[eli]

hi all :-)

very fortunately i have an endless supply of mixed seaweeds, what with livin just by the beach.

what do YOU folks do with yours?

so far, i've dug loads into my new beds up at the allotment, i've dug it into my back garden beds, i'm makin a kind of seaweed tea pretty much how i'd do it with comfrey.

any other ideas? i feel like there's loads of other things to do with it, and i've got quite a stockpile now!

regards, eli

[greendog]

you can eat it if its a clean coast

[arugula]

I make a seaweed tea too.

[TheSpartacat]

It's very nutritious, and very tasty! Scientists have been studying it's anticancer properties lately.
There's a couple of recipes on this website (i recommend the book too! Its quite surprising how versatile seaweed is!)
http://www.prannie.com/

Here's a direct link to the recipes (the cheesey scones are... amazing!!!)
http://www.prannie.com/?pagid=279994183&

In the garden, I've heard it recommended that you rinse it well to get out all the salt, and then lay it on the ground around your brassicas, and let it dry.... seaweed gets quite hard and sharp when dried out and provides a good barrier against slugs and snails- they hate crossing it.

But I'd say to anyone interested in using seaweed- its really very important when gathering it to only take loose seaweed- don't pull it from the rocks as it won't re-establish itself for the future if you disturb it too much.
If there's an abundance of it, its ok to "give it a trim", but just not 'yank' from where its anchored.

Also- for those in Ireland- its actually now illegal to take seaweed, or anything, from the shore (presumably because people weren't careful for years and there was a problem with builders taking sand in huge amounts)
Though I still know people who gather the loose seaweed there in small amounts, for culinary purposes (when its quiet) as the law really is targeted at those who were doing damage to the shoreline and its biodiversity- not the odd walker who picks up shells etc

[eli]

i live on a pretty dirty coast so wouldn't eat it, and i'm not a fan of it anyway.
and though i've tried a few different kinds prepared in different ways, i've never found it palatable. my girlfriend loves the stuff though, so its a shame we live in an unreliable area for sea cleanliness :-(
and i only ever pick what i gather from the shore, its just endlessly washed up!
the info about the situation in ireland is interestin.
i live in brighton and you're not meant to take stones from the beach, either.
though, like its been mentioned, you can get small amounts at quiet times without any trouble.

[solway cropper]

I've found that it's a wonder food for plants and I use large amounts. (don't panic, I only gather the dead stuff that gets washed up after big tides). It makes an excellent liquid feed although it does pong a bit so I only apply it in the evening when here's rain on the way. Don't want to upset the neighbours too much. 

I don't apply it directly to the soil, preferring to compost it first, but you can dig it into trenches and let it rot down in situ. You can also dry it out then burn it and apply the reulting ash as a fertilizer. Not sure of its NPK composition but it does contain a lot of trace elements.

Thankfully we don't have the thought police up here telling us what we can and can't do!!

[Coach]

i live on a pretty dirty coast so wouldn't eat it, and i'm not a fan of it anyway.
and though i've tried a few different kinds prepared in different ways, i've never found it palatable. my girlfriend loves the stuff though, so its a shame we live in an unreliable area for sea cleanliness :-(
and i only ever pick what i gather from the shore, its just endlessly washed up!
the info about the situation in ireland is interestin.
i live in brighton and you're not meant to take stones from the beach, either.
though, like its been mentioned, you can get small amounts at quiet times without any trouble.

I wouldn't be surprised if the nudists picked up a few when they sat down