Referred to by Jamie Oliver as ‘the most nutritious vegetable in the world’ kelp, a superfood, is better known as an underwater plant that’s a vital part of the ecosystem in many coastal areas. It is a regenerative superfood whose superpowers include claims to help fight disease, including cancer, and assist with weight loss. Kelp, a superfood, is high in antioxidants, has a range of nutrients and is rich in vitamins and minerals. However, as with everything around it, is not all super. Kelp forests, while seen as an ocean-based solution for carbon capture, are at risk by increasing ocean temperatures and water pollution as well as threats to their natural habitats.
Kelp in Monterey County
In Monterey County, California, visitors can discover this delicate balance of kelp a superfood from all angles:
Learning about it in the 28 feet kelp forest exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Paddling around it in a kayak (taking care to keep a respectful distance from the sea otters who make it their home)
Diving in it to see the life it supports beneath the surface and sampling it in local restaurants such as Coastal Kitchen. Here the Monterey Bay Nori Sable Breton Cake pairs kelp oil with candy cap panna cotta, green apple and shiso sable. In Cella Restaurant and Bar’s Point Pinos cocktail features cucumber-kombu dashi alongside milk-washed gin, honeydew syrup and black pepper bitters.
In Sonoma County Heidi Herrmann is one of the region’s main suppliers of locally harvested kelp which she sells through her certified organic vegetable farm, Strong Arm Farm in Healdsburg. Visitors can take part in her public seaweed forays between April and August.
But kelp, a superfood, isn’t just for eating – it’s increasingly showing up on spa menus, or quite simply can be added to a bath where the algae turns the water silky.
Monterey County is on California’s Central Coast, roughly 100 miles south of San Francisco. The county is best known as being home to some of California’s icons including the most famous stretch of Pacific Coast Highway 1 in Big Sur, Cannery Row named in honour of Monterey local John Steinbeck, the picture-perfect village of Carmel-by-the-Sea and the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium. Lesser known areas include Pinnacles National Park, one of the USA’s most recent National Parks which celebrates its 10th anniversary nearly 60 wineries and tasting rooms and the agricultural region around the Salinas Valley which feeds not only the local restaurants and markets but is known as the ‘Salad Bowl of the World’. Visitors to Monterey can experience land and sea offerings, year-round whale watching, diverse outdoor activities and nature-driven wellness.
