Sea Salt
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Keeping it local, keeping it Natural
The Craft of Salt
The Craft of Salt
He scouts a good location. It has to be easily accessible but not too sandy. Clean.
He waits until the conditions are right..the tide, the weather. Collects a few gallons of wild Atlantic water.
It gets heated slowly, evaporation gradually revealing a saline solution that eventually will yield crystals.
But simply boiling the water won't do. That gives you table salt. We want soft flakes, Fleur de sel. The most beautiful finishing salt, rich in minerals and delicate in texture. Complex on the palate.
He performs the craft; sieving, transferring, stirring, heating, coaxing the snow coloured flakes from their brine.
Then they are tasted. They always bring a smile.
Each small batch utterly unique.
On their own they are pure, sparkling, stunningly beautiful.
He added seaweeds and created a magical explosion of flavour, taking the salt to superfood status.
I picked flower petals and mixed them into the white flakes, creating a contrast of colour that demands attention on the plate and intrigues the taste buds.
Sea and land. Fleur de sel and flowers from the garden.
Nature gives us so many gifts, it's what we do with them that really makes things exciting.
I am privileged to be able to watch and learn some of the craft of sea salt making, and excited to experiment with adding wildflowers and herbs to this natural product.
How lucky am I?
Very.
The Naked Forger Instagram post July 2019
That's how it started
That's how it started
One man and his love of the sea, his passion for creating something unique and beautiful, and his hard work and dedication. Fleur de sel, or flowers of the sea, are the delicate flakes that form on top of the brine as it evaporates. It's a science and an art to harvest fleur de sel, and not without it's challenges, especially in the Irish climate!
I still have lots to learn about this, so for now I'll leave it to the expert, my partner Keith.
One day soon I hope to be able to say he is making his hand harvested Kilkee Sea Salt available for sale
In the meantime I have created Naked Forager blended salts-coarse Atlantic Sea salt mixed with seaweed and flowers. These salts are not fleur de sel, nor are they evaporated here in west Clare, but they are a labour of love like everything I create, and they are stunningly beautiful.
I'm proud to have made a product that everyone can use to make their dishes "cheffy" and elegant. These salts will elevate any dish and enhance the flavour and nutritional content to boot.
Small batch and seasonal, each jar of Naked Forager Sea Salt is unique and no two will be exactly the same. That's what makes them special.
Have you ever collected Seaweed?
Have you ever collected Seaweed?
Not only is seaweed a great ingredient to share your bath with, but it is highly nutritious too. Seaweeds vary from speices to species, but mostly they are ~ rich in Iodine
~a good source of carbohydrates, fibre and protien
~A valuable source of B vitamins
~Rich in iron, vitamin C, vitamin A and antioxidants
Luckily, seaweed is a great place to start for beginner foragers, because if you live in the UK and Ireland, there are no toxic seaweeds you'll come across on the beach or along the coast. This makes it a loss less intimidating than some other groups of plants or fungi.
That said, you'll need to make sure you harvest from a clean, safe place, and do so in a way that will not irreparably damage the seaweeds or their habitat.
How to Harvest Seaweed Sustainably
How to Harvest Seaweed Sustainably
Always pick with caution. Make sure their is plenty growing in the area you are picking from. Don't pick more than a third of what is there, and only take what you know you will use.
Take scissors or a knife to cut the seaweeds- never tug or pull. Pulling the seaweed may dislodge it from it's holdfast.
Cut cleanly a third of the way down the plant. This leaves two thirds of the plant to regenerate.
Seaweeds vary a lot in appearance, growing habit and preferred habitat. Take note of the season each seaweed is best to be picked in, and the best locations for doing so. A reliable local guide is almost always the best teacher!
Always take care by the sea! Seaweed can make rocks slippery and conditions can change rapidly.
Small Batch Naked Forager Sea Salt available to buy online
Small Batch Naked Forager Sea Salt available to buy online
More than just a food
More than just a food
Seaweed is used in skincare products, packaging and animal feed, as well as being a great fertiliser for the garden.
I personally love to hop into a piping hot seaweed bath in Kilkee's Thalassotherapy centre after a swim in the sea!
http://www.kilkeethalasso.com/