Live In San Francisco? Go On A Seaweed Foraging Tour!

Seaweed is a food that is often overlooked in Western diets, but it is popular in some parts of the world like in some East Asian cuisines. Famously, seaweed is used in Japanese sushi. One is likely to eat seaweed when exploring Japan's famous and delicious traditional cuisines.

If one would like to learn how to forage for seaweed, which types of seaweed to eat, and how to prepare it, then there are seaweed foraging tours in California. These tours are held in and around San Fransico. If one would like to have a very different kind of coastal adventure up the coast in Oregon, visit the Neskowin Ghost Forest - the remnants of a Sitka spruce forest on the Oregon Coast.

Seaweed is A Great Alternative Source of Food - But Be Careful

Seaweed is typically high in fiber and is one of the many forgotten foods for free that one can forage for. Seaweed is not really a plant but one of several groups of multicellular algae including red algae, green algae, and brown algae.

Fiber: Seaweed Is Normally High in Fiber
Algae: Seaweed Is a Form of Multicellular Algae

Most of the edible seaweeds are found in the ocean while most of the freshwater algae are toxic - to better off sticking to the coast. It is important to harvest the right types of seaweed as the wrong ones can have acids that irritate the digestive system (or even have a laxative effect). In extreme cases like with seaweed of the genus Lynabya, it can be potentially lethal.

Lethal: Seaweed Of The Genus Lynabya Can Be Potentially Lethal

Seaweed Foraging Adventure: Sonoma Coast

One of the seaweed foraging tours offered by Forage San Francisco is on the Sonoma Coast. This tour (called a class), is led by their seaweed expert, Heidi, who shows people how to pick, what to pick, and (importantly) how to make the seaweed taste good. Note that all of these tours are intended for people aged 9 and over.

The tour is held in the morning on the beach at low tide in Sonoma and it lasts for two to three hours. After the foray, Heidi will explain to the guests what they collected as well as a talk on the science of seaweed, and how to cook one's catch. Visitors can expect to collect up to 10 lbs. of edible seaweed.

Tip: Bring Rain Boots If One Doesn't Want To Get One's Feet Wet
Amount: Expect To Collect Up To 10 lbs of Edible Seaweed
Duration: Two To Three Hours
Where: Sonoma, CA (exact location sent one week prior to class)
Weekday Cost: $90 per person, plus booking fee
Weekend Cost: $120 per person, plus booking fee
When: Year-round; click “Book Now” to see available dates

Seaweed Foraging Adventure: Half Moon Bay

Another Californian seaweed foraging tour offered by Forage San Francisco is at Half Moon Bay. This tour also starts at low tide and one's expert guide is Tanya. Guests will learn to identify different sea vegetables and their healing properties, like how some protect against nuclear radiation. The talk will explore ethical and sustainable practices as well as Native American rights to food and cultural resources in the area. Explore the tidepools and learn recipes that make a variety of types of seaweed and sea vegetables taste good. Guests can also expect to gather up to 10 lbs of edible seaweed and see how they taste. One is also likely to harvest kombu, pacific dulse, feather boa, rockweed, Turkish towel, black larch, Iridea (aka rainbow leaf), and nori.

Where: Half Moon Bay, CA (exact location will be sent one week prior to class)
Weekday Cost: $90 per person, plus booking fee
Weekend Cost: $120 per person, plus booking fee

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Seaweed Foraging Adventure: San Mateo Coast

This seaweed foraging tour on the San Mateo Coast is coming soon as of the time of writing (April 2022). This tour is led by another seaweed expert called Erica and one will learn all about seaweed ecology, how to sustainably harvest one's own seaweed, and most importantly, how to prepare it. This foraging foray is also two to three hours in length and is to be held in the morning. The location is on the beach near Pescadero and is also when the tide is low. As with the other tours, one can expect to collect up to 10 lbs of edible seaweed and one should also wear shoes that afford good traction.