TILLAMOOK COUNTY, Ore. — Some say the Oregon Coast is where the forest meets the sea.
“We live in a really, really special place,” said Alanna Kieffer marine biologist and founder of Shifting Tides. Kieffer offers classes and workshops providing coastal education and exploration. She is also a seaweed farmer — you read that right.
“We get a majority of the oxygen we breathe from the oceans,” she said.
Kieffer loves the fact that the trees end at the beach, but she points out the forest doesn’t actually end at the waterline.
“Our murky, dark, cold waters are murky because they're full of nutrients,” said Kieffer.
Some of those nutrients are what brought her out to the shore near Garibaldi, Oregon, a small port town on the Oregon Coast — with a few others.
“You want to be more in the rocky beach zones, the intertidal, which is the space between the tides," Kieffer said. "So, coming out at low tide is really important.”
You’ve probably heard of foraging for berries or mushrooms, but how about seaweed?
“I think a lot of times when people see seaweeds, they're washed up on the beach deteriorating, rotting — maybe a little bit slimy and stinky,” Kieffer said. “But when you get to see seaweeds in their natural ecosystem, they're so vibrantly colored. They're so different. There's so many ways to be utilizing them — culinary fields and in so many other ways.”
Kristian Anderson was among the curious participants of this Shifting Tides group workshop. He’s the chef at MacGregor’s Whiskey Bar in Cannon Beach. He has found inspiration to test the waters with his menu.
“We have people coming in from all over the world,” said Anderson. “I want to have a better arsenal to be able to sort of give them that.”
From sea lettuce to kelp, Kieffer spent time identifying different species to foragers. All of them edible, even if not all of them are necessarily palatable.
“We've got some fresh fish that I would love to wrap in some of the seaweed and steam. And then I think with the rest of it, I'm going to dry it and then either reconstitute it for soups or maybe grind it up for some seasonings and just experiment,” said Ashley Wagar, of Portland, who grew up clamming and crabbing.
Kieffer admits you’ll need some creative techniques once you bring seaweed home.
“Kelps, you're going to want to start drying within the next day — which I really just hang them on a clothes hanger in my living room. Your whole house kind of smells like low tide for a little bit, it’s kind of fun,” she laughed.
To forage for seaweed, you don’t need a permit like you would for shellfish. There is a seaweed season which ranges from March 1 to June 15 — the season is drifting away until next spring. Whether you’re looking for a new way to experience the beach or try a new dish, foraging for seaweed checks the box and makes you think outside of it too.
“I really encourage people to look at tide schedules and get out to the beach at really low tides,” Kieffer said. "These are such different ecosystems than what we're used to."
Anderson also encourages people to be adventurous. "Whether it's eating or whether it's your hobbies…be adventurous.”
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