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Try our organic whole leaf raw Digitata seaweed in your next recipe! Digitata is a variety of kelp that grows prolifically in the subtidal waters of the North Atlantic. Digitata Kelp is also known as 'Fingered Kelp' - as the blades resemble digits radiating from the palm (hence, the Latin name digitata.) Although similar in nutritional content to our regular Kelp "Kombu" (L. longicruris,) Digitata Kelp tends to contain higher amounts of iodine, calcium and mannitol - a natural sugar molecule that gives Digitata Kelp a slight sweetness.
We harvest whole-leaf Digitata Kelp here in the Gulf of Maine and then dry it at very low heat to preserve its nutrients. It grows prolifically here, just below the average low tide level, where it's subject to damage from strong wave surges and also benefits from higher light levels and the absence of snails, a common seaweed predator.
Whole-leaf Digitata Kelp has thicker, chewier fronds than our regular Kelp "Kombu" (L. longiruris) and most people like to cook or soak it first. Because it's thicker than regular kelp, it won't dissolve, which makes it the perfect sea veggie for adding to a slow-cooking, hearty bean soup or stew. Once cooked, it's great copped up and put right back into the pot!
Try These Fantasic Digitata Recipes!
Digitata Soup - When we make soup with digitata kelp, I start by filling the soup pot half full of water, turning up the heat, and adding barley, a slice of fresh ginger root, and a few square inches of digitata, cut into small pieces. I add dried shiitake mushrooms. After they rehydrate, I take them out and cut them into small pieces, then throw them back in the pot. I saute a diced onion with plenty of thyme in refined sesame oil, and I set that aside. I slice root crops like carrots, parsnips, rutabaga, beets, and turnips. When the barley is beginning to soften, I add the roots, and I turn my attention to cutting up greens: celery, kale, and parsley are always good candidates. When the barley and roots are almost done to perfection, I add the greens and the sauteed onions for about three minutes and cover the pot. I salt to taste with Eden brand shoyu soy sauce because it doesnt contain alcohol preservative, far as I can tell. This soup improves on the second day, and I usually add more parsley or scallions each time that I heat it up. It just keeps getting greener and richer.
Beans with Digitata and Vegetables - Soak 1 cup of beans overnight with a 2" x 3" piece of digitata. Pressure cook 1 hour or simmer all day, adding seasonal vegetables when the beans are soft. Try burdock, carrots, celeriac, shiitake mushrooms, onions, celery, parsley, summer savory. Season with sea salt, miso, or tamari.
Digitata with Spicy Root Vegetables
1 Tbsp light sesame oil
6" piece digitata, soaked and cut into thin strips
Pinch cayenne pepper
Shoyu
Mirin
1 small leek, thinly sliced on diagonal
1/2 c daikon, sliced in fine matchsticks
1/2 c carrot, sliced in fine matchsticks
1/2 c rounds of thinly sliced lotus root
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 sprigs parsley, minced
Heat oil in deep skillet. Stir in digitata and cayenne pepper. Add generous splashes of shoyu and mirin. Sauté 2-3 minutes. Stir in leek with a dash of shoyu and saute 2 minutes. Stir in root vegetables and season lightly with shoyu. Stir-fry until carrots are crisp-tender (3-4 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and parsley.
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