Maine Coastal Survival and Foraging Trip (Part 3)
by George Hedgepeth
Besides the gorgeous weather we were lucky enough to have, the highlight of this trip was probably the variety of plant and animal life we were able to forage. The number of familiar plant species that I ran into above the tide line especially surprised me. Being from more than a thousand miles west of the Maine coast, I assumed that I would not run into very many plants that I use locally. I was happily mistaken! We found and used Yarrow, Plantain, Ox Eyed Daisies, Raspberry bushes, and great mats of Sheep Sorrel that added their tart flavor to dishes of mixed cooked greens and salads.
There were a great number of plants just above or in the beach zone that we found that are not found inland. Luckily for landlubber foragers, there are resources available that will help one learn about seaside resources. One of the best is
Stalking The Blue-Eyed Scallop by Euell Gibbons, much of which was actually researched in the same area we were experiencing! Dedicated study of
appropriate field guides allowed us to recognize many useful species around the island.
We used several types of highly flavored, salt-water environment greens. Sea Rocket is tasty, pungent green that can be used raw or cooked. Red-stemmed Scotch Lovage is a stronger tasting version of celery. It made a good addition to our crab boils, as did leaves from the local bay bushes.
Right at the high tide line we found Glasswort and Sea Plantain, which are very interesting plants to someone who is generally far from the ocean. Both of these succulent plants have a fresh, salty flavor that really works well with fish. I have wished many times for a few sprigs of these to season a pot of spring greens in Michigan!
We hoped to find a variety of seaweeds to try as well, but we only ended up eating two varieties. These were Irish Moss, which is used commercially for making a thickening gel, and Bladder Wrack, which is a species of Kelp.* I found the Bladder wrack to be a hearty source of vitamins and minerals, with a texture like chewy green beans. It was super abundant, covering the rocks below tide line in thick mats. It is a valuable resource to a
forager in the North East.
On To PART FOUR
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