Bringing the Kelp Forest Home
by Nathan Maxwell Cann
Fall is one of the most rewarding seasons to explore California’s North Coast. As the summer crowds fade and the first rains begin to stir the Pacific, the littoral zone becomes a living pantry. Seaweeds and kelp sway in the surge in gentle senescence, mussels cling to wave-washed rocks, and beneath the kelp canopy, purple sea urchins carpet the sea floor. For thousands of years, coastal peoples have gathered these foods with care. Whether gathered from the intertidal zone or purchased from a local harvester, seaweed and purple sea urchin offer an opportunity to bring the flavors of the Pacific into your kitchen while developing a deeper connection to the ocean that surrounds us.
