Seaweed

Seaweed Safari
There will be two practical workshops of gathering edible seaweed, presented by Annette O'Leary, during the 2011 Féile Bia na Mara.

Saturday 16th July, 12 noon, Purteen Harbour, Keel

Sunday 17th July, 1pm, Purteen Harbour, Keel

View image gallery from seaweed gathering workshop at the 2010 Féile Bia na Mara

View image gallery from seaweed gathering workshop at the 2009 Féile Bia na Mara

Cooking with Edible Seaweed
A cookery demonstration by master chef Michael (Boley) McNamara, including cooking with edible seaweed, takes place on Sunday 17th July 2011, 4pm - 6pm, Gielty's Clew Bay, Dooagh.

Annette O'Leary on YouTube: Sea Vegetable Harvesting

The following video featuring Annette O'Leary was filmed close to Purteen Harbour, Achill Island:

The following article was first published in the 2010 Achill Magazine, produced by Achill Tourism:

Achill's Shore, "Our Hidden Garden"

Annette O'Leary, a native of Achill, shares her secrets and explains how to turn a beach walk into a culinary delight. The Achill shoreline offers miles of rockpools and a rich source of all types of seaweed and shellfish.

Annette O'Leary demonstrates seaweed harvesting during the 2009 Féile Bia na Mara, Achill Island

For a successful harvest, take a sharp knife for cutting, a plastic bag for carrying and only take what you need save the rest for another day.

Foraging is fun but you must remember the key rules:

Always harvest sea veg that is growing - never if it is washed up.

If you harvest from the rocks, leave the holdfast on the rocks and it will regrow.

Firstly, respect the environment and always be suitably attired, conditions can change quickly and you should never turn your back on the sea.

The sea vegetable duileasc shown in its habitat in a rockpool, Achill Island

Sea vegetables can be used in many recipes and are all rich in nutrients and vitamins:

Duileasc (pronounced Jill-usk) - high in protein, calcium, iodine and iron
Sleabhcán (aka laver bread or Nori) - high in protein
Carrageen - high in magnesium and vitamins. It has a large range of medical applications, some date from the 1830’s. It is still used to combat colds, bronchitis, and cronic coughs. It is great for dislodging mucus and has anti-viral properties.
Channeled Wrack - high in selenium and vitamin C.
Bladder Wrack - low in iodine

All the above are edible and very good for you.

Rockpool with serrated wrack, sea lettuce and carrageen (all types of seaweed)

Another member of the wrack family is serrated wrack, which is used only for cosmetic use as a bathgel. When you have collected your serrated wrack, check for shells and remove, place in a bucket or basin and pour a kettle of boiling water on it. Watch as the wrack changes colour to green, leave to soak for a while to release the gel. When you have run your bath, empty the gel into the bath and enjoy a long soak. (If you don’t fancy all the bits around you in the bath place it into a net wash bag, that way you’ll still get all the benefit of the seaweed).