Coastal foraging

[Small pumpkin]

Anyone do any coastal foraging?
I do a bit occasionally, shellfish mostly. I'd like to expand my foraging to plants and seaweeds. I think I'm missing out on natures bounty on my door step.
I know there's lots of rules and seasonal timings to be taken into account, a lot of these are also regional.
Just wandering if anyone can advise or recommend any books.

[burnie]

Food for Free by Richard Maybey is my bible, not that I do a lot of seaweed eating, too many rivers with agricultural run off for my liking. There is a lady in Auchmithie who was on the telly(can't remember which program) who is a bit of a sea weed guru round here, we have eaten at her restaurant, but not lately.

[veggiechicken]

I've picked samphire from the estuary down west and dewberries in the sand dunes.

[veggiechicken]

This site looks good An Introduction to Seaweed Foraging – Galloway Wild Foods

[jackarmy]

Funnily enough i just watched Tom Kerridge use Japanese seaweed in a recipe, i was screaming at the tv, why ? , theres loads of seaweed here we can use, its just like " pan fry" lol, bs for primadonna chefs although i do like Tom

[Small pumpkin]

Thanks for the book recommendation burnie. That looks good (link has been sent to other half)
Thanks for the link VC. That's been bookmarked for a much more detailed study later.

[boatsman]

We would also pick tons of dewberries off the sand dunes until they were all built over. Never seen dewberries since. In South Wales seaweed is cooked? and sold as lavabread.

[Mr Bones]

We often used to go on a coastal foray SP, you should be able to find oysters up there, look for the shells broken in half by otters. Re weeds, samphire from the flats of the Lincolnshire coast, purslane from above the tide line and gut weed from rocky shores (made into tempura fritters, see photos).

Gutweed & winkles



With sweet & sour

[Small pumpkin]

That look really nice Mr Bones. Any chance of the recipe and how to.
Don't think we're going to find much samphire up here not many ( any that I know of ) flats up here.

Going for a little forage today. Will report back later.

[Mr Bones]

That look really nice Mr Bones. Any chance of the recipe and how to.
Don't think we're going to find much samphire up here not many ( any that I know of ) flats up here.

Going for a little forage today. Will report back later.

It was a while back so can't remember, basically gut weed can hold onto grit so needs a good wash then dipped it into a tempura mix (should be able to find a recipe online). Then knocked up a sweet & sour sauce (probably used ketchup, marmalade and wine vinegar).

[Small pumpkin]

Foraging day was a success. I think.

The location (end of our road less than half a mile away)



Breeze and skew helping in there very own special way



Me wrapped up very warm, harvesting



The harvest. Serrated wrack, bladder wrack, egg wrack, gut weed, winkels , cockles and limpets. (A few other seaweeds we didn't identify with 100% positivity)

[Small pumpkin]

Chicken fried rice with seaweed



I tried my first limpet ( Bob wouldn't try his ). I've had better tasting shellfish. A little chewy.


Cockles and winkles tomorrow night with something.

[veggiechicken]

Well foraged, SP. You're lucky having that "shop" at the end of the road. Felt envious until I saw the snow.
IMO limpets and whelks are too chewy for pleasure and winkles look like "snot". Cockles and mussels are OK.
The pups are enjoying themselves.

[Greenleaves]

Whelks are lovely VC....of course you get teeth help

[veggiechicken]

They're like eating lumps of gristle, chew, chew, chew , then put your teeth back in and give them a suck.