Alaska's Wild Plants, Revised Edition. Janice J. Schofield
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friendly, with only one known “toxic” kelp in Alaskan waters. A nibble of the inedible hairy unappetising Desmarestia won’t harm you, and the flavor of this “acid kelp” will discourage you from eating more.
The remaining beach plants are arranged in alphabetical order by common name.
BULL KELP
Nereocystis luetkeana Laminariaceae (family) Brown algae (division Phaeophyta)
The kelp beds common along southern Alaska coasts are a hazard for boaters, who can foul their props in the tangles. But they are a favorite place for sea otters to park pups while mom fishes. Kelp blades grow to 10 feet long, and stipes (stems) can reach 100 to 175 feet in length in a single year. A branch-like holdfast attaches bull kelp to the seafloor. At the surface, an inflated bulb floats long, narrow blades.
DERIVATION OF NAME: The genus name is from the Greek nereo, “sea nymph,” and cystis, “bladder;” luetkeana honors a Russian sea captain.
OTHER NAMES: bullwhip kelp, meq’aq, gahnguq (Yup’ik), sú (Tlingit), tutl’ila (Dena’ina, “water rope”).
RANGE: Southeast Alaska to Kodiak and the Kenai Peninsula to the Aleutian Islands.
HARVESTING DIRECTIONS: Bull kelp is prime from April to June. Use a boat and hook to collect plants attached to the ocean floor. Just 1 or 2 can feed a family. If boatless, visit the beach at an ultra-minus tide, with waders, to retrieve one. Or check for freshly uprooted kelp. Avoid older beach drift (unless collecting just for garden mulch).
FOOD USE: Every part of kelp except the holdfast has edible applications. Munch on the blades raw for a “salty cabbage” snack. Wrap a salmon in the fresh kelp blades and cook on the campfire; serve the kelp as a vegetable. Blanch blades (as described in ribbon kelp) and use similarly as salad. Dry bull kelp blades and grind as a table seasoning. Or massage raw blades with olive oil, garlic, nutritional yeast, and spices and then dehydrate for “chips.” I prefer to peel the stipe, then slice and use the raw rings atop pizza. Try marinating kelp rings in honey or syrup and then dehydrating; tasters guessed I was feeding them dry pineapple. Use stem, peeled or unpeeled, as you prefer, slice into rings, and pickle with your favorite recipe. My dear friend Marsha Million “French cut” kelp stems like string beans and canned for winter use. Stuff the kelp bulb with meat or vegetarian stuffing and bake.
HEALTH USE: The blades of bull kelp have a protein content twice that of the bulb and stipe, and appreciable quantities of calcium, potassium, and iron. Small amounts of seaweed daily are far better than large amounts occasionally. Herbalist Ryan Drum points out that in some individuals it may take a person “up to 4 months to produce dedicated enzymes to thoroughly digest dietary seaweeds.” Drum emphasizes the importance of sufficient dietary iodine, the link between low iodine and hypothyroidism and goiter and how “eating 3-5 grams of most dried, unrinsed seaweeds will provide the RDA of 100–150 micrograms.”
OTHER: Campers can soak sore feet in a kelp footbath. Entertain the whole family with a kelp horn—remove the end of the bulb and leave a 2-foot-long handle to blow into. Use kelp as a candle mold; fill kelp bulbs with a candlewick and hot wax; when the wax is set, discard the kelp.
CAUTION : If you experience hyperthyroidism, consult your doctor or clinical herbalist before use.
RIBBON KELP
Alaria species Alariaceae (family) Brown algae (division Phaeophyta)
I’m often asked which plant is my favorite, and the answer varies with place and season. Put me on an Alaskan beach in spring, and I’ll quickly be munching on my “favorite,” ribbon kelp. It’s easy to recognize with its smooth, olive-green to brown blade, 3 to 9 feet long, and its distinctive flattened midrib. At the base, between the holdfast and the main blade, are 2 opposite rows of smaller, wing-like blades.
DERIVATION OF NAME: Alaria is Latin for winged.
OTHER NAMES: winged kelp, wakame.
RANGE: Southeast Alaska to the Bering Sea.
HARVESTING DIRECTIONS: Ribbon kelp is prime from April to June. Clip ribbon kelp above the sporophylls (i.e. wing-like lower blades) to allow the algae to regenerate. The smaller first-year fronds are most tender and tasty. Discard any tattered edges of the main blade. Pick clean of shells. To dry for year-round use, hang across lines or poles. Separate the fronds well for good air ventilation. When fully dry, store in jars in a cool dark place.
FOOD USE: Nibble ribbon kelp fresh. The central midrib has a delightful crunchy texture and mild flavor and can be used as a water chestnut substitute. I love dried ribbon kelp toasted in a skillet with olive oil, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds, and seasonings as a salad topping. Add fresh or dried ribbon kelp to miso soups. My favorite beach salad is blanched ribbon kelp, sliced and sautéed in sesame oil with garlic, carrots, and ginger. The brown seaweed turns a brilliant kelly green when blanched! Add a teaspoon of the powdered dry alga to breads and baked goods to increase nutritional value. Note: the sporophylls are considered a delicacy raw or cooked; harvest selectively to ensure ongoing supply.
HEALTH USE: Ribbon kelp is an ideal snack food—low in calories, high in flavor and nutrients, especially protein, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and B vitamins. Ribbon kelp contains alginic acid, which binds radioactive strontium in the intestines and aids its excretion from the body. As a tonic tea (or food), it strengthens body systems, including reproductive organs and skin. Clinical studies by Japanese researchers Okai and others indicate that the epidemiologic evidence for seaweed as a chemopreventive food is very compelling. Although daily seaweed consumption is not uniform, even in Japan, people in Okinawa consume more seaweed and have the lowest cancer incidence, mortality, and longest life spans. American researcher Jane Teas notes that a vast number of seaweed studies on animals have been done, all of which confirm the nontoxic effects of seaweed on normal cells and in healthy animals, and cytotoxic effects against cancer cells and tumors.
OTHER: For a home spa treatment, take a ribbon kelp bath. For a facial, blend white cosmetic-grade clay with powdered ribbon kelp and a bit of honey. Ribbon kelp is available for free from Alaskan beaches and can also be bought in natural-food stores as Alaria or wakame. Note that wakame is also a common name for Undaria pinnatifida, a seaweed considered globally invasive.
DULSE
Palmaria species (formerly Rhodymenia) Palmariaceae (family) Red algae (division Rhodophyta)
If you’re sampling sea vegetables for the first time, try dulse. Dulse “potato chips” (directions in Food Use) are popular with kids and adults because of their salty taste and crunchy texture. Look for purple-red blades, 4 to 12 inches in length. Alaska has 3 dulse species: Palmaria hecatensis (formerly Palmaria palmata) whose use has been recorded in Iceland since the year 960, P. mollis (also formerly P. palmata), and the stiffer, narrower, frilly P. callophylloides. All are safe.
DERIVATION OF NAME: Palmaria is from the Latin for “palm of the hand,” referring to the shape of the algae blades.
OTHER NAMES: red ribbon, red kale, dillisk, Nepture’s girdle, waterleaf.
RANGE: Southeast Alaska to Kodiak, and the Gulf of Alaska to the Aleutian Islands.
HARVESTING DIRECTIONS: Clip fronds above the