Seaweed Made Easy - Here's My Secret

I have a secret. (or had one)

If you checked out my last post about seaweed, how delicious and therapeutic is, you have a glimpse into my love affair with it.  I am back after a weekend adventure to Lopez Island in the San Juans of Washington State where I harvested fresh bullwhip kelp (a brown seaweed variety native to the eastern Pacific Northwest waters).  There’s quite the kelp jungle strung up outside my window on my patio as I write this.  

My patio: drying bullwhip kelp blades 

I do realize there is a bit of involvement required to harvest ones own supply of sea vegetation; to plan a trip to an island, research safe places to harvest; camp and kayak your way through cold waters, out to ancient kelp beds with a pocket knife in hand and heavy duty bags stuffed between your legs in the intimate space of a kayak. 

That's me - with bullwhip kelp in hand. The long tube is the stipe and the bulb
at the end connects all the kelp blades.  Beautiful, right?

If you have the opportunity, do it, at least once.  There is quite a difference between store-bought, commercially-harvested seaweed compared to gentle, hand-harvested seaweed.  It's also quite a treat to transport this wet, heavy mass of kelp goodness homeward; string up ropes, wires and the like and spend a couple hours gently unfolding each and every piece to hang it up to dry in the sun.  You also have to love seaweed enough that when you hang it to dry, you don’t mind the occasional splat of salty-sea smelling, mildly slimy liquid slapping you in the face (kind of reminds me of the "spritz bath" I get from my friend's lovingly, snorty Boston Terriors). 

Harvesting and drying seaweed takes a bit of time, but is well worth every moment.  I love to connect with my food.  And truly there is this sweetly sublime moment when you are holding onto the stipe of the bullwhip kelp as it is still connected to the sea floor.  There is this moment when you are very aware of how magnificent it is to be sitting so close to the water atop a strong and mighty fortress of kelp.  

Close up of bullwhip kelp.
Fun fact: Kelp can grow up to 100 feet long and the blades up to 12 feet!  

If you don't have the opportunity to harvest it fresh,  I suggest finding a friend who knows how to properly harvest it and is willing to share; buy from a wild forager who lives on the islands or buy from quality companies (like Eden Foods) in your natural foods market.  You want to know it's fresh, healthy, has been sustainably harvested and safely harvested from clean, moving waters.

Now for the secret. 

Adding seaweed to your dishes definitely amps up the flavor and nutritional profile.  And while there are some very adventurous and cultured palettes out there that will eat chunks of seaweed gladly, for the majority of the population, this might be a bit of a stretch. 

I would be doing you no favors if I raved about how much of a treasure seaweed is without offering a gentle and easy way to incorporate it into your diet and to use it with ease.  It’s not a super revolutionary idea.  But it is a simple, practical tip and in my book, that equals awesome.

Here’s my tip: Ground the dried pieces in a spice grinder until it’s a fine powder.  Pour your ground kelp into a spice shaker and place it next to your salt and other cooking spices.  You can sprinkle it on almost any dish you prepare and do so as liberally or conservatively as you like.  You can use it as a salt substitute and reduce your sodium intake as well.  

Dried kelp to the left; ground kelp to the right

Some days, I'm feeling spunky and break out the arame, hijiki and wakame and boldly deck out my dishes with sea vegetables, but in the day-to-day in the Nester home, this is how I roll.  Eggs over easy, quinoa, oatmeal, stir-fries, pizzas, you name it; they all get a sprinkling of ground kelp.  This is a wonderfully accessible way to incorporate this nutrient-rich super food consistently and add it in to dishes in such a way that is kid friendly, too.  

If you are feeling a little cheeky, you can add it to vegetable frittatas that you serve your in-laws and not tell them until afterwards.  I also am not shy with adding it to a batch of brownies or cookie dough.  Most people never know it’s in there.  Come on, cookies AND minerals… heck yeah.

Photo By Dale Nester: Bullwhip kelp on San Juan Island

Go harvest or buy some kelp.  Ground it up.  And go seaweed crazy. It’s far too easy to incorporate this mineral-rich, tasty and extraordinary food into your diet than you may have ever thought. 

***Note: If you have a hyperactive thyroid or are concerned about iodine content in seaweed, talk with your physician before consuming seaweed on a regular basis. 

Vanilla Chamomile Kudzu Pudding

Ok, admittedly, this recipe seems more like a winter treat.  It’s supposedly July in Seattle, but not really. I mean what the heck is up with summer?  It came late, sort of said hello for a day or two, went away and came back for a second --- all of which is debatable and is subject to change depending on who you talk to.

