How to Start Foraging for Vegetables in the Sea

Food costs in the U.S. are rising at the fastest rate in two decades, creating incentives to find new and unconventional ways of sourcing meals. While summer may be peak gardening season, for foragers, the approach of fall—and with it, peak mushroom season—marks a time of plenty. Good wild eats, however, aren’t just limited to those near the forests. If you’re in a coastal state and heading to the beach for one last summer swim, there may still be time to indulge in one of the most underrated native foods in your area: sea vegetables. Looking to the ocean to beef up your grocery haul might not sound as enticing as finding a choice ramp or fungus in the woods, but sea veggies—as experts often refer to edible seaweeds—can be abundant, healthy, delicious, and, most importantly, far easier for beginner foragers to identify. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] A big advantage of wild sea vegetables is they require very little preparation, says John Kallas, owner and operator of the Wild Food Adventures outdoor school and an instructor at Portland State University. “One of the problems that Americans have with seaweeds is that their main exposure to them is dried,” he says, “But seaweeds are amazing fresh.” It doesn’t matter what else is on the menu; just rinse your saltwater bounty and toss it right in, Kallas says. And when in doubt, you might be surprised to find how many recipes for fresh seaweed ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Source Type: news