Newsletter June / July 2011
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In this Issue :
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The Boats are in!
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Rehoming of our family of Cats
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Introducing our new feature
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Seaweed of the Month (and 10% discount)
This month – Carrageen / Irish Moss
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Seaweed of the Month (and 10% discount)
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The Boats are in!
We finally got all the boats back into the water at the beginning of June. Harvesting has fully commenced. After the gloriously sunny, but freezing months of winter (who can forget the -15˚C and all that snow) here in Northern Ireland, Spring finally arrived! Though this Spring has been very wet and extremely windy here. We thought that we had started our season in March, but had to haul the boats out for a few weeks, due to very high winds.
Fingers crossed that all that wind has now gone and Summer is here!!
- Rehoming of our family of Cats
One morning last Spring a cat turned up on our site here. Daddy Cat! He was quite friendly but only came to you on his terms. Shortly after another cat turned up – a completely feral one - Mummy Cat! And yep you’ve guessed it – a few weeks later – the Kittens!
Mummy Cat Peaches Grey and White Cat
Daddy Cat and Tabby Daddy Cat, Not Peaches and Grey and White one
I know that they are away to a really good home with Clifford, but I still miss them.
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Introducing our new feature
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Seaweed of the Month (and 10% discount)
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Seaweed of the Month (and 10% discount)
I meant to introduce this feature last month, but things have been so busy I had to delay it until this month. Each month I will be detailing our seaweeds – like species names, things that they are used for and recipes. This month - June and also July (with it being so late in June) – Carrageen / Irish Moss.
Seaweed of the Month – Carrageen / Irish Moss
Classification :
Phylum : Rhodophyta (Red Seaweed)
Class : Florideophyceae
Order : Gigartinales
Family : Gigartinaceae
Genus : Chondrus
Species Name : Chondrus crispus (Stackhouse)
Common Names : Carrageen, Carragheen, Carrigeen, Irish Moss, Jelly Moss
This red seaweed has many uses and is used throughout many industries, from maiking delicious desserts, food stabilisers to the art of paper marbling. It has also been used as a traditional cold/cough remedy (for both humans and horses!)
Carrageen is "Bleached" to be used. This is not a chemical process, like the name suggests. It is a process of leaving the harvested seaweed outside, so that the sun and the rain can leach the colour and the seaweed taste out of the plant. This process turns the seaweed from red to pale white / golden and when cooked, the gel is colourless and tasteless.
This is the ONE SEAWEED you have eaten, but have not realised it. It is used to make Carrageenan, (E numbers E406, E407 and E407a). Carrageenan is a widely used stabiliser and emulsifier in the food industry, used greatly in everything from dairy products to toothpaste. Carrageen is also used in the Brewing Industry to stabilise the "head" of beer. This is known as Finings.
In Ireland and wherever Carrageen grows, it has widely been used as a tradional cold/cough remedy. It is generally boiled up, strained and mised with honey and lemon, and you drink the "syrup". A recent customer of Irish Seaweeds had great success with this and she says :
"I recently had two episodes of acute bronchitis and continued coughing day and night long after antibiotic treatment. I was recommended an old cough remedy using Carrageen which has completely stopped the dreadful coughing. As soon as I feel a cough tickle, I take a sip of the mixture and amazingly it works immediately. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Thank you Irish Seaweeds!" R.A. Belfast, 2011
Carrageen can also be used to thicken sauces and soups, as an aspic, and makes gorgeous desserts.
Even Her Majesty, The Queen has eaten Carrageen!
On the recent visit to Ireland by Her Majesty, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, the dessert at the State Banquet in their Honour, was Carrageen-Set West Cork Cream with Meath Strawberries, fresh yoghurt Mousse and soda bread biscuits, with Irish Apple Balsamic Vinegar Meringue. SOUNDS DELICIOUS!!!
Please click here to take you to our Seaweed Recipe page
Please Click Here for Carrageen Recipes
Prannie Rhatigan has an excellent cookbook out - The Seaweed Kitchen. This book is fantastic and lists a great variety of seaweed recipes and can be ordered from here via Amazon
One More Use - Carrageen was also used in the old industry and art of "Paper Marbling". The Carrageen / Irish Moss is boiled up in water. This releases the gel from the seaweed. The ink put on top of this "gloop" and the pattern created. The paper is then placed on top if the ink pattern, which it soaks up and is then hung up to dry.
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Social Networks
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We are now on Facebook and Twitter - IrishSeaweeds
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I will be using these social networking sites to keep you up to date more often with all our latest news and offers. Our Newsletter will be still be sent out approx every month.
If you wish to unsubscribe, please follow the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of the Newsletter Sign Up page - or please Contact Us at info@irishseaweeds.com.
Many thanks for taking time to read this Newsletter.
Take care,
Jenny
Manager of Irish Seaweeds
For more information on sea vegetables and other seaweeds,
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