.
Sea Palm
(Postelsia palmaeformis)
Sea Palm – our most popular sea vegetable: versatile, mild and succulent. A great deli-chef favorite. Sea Palm fronds are delicious in vegetable sautés, casseroles, salads, beans, pickled, or in crispy toasted condiments or snacks.
“Sea palm” is a rare vegetable, unique to our Pacific Coast. This miniature marine palm tree withstands the pounding surf, growing in dense “forests” on the outer shoreline tidal rocks. High in trace minerals and valuable marine saccharides, Ocean Harvest Sea Palm is harvested in the pristine waters off the coast of Mendocino. The sea palm “fronds” are carefully picked so that their reproductive cycle remains uninterrupted. The fronds are then carried up the steep, rocky slopes and brought inland, where they are sun-dried in the pure mountain air of the California Redwoods. The fronds are turned every hour to insure complete drying.
Ocean Harvest Sea Palm comes to you in its original state, with all the salt-water minerals and trace elements intact to preserve the holistic nutritional value and assure the preservation of the delicate fronds. You may choose to quickly rinse Postelsia palmaeformis before cooking to remove some of the minerals, or accordingly, to lower the volume of other salty seasonings in your dish to compensate for the sea palm.
Sea palm has become our most popular West Coast sea vegetable, both for its culinary versatility and its sweet taste. You can use it in all styles of macrobiotic cuisine: soups, salads and sautés … but finding new uses for sea palm is one of the most delightful aspects of cooking with it!
Our Famous Silky Sea Palm
(Postelsia palmaeformis juvenalia)
Silky Sea Palm – the tender first growth fronds of the Sea Palm. Great right out of the bag. Best seller among restaurants. Delicious marinated, lightly cooked or simply rehydrated in salads. “North America’s Gift” and popular both for its culinary versatility and its natural sweet taste… the only species of its genus and peculiar to the Pacific Northwest Coast. Used in all styles of cooking – soups, salads and sautés. Finding new recipes is half the fun! High in natural complex sugars and trace minerals.
Pacific Coast Wakame
(Alaria marginata)
Pacific Wakame- Very tender green leaves with a delicate texture and flavor. Traditionally used in miso soup; also salads and stews. A kitchen staple for the food conscious. Alaria is a brown algae of the kelp family (Phylum Phaeophyta) and resembles the Japanese “Wakame”. Although nutrients vary between the two, the uses are interchangeable. Prepared in soups, vegetable dishes and salads, Alaria offers a high source of calcium, iodine and vitamins B6 and K. Vitamins B2, C and minerals cobalt, radium and other trace elements make Alaria a valuable daily dietary component.
Ocean Harvest Alaria is harvested off the Mendocino Coast, where the California Current and the tidal upwelling so enriches the marine flora that only a few other areas in the world can rival the richness and diversity of this bountiful aquatic garden. The eight to 15 foot Alaria fronds resemble long scarves that dance in the strong swirling currents and lie strewn across the rocks at low tide. Each frond is trimmed so as to preserve the reproductive sporophylls to ensure regrowth. The fronds are then brought inland to the hills of the redwoods and individually hung to be sun-dried.
Very tender green leaves of Pacific Wakame, carefully harvested from the early new growth. Delicate texture and flavor, superb in soups and salads. Super rich minerals and valuable marine saccharides. Traditionally used in miso soup; also salads and stews. A kitchen staple for the food conscious. High content potassium and iodine, and other nutrients including vitamin C, trace elements and minerals.
Wild Nori
(Porphyra porforata)
Wild Nori- Crispy tufts, lustrous black in color. Highest in protein, iron and vitamin B-12. grows in the pristine waters of the Pacific off the coast of Mendocino. We harvest young Porphyra by gently tearing it off below the holdfast. We ocean rinse our nori to rid it of sand and ocean fauna and then take it inland to sun dry.
Wild nori grows primarily atop rock beds that dot the sandy shoreline. The greenish-purple nori lends a wooly mammoth appearance to the wet rocks but dries to a crisp dark brown lacquer-like malting in the ebb tide sunlight. The stipeless blades are only a single cell thick and attach themselves to the rocks by a tiny discoid holdfast.
