Sustainable Pacific Northwest-based seaweed harvester Amanda Swinimer
describes the ecology, culinary uses, evidence-based health benefits and
climate change-resisting potential of seaweed and shares highlights from
her remarkable life beneath the waves.
Related to the most ancient living organisms on earth, seaweeds are
incredible and unique life forms, sharing qualities with both plants and
animals, as well as fungi. They have been prized as a nutrient-dense
food source for millennia and contain essential vitamins, minerals and
fatty acids, protein and fibre as well as biologically active compounds
not found anywhere else in nature. Seaweeds are also a source for
innovations combating climate change due in part to their ability to
absorb massive quantities of carbon dioxide.
Based in the Pacific Northwest, home to the greatest cold-water seaweed
diversity in the world, Amanda Swinimer has made her living from the
sustainable harvest of seaweeds for over two decades. In The Science
and Spirit of Seaweed, Swinimer reflects on the journey that led to her
successful seaweed harvesting business and provides identification
information, ecologically sound harvesting techniques, traditional
medicinal application and evidence-based health information for more
than twenty varieties of seaweeds commonly found from California to
Alaska. She also includes notes on culinary and skin-care uses for
several types of seaweeds.
Complemented by vibrant underwater photography, beautiful illustrations
and chef-inspired recipes, this volume richly conveys the benefits and
wonder of living in harmony with the ocean. It will be a welcome
resource to beachcombers, foragers and anyone fascinated by the marvels
of the natural world.
