Beauty from the ocean floor

In an eighteenth century dissertation on: 'The use of sea water in the diseases of the glands', Dr Richard Russell declared: 'One must drink sea water, bathe in it, and eat all manner of marine life in which its virtue is concentrated.' It was Russell's promotion of seawater that encouraged people to bathe in the icy waters of Great Britain. Drinking seawater waned in popularity towards the end of the nineteenth century and the focus shifted to the romantic and curing properties associated with the sea and taking the 'sea air'. By the early twentieth century the use of seaweed in baths had become widespread. There were over three hundred seaweed baths along the Irish coastline and it was a much sought after recreation for newlyweds and those seeking romantic revival. Voya Seaweed Baths in Co Sligo is still a world-renowned spa. Closer to home I was delighted to discover that Ishga (Gaelic for water) provide seaweed baths and treatments in Glasgow.

Serrated Wrack

Historically, healing powers have been attributed to the wrack seaweed family or Fucales. In particular to serrated wrack Fucus serratus.There is tradition of elderly ladies soaking weary joints in bowls of wrack and seawater and of younger folk using it to exfoliate dead skin. Serrated wrack is the preferred seaweed species of many spas. Seaweed is a natural antiseptic but some say that its iodine content aids relaxation. This is not without global tradition. In New Zealand The Māori use seaweed for cuts and wounds and in the UK, Sorbsan, an alginate dressing, is used to dress leg ulcers. Seaweed is also thought to help those with skin complaints.

Toothpaste, many shampoos and beauty lotions contain carrageen (which has various E numbers) for its stabilising properties, but seaweed is also a concentrated source of minerals and trace elements. Seaweed used in UK beauty products is often imported, which makes it refreshing to hear that Ishga and Seaweed Organics use British seaweed in their products. The history of Creme de la Mer made by Estee Lauder, lies in a laboratory accident. Dr Max Huber, a NASA aerospace physicist suffered chemical burns to his face whilst experimenting. No treatment was beneficial and then, after years of trials, Huber developed a 'broth' made from the brown seaweed kelp. Amazingly it healed his scars. After Huber's death in 1995, Estee Lauder bought his business, Crème de la Mer. The kelp range is said to hide blemishes and is even good for nappy rash. Crème de Mer is on the beauty list of many celebrities but I was keen to try some products, which used Scottish seaweed.

The purple packaging of Ishga reminds me of August heather on Beinn Mhor, my local Hebridean hill. It's chic.The Hebridean Marine toner soothed my sun-kissed skin after some rare Hebridean sun. Ishga products are packed with serrated wrack and ooze scented seaside memories. The rejuvenating marine cream certainly put me in mood for bed and ocean dreamland. Seaweed Organics also produce an excellent range of seaweed products.

Children who live by the sea bath can collect seaweed at low tide and enjoy an excited bath-time. Seaweed will naturally colour warm bathwater green or brown depending on the species gathered. Popping the air bubbles on bladder or knotted wrack is much more fun then popping bubble wrap. One word of advice, remove the seaweed before pulling the bath plug because seaweed clogs up drains, and a plumber's visit might be more expensive than a visit to the spa.

An Appetite for Arsenic

I was asked if I worried about my arsenic intake due to the amount of seaweed that I eat. It was one of those supermarket aisle conversations, nevertheless it stopped me in my tracks. What I should have cited was seaweed eating sheep. On North Ronaldsay, the most northern Island of the Orkney Archipelago, the sheep graze on seaweed for most months of the year.  During lambing the ewes feed on grass. They dine on brown seaweed, mostly the wracks and kelps, oar weed, forest kelp and furbellows - the Laminaria spp. At low tide the sheep can pick their own, otherwise they eat storm cast seaweed. Studies on the arsenic concentration in the tissue and wool of North Ronaldsay sheep is considerably higher than for non exposed sheep, but does not reach the maximum allowed arsenic levels in UK foodstuffs guidelines. In fact there are no reports of arsenic poisoning from seaweed.

On South Uist the sheep often wander down to the beach, and so, cooking rack of lamb with  a seaweed crust isn’t rocket science. Dulse works particularly well with the addition of the wild thyme or the invasive Rosa rugosa petal. This is a wonderful fusion of Hebridean and Middle Eastern flavours.
I am a great believer of cooking with wild plants that grow in close proximity to where the animals graze. Venison works well with blueberries, juniper berries, brambles, and wild thyme.  Rather along the lines of if 'it grows together, it goes together.' In the Western Isles, deer wander down to the beach and eat seaweed, so I often add sugar kelp to a venison casserole. As for leftover carrageen gel (ubiquitously used to make blancmange style, Irish moss pudding), I add it to thicken and give shine to stews and soups.

