Harvesting seaweed on a beautiful day
One of the best parts of living in Fort Bragg is spending time at the ocean, and my absolute favorite experience since I’ve been here has been the chance to discover the many treasures under the sea. As a Living Light enrollment specialist, I was given the opportunity to participate in a class called, “Take a Walk on the Wild Side: Discover Raw Green Superfoods from the Ocean!” instructed by Terry Nieves, the owner of Ocean Harvest Sea Vegetable Company. I could hardly contain my excitement as we walked along the beach to our destination– a classroom with no boundaries. The ocean at low tide opened up an amazing garden of all types of sea vegetables and colorful creatures everywhere. During the class, we learned about the nutritional benefits of eating seaweed, which suddenly made me remember that I had not eaten breakfast. That was no problem though, because there was plenty for me to eat right their in the garden of the sea.
Sea Palm on the Mendocino Coast
I enjoyed the class so much that I began harvesting part-time for Terry’s sea vegetable company. Working with Terry has given me the opportunity to harvest sea palm – a sea vegetable that looks like little baby palm trees and is connected to the tidal rocks. Sea palm is unique to the Pacific coast and especially grows abundantly in Mendocino. When harvesting sea palm, we give it a little haircut so that it ends up looking like a pom pom. This enables the fronds to grow back and keeps the reproductive cycle intact so that it can be harvested again later. During my time harvesting fresh sea vegetables, I have developed a new perspective and a greater appreciation of the food I eat. When I sit down to a meal, I think about the care and hard work that went into bringing it to the table, and I feel more connected to the earth and the people who gather and harvest my food. I believe focusing on these positive thoughts as I eat opens up a whole new dimension for my health. I hope you’ll also have the chance to experience the many benefits of the gardens under the sea! Enjoy these videos of Cherie Soria exploring the coast and preparing Sea Palm and Cucumber Salad!
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