Looking for something to do this Saturday?
Why not get along to the very First Vegan and Eco – Living Fair at the beautiful Crispin Hal Street nr Glastonbury …
Times 10am – 4pm
Free Entry
For Vegan
The Vegan Curious
Lovers of Good Food and Sustainable Living and of course yummy nutritious seaweeds from Ebb Tides….
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Kale has been king of the superfoods for a while now. But, kale may be coming to the end of its term in royalty with the rise of the seaweed on trend. Following the popularity contest between vegetables and foodies is interesting and a useful way to spend time, it may be better to actually examine the nutrition and health facts associated with each superfood instead of just going with a popular vote.
Some people may claim to love kale now, but the super food wasn’t always a staple among health-conscious foodies. In fact, there was a time when people thought kale was just a bitter garnish that decorated bowls.
Recently, another overlooked food is being deemed the new kale. Meet kelp, a type of seaweed that’s popping up in the form of jerky and pickles. Seaweed is already popular in Asian cuisine, but kelp isn’t exactly common fare for most Americans. So why are we hearing about it now? Here’s what you should know.
There isn’t a single event that propelled the craze for seaweeds. Although it seems like people started talking about kelp just yesterday, enthusiasm for the seaweed has steadily grown over the past few years. In 2015, British Chef Jamie Oliver said eating kelp, and other low-calorie but nutritious foods, helped him shed nearly 30 pounds.
Kale’s nutrition facts, which are based on a serving size of one cup (about 67 grams), have 33 calories, 0.6 grams of fat, no cholesterol, 25 milligrams of sodium, 329 milligrams of potassium, 6 grams of carbohydrates, and 2.9 grams of protein. Kale’s vitamin percentages are 133% vitamin A, 10% calcium, 134% vitamin C, 5% iron, 10% vitamin B-6, 7% magnesium, and 0% vitamin D and B-12.
Unless you are an avid health freak you may not know exactly what all of those numbers mean. The appeal to both of these superfoods is their low calorie count. Both are very high in all of the nutrients that our bodies need in order to function properly. Seaweed is very high in iodine, something not seen in many other foods and important for maintaining a healthy thyroid. Kale has very high levels of vitamins that are important for our health, especially vitamins A, C, and K. A bowl of either of these two superfoods is an easy way to get all your daily nutrients without an excessive amount of calories. The nutrition facts for seaweed were based on a serving size double of that of kale’s with relatively similar numbers. Therefore in theory seaweed, at least from a nutritional standpoint, is twice the superfood that kale is.
Ok we now understand how good seaweeds are for us but how can we use seaweeds and where can we buy it from? Ebb Tides sustainably hand harvest seaweeds from some of the purist waters around the UK based in Devon England. Their products are simple to use for everyday use and can even be used for seasonings teas and stocks for example. Is there a winner between seaweeds v kale well of course its down to indervidual taste and preference, however the figures dont lie. So now you have no excuse not seaweeds or why not ttry both together and blend these two superfoods into a rocket powered dish. wwwebbtides.co.uk
Thanks to Allison Tanersley
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Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Pepper Dulse or known among chefs as the “Truffle of the Sea” with a delicious delicate garlicky flavour like land truffles expensive and in high demand. Hard to locate and small only 6cm in size making Pepper Dulse difficult to harvest.
Sea Truffle the Gold Award winning gin from the Sidmouth Gin Company has Pepper Dulse and Saffron as its main ingridents giving a superbly balanced gin. The Pepper Dulse is sustainably harvested by Ebb Tides just a few miles from production in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the Devon coastline reducing evironmental impact and providing local produce.
Pepper Dulse is delicate and in my experience needs to be used within three days to get the true flavour of this incredible seaweed. When dried it tends to lose most of its flavour the same when frozen so it really needs to be utalized almost straight from the sea for the best results. The best way to use it is with butter making superb stocks or as butter on its own. It can be used for various dishes and can be used as a spice however again this means drying the seaweed with the loss of flavour.
Mid to low tide is where it can be found on rocks living alongside barnacles and other seaweeds. Commercially harvesting the Pepper Dulse makes little sense. With it’s small size making it highly time consuming to harvest along with it’s scarcity and loss of flavour when dried.
I get a feeling of reverence and gratitiude when out harvesting this beautiful little red seaweed. It amazes me how something so small can give so much truely one of natures blessings.
As a way of sharing Pepper Dulse with you Sea Truffle gin has been created and if you find yourself in Sidmouth drop into the Dairy Shop and ask John for a sample and experience this beauty for yourself.
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Beware extremely delicious gins going into production at The Sidmouth Gin Company. Seashore sugar kelp with grapefruit and Gold Award wining Sea Truffle with freshly harvested Pepper Dulse from the Sidmouth shoreline complemented with saffron. Seaweeds harvested by Ebb Tides Seaweeds.
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