Seaweed is cultural. It’s food, medicine, spiritual and ceremonial.
Seaweed is environmental. It is habitat; it converts carbon and makes sand.
We’ve been learning about seaweed and kelp knowledge, including harvesting and stewardship, as a component of Indigenous Aquaculture. Future posts will share details of the collaborative work of partners, such as Limu stewardship, kelp restoration, and the power of growing kelp to capture carbon for climate change mitigation.
We are excited (and now hungry!) to share this recipe for “Bull Kelp Chow Chow” courtesy of Dr. Dolly Garza (Tlingit/Haida). Dolly Garza is a traditional foods educator who weaves together her Indigenous knowledge and science training: “Although I grew up harvesting seaweed, as a child I didn’t realize that there was science involved. But to gather food on the beach, you are a botanist, a biologist and a climatologist all in one because you have to be able to correctly identify the plants and animals you are collecting, you need to know how to read the tides, understand the seasons, and study the clouds to learn about the weather conditions. This ‘traditional ecological knowledge’ is science that has been passed down through generations of Alaska Natives.”
While working at Alaska Sea Grant, Dolly wrote the book Common Edible Seaweeds in the Gulf of Alaska. She continues to teach about seaweed practices and other traditional foods in Haida Gwaii.
Dr. Dolly Garza
Bull Kelp Chow Chow
Chow Chow is a pickled vegetable medley with a mustard base. The amount and types of vegetables can be varied depending on availability and taste.
Ingredients:
4 cups onions
4 cups sugar
1 cabbage
1 Tbs. celery seed
12 green peppers
2 Tbs. mustard seed
2-3 red peppers
1 tsp. turmeric
1-2 quarts bull kelp stipes
4 cups apple cider vinegar
¼ cup salt
2 cups water
Note: For hot Chow Chow add 2-4 hot peppers with spices. For sweet Chow Chow use 6 cups of sugar
Instructions:
- Chop vegetables into large pieces and mix together. Sprinkle ¼ cup salt over them and let set 1 hour. Rinse and drain.
- Mix together water, vinegar, sugar and spices and bring to a boil.
- Pour over other ingredients and gently boil 5 to 8 minutes.
- Put in jars, seal with lids and rings, and immerse in a hot water bath for 15 minutes to seal.
- Minimize boiling to keep vegetables crisper.