This delicate perennial is a also rich source of vitamin C and contains up to 25% protein by weight. Nori also adds vitamin B12, carbohydrates and trace minerals to your diet. It is a cherished favorite among traditional cultures the world over. Crispy tufts of wild nori, lustrous black in color, it is the seaweed highest in protein, iron and vitamin B-12. We carefully harvest the early, most tender, nutrient-rich growth. Delicious in soups and as a toasted condiment. Makes a delicious roasted snack or garnish, a favorite toasted with sesame seeds to sprinkle on grains and veggies.
Mendocino Coast Fucus
(Bladderwrack)
Fucus distichus
Fucus [bladderwrack] grows upon the rocks closer to the shore than many of the other sea veggies we harvest. Fucus is a well known herbal remedy used to balance metabolism, because it is the seaweed highest in iodine. The thyroid gland needs iodine to produce thyroid hormones, which regulate our metabolism, circulation, energy level, sense of well-being, immune system, and growth of skin, hair and fingernails. Since most people do not get enough iodine in their diets, eating focus/bladderwrack is an easy way to make sure your thyroid is protected and receiving the nutrients it needs to remain healthy.
Use Fucus [bladderwrack] in soups and teas.
North Atlantic Dulse
(Palmaria palmata)
This is everyone’s favorite, adding a unique seafood flavor to any food. We sell both whole leaf or flaked, from the North Atlantic.
Bull Whip Kelp
(Nereocystis leutkeana)
Bullwhip Kelp is a brown seaweed, though we dry it to a vivid green, crunchy and tasty treat! Bull Whip Kelp provides precious trace minerals such as potassium, iodine, magnesium, and more. Bullwhip kelp is also high in protein and a good source of dietary fiber. You can eat bullwhip kelp like a chip, sprinkle on dishes, and grind up to put on popcorn or any dish where you wish a more salty flavor!
We harvest and carefully sun dry this delicate delicious brown kelp. It dries a vibrant green color. Please note that we have a limited supply of bull whip kelp.
Flaked Mixed Sea Veggies
Flaked Mixed Sea Vegetables are an easy way to make sure you are getting the benefits of all three colors of seaweeds (red, green and brown). Each color of seaweed is high in specific vitamins and minerals. Sea Lettuce, Sea Whip, Nori, Dulse, Wakame, Fucus, and Sea Palm are sun-dried, flaked, and mixed together for use as condiments and anything you can creatively add sea veggies to! You can shake flaked mixed sea vegetables on your rice, salad, soup, stir fry or any other food to enhance the vitamin and mineral content.
Sea Veggie Gomasio
Sea Veggie Gomasio takes our seven seaweed mix and adds roasted organic sesame seeds for a delicious umami flavor on any dish! Sea vegetables are some of the most nutritionally and therapeutically valuable foods on earth. Our seaweed mix is by far the most concentrated natural food source of minerals, electrolytes and trace elements, in a ratio that is remarkably similar to that of our own blood.
Fucus (Bladderwrack) Capsules
Fucus/Bladderwrack Capsules contain the seaweed highest in iodine. The thyroid gland needs iodine to produce thyroid hormones, which regulate our metabolism, circulation, energy level, sense of well-being, immune system, and growth of skin, hair and fingernails. Since most people do not get enough iodine in their diets, this is an easy way to make sure your thyroid is protected and receiving the nutrients it needs to remain healthy.
We sell Fucus (Bladderwrack) capsules in packages of 100.
Turkish Towel
(Gigartina exasperata)
Turkish Towel is commonly used for thalassotherapy, a form of therapy using seawater and sea products to refresh the skin’s pores by absorbing the potassium, calcium, sodium, iodine, and magnesium found in sea water. Our Turkish towel can be used in baths or the shower as a natural exfoliating bath towel. It’s good for the skin, and the texture is perfect to scrub off any unwanted residues.