Ocean Harvest Sea Vegetables

Northern California wild-harvested edible seaweeds

As the temperatures drop and the weather rolls in, I find myself seeking out ways to bring a little bit of the outside world into my home. Food is one of my favorite ways to do this. Cozy meals, warm drinks and trying new ingredients keeps things interesting. Nori is a seaweed that, while familiar, … Read more

Sea Palm Salad Sea Palm is one of my favorite seaweeds. Not only is it delicious to snack on and in salads, it is one of the most adorable sea vegetables on the coast. They stand in clumps along the rocky shoreline, greeting all passersby with their cheery topknots. Their fronds jostled by the wind … Read more

I’ve been busy planning the 2023 harvest cycle after I picked up my tide book. Did you know we can only harvest seaweed a maximum of 40 days a year? Those days are all between April and the end of July. We work with the moon phases (new and full moon) because these are the times during the summer when there are negative tides. This means we can get to the seaweed-filled rock areas in the ocean for about 1-2 hours each day (4-5 days in a row) to harvest as quickly as possible before the sea covers the rocks and seaweeds over again. It is vital to work! It is also very cyclical, like a woman’s monthly moon cycle.
This month, I want to introduce you to RED seaweeds. Three classifications of seaweeds are identified by color: red, brown, and green.

Nereocyctis luetkeana When we think of “forests”  there’s one we often overlook — the offshore kelp forest, largely made up of Bullwhip Kelp or Nereocystis luetkeana. Nereocystis (Greek for “mermaid’s bladder”) is the largest in the family of brown algae, and found along the coast of California to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. The fastest-growing … Read more

Terry on Seaweed Safari

Dear Seaweed Lovers: we’re excited to have you join us for a seaweed foraging adventure on the Mendocino coast. Our foraging adventure is limited to 15 people. Scroll down to the bottom of this page to reserve your spot. On our trips we learn, discover, enjoy, and engage in: Identifying different edible sea vegetables and … Read more

Sea Palm Salad

Postelsia palmaeformis – commonly known as “sea palm,” is an edible brown seaweed found on rocky shores with constant waves. It certainly resembles a tiny palm tree, and the resiliency of its cylindrical stipe and small holdfast are remarkable, enabling it to hold on to those rocks through wave after wave. In order to harvest … Read more