 Research at Hallam, Sheffield University suggests that seaweed added to wholemeal bread aids its shelf life. Alas my seaweed sourdough doesn’t hang around long enough to put this evidence based research to the test. My book on cooking with seaweed will be published as a part of Prospect Books' The English Kitchen series, which in the year of a Scottish independence referendum is pointed. Meanwhile Scotland boasts a resurgence in its kelp industry,  and in Wales, The Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company was awarded a BBC and Farming award. Seaweed has a West Countryhistory and revival too, and in the Channel Isles vraic is back on the menu. Seaweed is freely available through out the British Isles - When the tide is out the table is laid.

Citizen Seaweed

Citizen Scientist Seaweed 

I was sad to have to miss the seaweed events at The Botanics this weekend but delighted to see that The Forager's Kitchen was mentioned in today's Scotsman. However my seaweed luck was in locally, when I spied a poster for an open invitation to the Blackland Project at a Grimsay Croft.
 My non scientific understanding of the Blackford Project is that it is a partnership between Uist Crofters and the University of Edinburgh, to determine whether there is any benefit in the inclusion of seaweed as a fertiliser in the old ridges (lazy beds). The project is specific to the East Uist coast using Achophlum nodosum (Bladder wrack) contrasting deliberately with the kelps used on the West Coast (The Machair).
I learnt that both East and West coast seaweeds are deemed to be low in phosphates and nitrogen but high in sulphur. Somebody has already asked me why I eat seaweed, when it is purported to be full of arsenic, so I suppose a good dose of sulphur cyanide style, on the garden is par for the course.  Seasonal nutrient variation  has not as yet been analysed. Storm wrecked beach bounty would appear to determine when seaweed was collected. The Blackford  Project has compared lengthening the time that seaweed is left to rot  (four months), which is considerably longer than the traditional four-six weeks of the historic Crofter.
My interest is in the 'taste' of seaweed and its seasonal variation but I appreciated the time to chat with kindred spirits. I'm not sure any of us could really give clear didactic advice, there would appear to be much to learn...
I enjoyed chatting to Raghnall MacIain  who employs local folk to hand cut Achophlum nodosum (bladder wrack). He dries it in Sollas (North Uist) over wood-chips at a very low temperature which preserves the seaweed without temperature degeneration. A note for the cook here is that long and slow drying is best - seaweed is a slow food.
I'd spied crofters cutting the 'stipe' (stem) from storm damaged kelp and somebody had mumbled something about its export to Brittany. I've since read that the French have a seaweed festival 'Fete du Goemon', which reenacts the traditional ways of Breton seaweed harvesting ...I  can't help wondering if that beach has a nickname to compare with Benbecula's 'Stinky Beach'.
Enough of this rot chat.
My aim is to encourage folk to cook with fresh or dried seaweed - and I endeavour to harvest it, when it is nutrient packed because the seasons make a difference.

Here are some photographs from the most informative day which took place at the most delightful Mary Norton's croft.

Rather an amazing array of posters in a Grimsay Barn

The artistically inclined can not fail to be drawn to Seaweed 

Lunch was local and delicious - hot smoked salmon sandwiches. In true Outer Hebridean food style I picked up Hebridean sea salt and yet more of those award winning seaweed biscuits from Stag Bakeries en route back down to South Uist; where a green and red seaweed birthday cake awaited my long suffering, seaweed guinea pig and favourite South Uist Dr....  even a Seaweed Birthday Cake needs the odd smartie.

The South Uist Postie Bringeth Seaweed

Cooking with seaweed if you don't live by the sea and yes, it is yummy in cake. 

The Postie on South Uist arrives mid afternoon, today he delivered the first dried seaweed packages for recipe testing. They came from Bod Ayre and Sea Veg.
The  Victoria Sponge isn't a completely random addition, it contains home dried South Uist sea lettuce. If you like this idea, check out the recipe for sea lettuce madeleines in my book .
The book by Annie Dillard arrived in the post too. It is a complete mystery to me and I would love to know, to whom I need to send a thank note...  a shack on the dunes sounds most appealing. I hope that the heroine cooks lots of seaweed, I'll let you know.

I am happy to review all seaweed products. I will give my honest opinion and will not accept any payment for said review. If products are given free of charge, I will note this in any blog. If you would like me to consider a seaweed product, please email hebrideanforager (at) gmail.com
My aim is not to compare and contrast products, each product / producer will be blogged independently. I hope that this blog will make people aware of the versatility of Marine algae and become a useful resource for those interested in seaweed.

I cook with seaweed on a daily basis: it adds flavour (umami), can set and/or thicken, is easy to use and most importantly, is simply delicious, and this is all before the nutritional properties of seaweed are even mentioned.