Our edible landscape

Henriette Lamprecht – She was living in Cape Town when she met a kindred spirit whose graceful curiosity and natural demeanor inspire her to this day. Their similar interests and vibrant personalities meant Petra Joell and Roushanna Gray from Veld and Sea immediately clicked. Roushanna’s in-laws own the Good Hope Indigenous plant nursery, close to Cape Point, where Petra often dropped by. Days would follow when she and Roushanna would explore the rock pools at Scarborough Beach while their husbands surfed.

Five years ago, Petro moved back to Namibia, continuing her interest in coastal foraging.

“I knew how to identify a few species of seaweed and kelp but was unsure which seaweed is non-edible. There is one that is poisonous, but which one? And what else am I looking at? And how can I incorporate these nutritious, free, and abundant sea vegetables into my diet?”

As a mother of two, Petra would “so love for my children to also benefit from this wild ingredient” and it was obviously time for Rouhsanna to visit Namibia to teach them.

“To pass on her gift, like it was passed on to her by a Japanese wanderer many, many moons ago.”

On 21 May of this year, the first Coastal Forage Workshop was held in Namibia, and what a success it was, says Petra.

The day kicked off at Badewaan Beach at 09:45 a. m. - which was spring low. Roushanna began with an introduction to the art of sustainable foraging and species identification, to a selection of inter-tidal and underwater ingredients. After the guests were confident as to what they would be collecting, everyone headed out to explore the rocky shores and collect their lunch ingredients.

After a tasteful welcome of seaweed sushi and kelp-infused chai tea at the next venue, Roushanna shared more on the nutritional values, culinary applications, and uses of seaweed, and how it can all easily be incorporated into our daily diets.

Everybody’s findings were sorted according to the different species, including the local perna perna but focusing on the non-indigenous Mediterranean mussels. Then the interactive cooking started between four groups - starting with mussels on the braai with seaweed, ginger, and garlic butter. The menu also included deep-fried seaweed tempura with edible flowers, a land and sea salad with sea-veg and seasonal ingredients, as well as Thai red curry coconut mussel pot on the fire - with coriander, chives, and lemon - enjoyed with locally baked ciabatta and nori butter. Included in the fire food cooking was an array of locally grown culinary mushrooms sourced from Alchemy. The mushrooms were sautéed in seaweed-based butter and cooked over coals and kebabs.

The taste exploration ended with kelp-poached pears, ice cream, and salted caramel sea lettuce nuts.

“I am truly humbled by how far Roushanna has come in her edible journey and am grateful that she shared her time and knowledge with us.”

Seaweeds are an overlooked and underutilized source of food and medicine when we look at them in terms of nutrition, explains Petra. Packed with vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients - it is all bioavailable in a chelated and colloidal form.

“Just like land plants, each seaweed species or sea vegetable offers its own unique set of nutrients, flavour, and texture.”

Seaweeds for human consumption are not taught in contemporary culture or our educational systems, says Petra. When teaching coastal foraging, it is vital to stress sustainable, responsible, regenerative, and legal foraging practices to ensure both the safety of our own health as well as the delicate ecosystems of the intertidal zone.

She warns the biggest threat to wild harvesting is unsustainable harvesting practices.

“We live on a finite planet with a finite set of resources, to meet not only our needs but future generations to come and have an obligation to make sustainable choices with our non-renewable resources.”

In their coastal foraging experiences, they normally focus on choosing edible seaweeds and shellfish, including local and non-indigenous mussel species.

Referring to umami flavours, Petra explains you get sweet, sour, sweet, salty, bitter, and umami - the magical fifth flavour which is intensely savory. “We find umami flavor in ingredients like ripe tomatoes, walnuts, dried mushrooms, and seaweeds.”

Foraging fits the Slow Food Movement, she says, a global organization that promotes a vision where all people can access fresh, local, and seasonal food that is good for them and for the planet. It’s an approach defined by three interconnected principles; good, clean, and fair food.

“What Roushanna hopes to inspire at her coastal foraging workshops is to cultivate a curiosity for our edible landscape by using food – something that we can all relate to - as a medium for education to create awareness of how special and unique our oceans are.

The more you explore and experience these interactive and immersive methodologies, the more likely you will understand how valuable and important our natural environment is as a space to be respected, protected, and valued.” veldandsea.com: Instagram: www.instagram.com/veldandsea