Coastal Foraging In Southern California…(a.k.a. Going Coastal)

My job got a whole lot more awesome…if that’s even possible!

I set aside one day per work week completely devoted to foraging for Alma Restaurant. This usually involves going out into the wilderness somewhere to find edible items to bring back to Chef Taymor. This trip I went coastal 😉

carp coastsb coast

I had to head a bit north of LA; unfortunately much of the direct LA coast line is too polluted to forage. But venture a bit north of LA and the coastline is  very much alive and full of beautiful edible products. Like the sea grass growing here:

seaweed rocksea grass

I was amazed how many varieties of seaweed I encountered. Each having their own unique texture and flavors.

sea lettuce seaweed salad

Some were more briny than others, some were more tender and delicate. The  minerality of the seaweeds also varied depending on whether or not they were growing in sand or on rocks.

seaweed salad 2

Just as vegetables in the garden differ in size, flavor, and texture,  so too did the sea vegetables I harvested.

seaweed loot

I feel as if I have just discovered a whole new world in coastal foraging and I feel so blessed to live in such an abundant and fertile region of the US!

birds car

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

~Marcel Proust

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