how to make seaweed more digestible?

[kaybee]

just wondering how to make seaweed more digestible... if theres a way to help break it down and soften it up some... ive always found dulse to be soft and almost disintegrate when its added to salads with oil in them, like kale salad, but the local dulse here is a lot tougher than the stuff im used to getting. its like the texture of nori, kind of crunchy...apparently because the ocean etc is harsh here, the seaweeds have to grow stronger (and hence tougher..) to survive (kind of like the difference between lettuce grown in a greenhouse and lettuce grown outside), which in theory sounds good and more nutritious, but in practice means it it tough and hard to break down even when you chew it. Given that im already supposed to be using digestive enzymes that my naturopath put me on, as she doesnt think my body is sufficiently breaking down foods in order to absorb nutrients--but i dont use them cuz i cant afford them and dont notice a difference anyway--, im wondering what i could do to enhance the digestibility of the seaweed and thus the absorbability of its nutrients.... dehydrating it just makes it crunchy but still not really nicely chewable, and vinegar isnt really an option as i just cant stomach it. anyway, the seaweed is superabundant here to collect off of the cliffs, and id really like to take advantage of it, since not much else (greens, etc) is abundantly available... but it doesnt feel like i can break it down well, it just sits in my tummy, unlike the nice soft dulse im used to getting in the states....

thanks.

kaybee

[Veganforlife]

WOW! Even if you put it in a smoothie?

Man! I'd be hanging on those cliffs just grazing and chewing!!!:D

[EZ rider]

im wondering what i could do to enhance the digestibility of the seaweed
I put my seaweed through my greens juicer along with parsley and celery.

[Dimond]

Soak in water.

[kaybee]

ok, someone here just told me that i need to dry the seaweed in my dehydrator AS IS from collection; ie NOT rinsing it first. id been rinsing it in fresh water to rinse off some of the salt and also chase out the sand crabs etc... but according to them it is the salt that makes it dry soft...so im going to try the next batch without rinsing. unfortunately, soaking it in water doesnt seem to help; that doesnt make it any different than it was when it was fresh and undehydrated--too crunchy to seem break-down-able... same with smoothies...i dont have a vitamix so it just chops it up into little tough-ish pieces and makes my smoothies miserable...ill see if the salt helps with the dehydrating...the dulseive bought in the states practically disintegrates from water; not this one. hopefully the salt will help.

vegan for life--yeah there is LOADS here. LOADS. i really search for the sea lettuce though, which there isnt alot of, but is the only one thats really palatable fresh and raw. there is another one too that is NICE to eat right off the rocks. its soft and super-salty but only grows on a few select rocks here. ive never come across it in shops, but the people i went gathering with only know the name in irish... so i dont know what its called...

[MysticTree]

Sea lettuce, as you say, is wonderful. We get it here in Bristol in the rock pools of sheltered bays and also in sea water marinas (we have one locally with no boats in it!)

If you have mud flats at low tide then you may find Marsh Samphire in the summer months. Collecting it can be treacherous because of the mud but as long as you are sensible the muddy mess you get into is worth it. Remember to cut the plant leaving some green on so that you don't deplete the area of the plant.

There should be plenty of sea beet, black mustard, sea purslane, sea blight and orache too as well as rock samphire on the cliffy areas.

Look out for "food for free" Richard Mabey as well as looking at the "plants for a future" database online.

Georgina