###

ELSEWHERE:

• “As the Planet Warms, a Humble Sea Bean Is Proving to Be a Promising Superfood,” Smithsonian, March 10.

###

Scrolling across our screens today was this news of a food that we have never eaten — that is, pickleweed! This humble seaside plant, we’re told, is also known by “samphire,” “sea beans,” “glasswort” and no doubt many other names. Basically we’re talking about one of several members of the Salicornia genus, in the amaranth family. They exist in the wild here in Humboldt.

We like pickles. Would we like pickleweed? All these newly minted pickleweed farmers who Smithsonian magazine spoke to, at the link above, certainly hope so! Apparently it was a pretty common food along the Pacific coast many hundreds of years ago. Pickleweed can grow in places that can’t grow many other things. You water it with salt water. All sorts of health benefits are being investigated. Good Vitamin C content. 

Apparently it’s salty and kind of crunchy. Here’s a bunch of ways to prepare it. Smithsonian says Portuguese people eat it sauteed with prawns, and apparently pay through the nose to do so. Yum yum!

What do you think — would you eat pickleweed?

Yes, this song is technically about “that little gal’s lovin’,” but what if the little gal in question were pickleweed? Wouldn’t that be something?