Anyway, who knows what’s up.  What I do know is, if the season can’t make up its mind, then a bit of a warming dessert in mid July isn’t totally off the mark.   All in all, this pudding is comforting and after a long day, it totally hits the spot. 

So, I have a thing for infusing teas into desserts.  I especially have a thing for chamomile.  By that I mean, I am unendingly impressed with both its flavor and medicinal profiles.  Therapeutically, it:   

·         soothes and comforts

·         relieves insomnia and eases tension in the body

·         calms frazzled nerves and melts away the stress and anxieties of the day

·         strengthens the immune system

·         supports digestive health (including nausea or upset stomach)

·         can be used topically for sunburn

Speaking of which, I got awfully scorched (understatement) by the sun a couple weeks ago while in Montana.  I sort of took a little nap on a lounge chair on the back deck.  To my defense, that bright, glowing thing in the sky had been foreign to me for so long that I kind of forgot that I could get so badly burned by it.  Chamomile is one herb I like to keep in my first aid kit for such times as these because of its super anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. 

And, chamomile tastes just lovely.  Actually, it’s said to be reminiscent of apples.  I found this out last summer while moseying through the culinary herb beds at my local farm.  A very sprightly 10-year-old boy standing next to me gleefully plucked off a fresh chamomile flower and popped it into his mouth.  He turned to me and commanded, “Here, try one.  They taste just like apple pie!”  I’m thinking, who is this confident kid that goes around eating plants persuading strangers to do the same all while making claims that they taste like all-American desserts?  I accepted his offer… mostly because I had a feeling I would have felt terribly uncool if I didn’t.  I closed my eyes and waited for the aroma or something apple, anything apple. I wanted him to be right.  He was!  It did indeed have a unique, sweet flavor that sang a little like a warm apple. 

You get the idea. Chamomile is special --- a must-have herb in the home medicine cabinet and the home pantry.

Cinnamon sticks, dried chamomile flower and vanilla bean

This recipe is soft and mellow, though overflows with the flavors of vanilla, chamomile and cinnamon, all of which are kings in their own right when it comes to the essential oils they bear.  However, the real medicinal superstar of this dish is the kudzu root, pronounced kud– zoo.  Similar to chamomile, kudzu is also extraordinarily therapeutic.  It too relaxes tense muscles and supports digestive health. 

Kudzo root

It’s a highly respected root of a noxious weed and has been appreciated for hundreds of years, most notably in Traditional Chinese Medicine.  It’s also good for hangovers, headaches and is said to help alcoholics with withdrawal.  

In this recipe its other functional role is that of a thickening agent and makes this pudding, well pudding-y.  Look for this chalky root in your natural food markets. You can use it in place of corn starch and arrowroot to thicken sauces, pie filling and soups too. 

Be sure to get the cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean from the bulk spice section of the store.  There is no comparison to fresh, whole spices.  


Actually, when I first made this recipe, I put the whole cinnamon stick in the milk and let it infuse for a little while.  (The recipe below doesn’t include this step and has been shortened to save time.)  I didn’t want to just throw it away when I was done with the dish, so I chewed on the deliciously spicy, milk-soaked cinnamon stick for a little while to savor it just a little longer --- much like a country boy from Virginia would do with a toothpick after a good solid meal from Cracker Barrel.  (Anyone from VA reading this?… you know what I mean!)  Of course, I haven’t perfected the skill of vertically flipping the cinnamon stick with my tongue.  Yet.

Treat yourself and some loved ones to this Vanilla Chamomile Kudzu Pudding as a calming and comforting evening dessert to help unwind from the day and settle in for the night. You can serve it chilled, but I particularly enjoyed it warm.  It’s a pretty simple recipe though make sure you fully dissolve the kudzu first in the cooled tea and whisk constantly once you add the slurry to the warm milk in order to prevent the kudzu from clumping.

Vanilla Chamomile Kudzu Pudding

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Calming and comforting, this pudding is a sweet and lovely evening dessert.  Kudzu root is a fantastic thickening agent, but better yet, it has an extraordinary range of medicinal benefits from acute pain relief to a soothing digestive aid.  Serve warm or chilled, but definitely don’t leave out the freshly ground cinnamon!

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Preparation time: 25 minutes

Makes 4 6-ounce servings or 6 4-ounce servings

2 tablespoons dried chamomile flowers

1½ cups boiling water

3 cups whole milk

3-4 tablespoons sucanat, ground

½ vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise

Pinch of sea salt

1 cinnamon stick, ground

3 heaping tablespoons kudzu root

Make a strong tea by steeping the chamomile in the hot water for 10 minutes.  Cover tea with a small plate so the essential oils do not escape.  Strain out the chamomile flowers and set the tea aside to cool. 

