Gathering, drying seaweed worth the work

Dear Sandi: I was at your free demo a couple of weeks ago, and you were showing us how to put dried seaweed on windows. I understand the window process now, but I don’t think I have enough information on how and what type of seaweed to dry. Could I please have more information on that? Thanks. —Lillian N. Salem

Hi Lillian: You’re right, we talked a lot about how to put it on the windows but not much about how to gather and prepare the seaweed, so here you are.

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Probably the most important thing to keep in mind when you go foraging for seaweed is freshness. Seaweed deteriorates quickly, so freshness is a must.

To tell if it is fresh, give it the touch test. As the seaweed begins to decompose, it will become more and more slippery and slimy.

Seaweed has a bit of that feel to it anyway, so this is just something you will have to play with until you get familiar with the difference in the texture and feel of the many types available on the beaches. Also, the different types of seaweed have varying degrees of this slime factor, but you will find that you quickly will become familiar with the way the various types should look and feel.

That being said, you may find seaweed that has been washed ashore some time ago, but because of fortuitous conditions, it has dried naturally. These also will work quite well, as long as they have dried in a relatively flat shape.

Generally, the fleshier seaweeds are the ones that will break down the most quickly. The flatter, leafy types tend to hold up better and generally are better for this type of work, but you can use even the bulbous “bullwhip” pieces, provided you prepare them properly.

The quicker you can get seaweed back home, the better. Seaweed that languishes in a big garbage bag in the trunk of your car for a few hours, especially on a warm day, is not going to be a pretty sight when you take it out. The slime factor will increase dramatically during that time, but the seaweed still is quite usable.

I usually spread everything out in our driveway, then using the garden house, wash everything, turning them frequently to get as much of the salt and sand off as possible. Be careful about doing this on a lawn or near favorite plants, as the salt will adversely affect many garden dwellers.

After you have the seaweed as clean as you think you can get it, spread everything out in an area where the sun will not hit them. Depending on the time of year, I use either our carport (in the summer) or the basement (in the winter). Although you could use a covered area (such as a carport) even in the winter, the moisture in the air in our climate will make it very difficult for the seaweed to really dry out properly.

As you spread the pieces out, position them in the shapes you want them to take. After they dry, they will be very stiff, and you will not be able to adjust them. Any bulbous pieces, such as the ends of the bullwhip seaweed, should be split open and laid out flat so the water can escape.

Although you want the pieces to be as flat as possible, you need to let the seaweed begin to dry a bit before you start to apply any weights.

The time needed for the seaweed to dry will depend on a multitude of factors, including the type you gathered, the time of year, where you are drying it, the weather, etc. There is really no formula for this; you just need to experiment with it each time.

Sandi Reinke is an author, frequent television guest and lead designer for loose ends (www.loosends.com), a Salem-based interior décor, garden, and casual lifestyle company. To ask Reinke a decorating question, e-mail info@looseends.com or mail her at the showroom address, 2065 Madrona Ave. SE, Salem, OR 97302. Phone: 503-390-2348.

As the seaweed begins to dry, you can apply some light weight to areas or pieces that need a little encouragement to take the shape you want. You may find that either aluminum foil or waxed paper will help keep the seaweed from sticking to the surfaces as you apply weight.

For making the windows, you want the pieces to be as flat as you can reasonably get them, so keeping an eye on how your harvest is drying is important, as you can continue to adjust until all the moisture is out.

Once everything is completely dry, store them where they will be kept flat. I like to put the smaller pieces into those plastic page protectors and store them in big notebooks. At a glance, I can see the materials I have available to work with. If you try this, put a piece of paper in first so that you have a front and a back to your pages.

One last tip. If you find that you do have a piece that has dried in some totally intolerable position, you can soak it and let it reabsorb all its lost moisture, then reshape it and go through the drying process again. I don’t recommend doing this too much since, as I’ve mentioned, seaweed is fairly fragile, but it can be done if necessary.

That’s it, Lillian. Not a difficult process, just a bit labor intensive, but with the wonderful variety of seaweed, the cool things you can do with the dried results, and, of course, the excuse to go to the beach and gather more, it is worthwhile. August 5, 2005