It's the beginning of Harvest season! And it's probably not what you think... Today on the Good Food Hour we kick off the local harvesting of SEAWEED ...Surprised?
It's a vital industry along the California coast and it's an exciting time as more chefs and home cooks discover its versatility. Chef John Ash has been hard at work in his kitchen working with seaweed and wants to share what he's learned.
First we talk with local Sonoma County harvester Heidi Hermann, owner/forager of Strong Arm Farm. She provides many restaurants with seaweeds, sells at retail and leads public seaweed foraging adventures. She'll address its many uses and how seaweed plays a vital role in the the fragile health of our oceans.
Next up is chef/owner Matthew Williams from Ramen Gaijin in Sebastopol, California. Along with chef/owner Moishe Hahn-Schuman they've created a restaurant that has become wildly popular through out the Bay Area, and many menu items feature seaweed. Matthew also reveals the opening date of their highly anticipated Thai restaurant in Sebastopol..
We travel 5.000 miles east to talk with our final guest. On the isolated Outer Hebridean isle of South Uist off the coast of Scotland, Fiona Bird is a renowned forager and the author of 'Seaweed in the Kitchen.' She shares her philosophy of wild foraging along with some of the most inventive seaweed based recipes we've ever seen in a cookbook. Follow Fiona on Instagram at @outerhebforager