Pour milk into a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a gentle simmer.  Add sugar and whisk to dissolve.  Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the pot.  Toss in the vanilla bean shell, the salt and half of the freshly ground cinnamon.  Continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes to infuse the flavors.

Meanwhile, crush the kudzu root using a mortar and pestle or with the back of a spoon.  Combine about 1/3 cup of the cooled chamomile tea with the kudzu root and whisk with a fork to dissolve and create a slurry.  Fish out the vanilla bean from the warm milk.  Add the kudzu slurry and whisk continually for about 5-10 minutes while still cooking over gentle heat.  Do not stop whisking or the kudzu will gel and clump.  Pudding will begin to thicken and will continue to do so as it sits.   Pour warm pudding into 4 6-ounces ramekins (or 6 4-ounce ramekins).  Garnish the tops with the remaining ground cinnamon.  

Copyright 2011, S. Nester, Original recipe

Give your liver some love – with homemade root beer!

This one is for all the root beer lovers out there.

And besides, how often do you hear about beer as a liver tonic? 

When you combine aromatic sassafras root with the creamy vanilla sarsaparilla root, you not only get that familiar taste of root beer but you also benefit from the medicinal perks that come along with these earthy treasures.  Reduce that decocted tea with some sugar into a syrup and combine with your favorite sparkling natural mineral water, and bam: you have homemade root beer!  Pretty simple, right?

My friend Brian inspired this recipe.  He made a really delicious brew with devil’s club that he served at Bastyr’s Herb and Food Fair this past June.  This guy has a gift with herbal preparations and when he gets his hands on herbs, magical things happen.  His unique devil’s club recipe is below.  You may want to scale it down, but can generally follow the same steps as my recipe at the end of this post. 

I swoon over homemade root beer.  I’m not going to lie. The taste is nostalgic for me, especially if you combine it with vanilla bean ice cream, which is why I made my own root beer a little heavy in the sarsaparilla and added the fresh vanilla bean pod.  But, don’t let that stop you from adding a scoop (or three) of ice cream for a float. 

I am even more charmed by root beer knowing that this is a drink that has been made for centuries, for both flavor and its therapeutic power.  I certainly hope that when I have kids, they know the rich and perfect taste of these sweet roots before they know what the heck “A&W” is. 

Sassafras

Vanilla Bean

This is a “small beer” recipe with no alcohol content or caffeine; however, you can absolutely ferment this to make a batch of a "strong beer" with alcohol if you’d like.  Sassafras root is the key ingredient that attributes to that familiar root beer flavor.  Other than that, you really can tweak and play with the other ingredients to your heart’s content.  Other common ingredients include: birch bark, allspice, ginger, hops, dandelion root, juniper and wintergreen.  

Sadly, most root beer today has severely deviated from its true roots.  Yes, pun totally intended.  So just for kicks, here are the ingredients in A&W root beer you can buy off the shelf today: Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sugar, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preservative), natural and artificial flavors.

No doubt it definitely takes more time to make root beer than to purchase it from the store, but you have to try it at least once and appreciate that these original flavors grow right outside in the woods around us.  


Sassafras in particular is a species of laurel that is native to North America and commonly grows in Virginia. You can bet I’ll have some of those trees in my yard.  And I’ll likely be the estranged neighbor that the town folks talk about… the one who makes beverages and such from the tree bark in her front yard.  “That smiley lady is sniffing the tree bark again…”  


My long time friends will likely shrug their shoulders and just love me anyway.  My in-laws already think I’m pretty weird.  Though if all else fails, I at least know some of my buddies in Seattle will come visit me and share a toast together on my front porch. 

Homemade root beer.  I forgot to strain out the vanilla 
bean in this batch, but the little bits on the brim of 
my glass ended up being my favorite part.

Where does the liver-loving come in?  Right here.

Sarsaparilla (Smilax spp.) not only offers this vanilla cream flavor but has a high mineral content along with antibiotic and anti-inflammatory actions.  The saponins in the bark also have a detoxifying function and help to cleanse the body of toxins. 

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) provides the traditional root beer flavor which you can quickly identify the moment you take a breath of the dried bark.  This plant is a nutritive and restorative one that loves all your organs, but has a special affinity for the liver. It cleanses the blood, flushes toxins from the system and is used medicinally for clearing skin conditions as well as arthritic and rheumatic conditions. 

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is added for its liver protective and potent fighting effects.   

Anise seeds (Pimpinella anisum) deliver a sweet, fennely flavor and the essential oils act to support digestion, relieving gas and bloating (a carminative).

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra).  While not in large proportions, licorice no less contributes a subtle, natural sweetness to the mix; it also adds its soothing, anti-inflammatory qualities along with gentle support to the adrenal glands. 

Lemon peel.  I just like it in my root beer for a quiet lift in the backdrop. 

Here’s a quick list of ingredients for Brian’s Herbal Root Beer.

2 ½ cups sassafras 
1 cup devil's club
1/2 cup milk thistle seed
¼ cup anise seed
32 cups of water
6 pounds of sugar

Seltzer water

And here’s my homemade brew. 

Homemade Root Beer

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My friend Brian is a master herbalist and makes a fantastic root beer with devil’s club.  His home brew inspired me to remake my favorite soda with my own spin on it; a vanilla cream flare that reminds me of root beer floats.  This is a fairly simple decoction of dried herbs, seeds, roots and sugar that can be made on the stove top.  Combine this strong syrup with sparkling natural mineral water and it serves as a familiar treat as well as a liver tonic.  Enjoy!

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Preparation time: 15 minutes plus 2 hours to decoct the herbs

Yields 3 cups of syrup / ~16 8 ounce servings of root beer

8 cups filtered water

1 cup sassafras bark

½ cup sarsaparilla bark

2 tablespoons milk thistle seed

1 tablespoon licorice root

1 tablespoon anise seeds

1 tablespoon dried lemon peel

1 vanilla bean pod, sliced open lengthwise

3 1/2 cups organic unbleached sugar or sucanat (or a combination of the two)

Sparkling natural mineral water such as Gerolsteiner or San Pellegrino

Combine all ingredients except sugar and mineral water into a large pot.  Simmer over medium heat for 2 hours.  Strain the decoction reserving the liquid and composting the used herbs.  Pour the liquid back into the pot and bring it to a boil.  Add the sugar and continue to cook liquid over medium heat to reduce into a strongly concentrated syrup, about 3 cups.  Remove from stove and cool. 

Add 2-3 tablespoons of syrup to a glass with ice along with 8 ounces of sparkling natural mineral water and serve immediately.  If not serving all at once, syrup should be stored in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 1 week and prepared right before planning to drink.  


***Sugar can be adjusted to taste.  

Copyright 2011, S. Nester, Original recipe 

Cheers to a healthy liver while sipping on homemade beer!

Wildly Wonderful: Nettle Tea

Stinging Nettle, surrounded by 
Horsetail (photo via)

It's quite amazing to be able to walk outside your door and harvest food from a garden you planted and helped nurture to life, but it's a whole new level of amazing to walk in the woods and harvest food that grows in the wild.  It’s both mystical and most splendid.  I pause for a moment and close my eyes to wonder about those who have harvested here even hundreds of years before me.  There is history here and these plants know it. 

There is an even specialer (that's right) energetic quality about harvesting plants like this.  They are resilient; they thrive on their own and they fiercely endure the elements and the attempts of predators; they grow in harmony with the seasons.  These survivors have a naturally potent life force and are without question, nutritionally superior.

The Stinging Nettle, Urtica dioica, is armed with hairy-looking prickles that carry formic acid, oxalic acid and histamine, to name a few.  This is a built-in chemical defense mechanism that causes a bit of burning if stung.  Anyone who has harvested them knows this oh so well!

Dried nettle leaf

When I harvest, I go armed with my garden gloves, grocery bags and scissors.  I always assess the area and make sure I am harvesting sustainably, that I am not taking more than I need and so that it looks as if I was never there.  Be sure to only harvest plants you can identify and only healthy, vibrant ones. 

I am so captivated by seeing my food grow in the wild.  It’s worthy of taking a moment to extend my gratitude.  People do this in many ways.  Some take a moment of silence before they harvest and simply whisper, “thank you.”  A former teacher of mine said she liked to sing to the plants while she harvested.  Lord knows if I did that, they would likely uproot themselves and run or bend over and cry.  No one has really ever heard me sing (not seriously at least) and for good reason.  I like having friends.  All that to say, do what you think would honor the plant the most.  I like to give thanks for its beauty, its nourishment, its strength and its life force.  I take a moment to see it.  I smile. 

Maybe years ago I would have thought this was crazy business, but after tucking seeds in the ground with my bare hands and after watching those very seeds spring to life, there is clearly far more going on with the food I eat than I have given credit to before.  After picking fresh, wild flowers from a field or helping to butcher ducks at Quillisascut Farm, I have experienced a spectrum of life that has caused me to arrive at the conclusion that I should be both thankful and responsible for knowing where this food came from.  Too many people know what food looks like neatly packaged on the grocery store shelf, and too few know what their foods look like fully alive and thriving.  We should know.  Without which, we must be so disconnected to the very land beneath out feet.   

Gratitude is due.  This food sustains us and we must never forget that.

9 lbs of dried nettles at Herb Pharm's Farm - I'd say hugs are in order

Nettles is hands down, one of my favorite wild edibles.  They grow abundantly here in WA, so it wasn’t until about 2 years ago that I had the opportunity to fall so in love.  The sun surprised us and popped out one day a few weeks ago while at school so a couple of my classmates and I went foraging on our break.  It is preferable to use fresh nettles, but they also dry so nicely in a paper bag in the trunk of my car.  That’s the lazy way to dry your nettles, but it works, so I’m game.  The "appropriate" way to dry nettle leaves is to spread them out on drying racks indoors with circulating air.

The paper bag-trunk drying method

By consuming nettles, they offer their energetic quality of strength to our bodies that I mentioned earlier; also, nettles is:

• a diuretic – in short, it moves stuff out, causing urination and cleansing of the kidneys, a fabulous detoxifier
• anti-allergenic - it may be used for asthma and other allergic conditions
• used in treating enlarged prostate
• impressive with a nutrient profile rich in calcium, protein, iron, magnesium and potassium
• highly beneficial (because of all the minerals) and often safe during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy and for nursing mothers, but of course, talk with your health care professional first

Here's what I'm talking about...we know how good kale and spinach is for us, right?  Although, they are all phytochemical-rich leafy greens, they pale in comparison to nettles.

Plant Nutrients	RDA	SPINACH	KALE	NETTLES
CALCIUM	800	102	206	2900
MAGNESIUM	300	96.8	37.4	860
IRON	18	2.96	1.8	41.8
POTASSIUM	1875-5225	518	244	1750
VITAMIN A (IU)	4,000IU	8,920IU	9,130IU	15,700IU
VITAMIN C	60	56	102	83
THIAMINE	1	0.116	0.11	0.54
RIBOFLAVIN	1.2	0.22	0.2	0.43
NIACIN	13	0.6	1.8	5.2
ZINC	15	0.618	0.78	4.7
MANGANESE	2.5-5.0	96.8	37.4	860
SODIUM	1100-3300	98	47	4.9
PROTEIN	3.60%	5%	10.20%	16.50%

*Numbers indicate milligrams per 100 grams, about 1 cup fresh or 3 1/2 ounces dried.

*Data based on USDA research “The Composition of Foods” in “Nutritional Herbology”

Here’s another reason why nettles ranks high on my list. It’s not only a tasty source of food and has fabulous medicinal properties, but its fibrous stems have been used for hundreds of years for making cords and nets.  This totally appeals to my pragmatic side.

Photo via

Ok, now for the delicious part.

With freshly harvested nettles, you can pretty much cook them in the same way you would use spinach in recipes. They are fantastic in soufflés, sautéed in pasta dishes, blanched and blended into smoothies as well as for pesto-making.  

When you harvest them fresh, you can either cook them up right away or let them dry (both of which will take the sting out). The dried leaves store best in an air tight jar in a cool, dark place.

For now, I wanted to post the most simple way to incorporate nettles into your home kitchen and medicine cabinet.  Since dried nettle leaf tends to be the most accessible to folks, let's make an infusion!  My husband (who was not exactly thrilled about the idea of drinking wild-foraged greens), loves nettles cold infusions sweetened with Florida crystals and iced up just like a good old southern iced tea.  My friend DeAnn loves to add fresh lemon juice to hers to make a Nettle Lemonade.  The recipe below is the bare bones and a canvas for you to sweeten, flavor and ice up how ever you desire. 

Have you tried nettles before, fresh or dried?  What's your favorite way to enjoy them? 

Nettles Cold Infusion
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 A powerhouse of medicinal and nutritional goodness, nettles are far superior to other leafy greens and are incredibly rich sources of protein, calcium and magnesium.  This simple cold infusion can be pepped up by adding a little peppermint tea, oat pods or your favorite citrus zest.  I find that using a French press is a convenient way to press out the nettles.

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Preparation time: 2 minutes, plus 6 hours hands-off infusion time

Yields: 1 liter

¾ - 1 cup dried nettle leaf

1 liter filtered, cold water

In a liter size glass jar or larger, combine nettles and water.  Stir, place a lid on it and let it rest on the counter for 6-8 hours.  Filter the nettle leaf out and compost.  You can sweeten to taste with honey, stevia, unrefined sugar or enjoy it by itself.

Copyright 2011, S. Nester, Original recipe