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The Power of the Sea and CBD

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Introducing the Seaweed – CBD Brownie. These delicious seaweed brownies, are a rich treat made with Alaska kelp and CBD.  These brownies harness the power of the sea and CBD, incorporating nutrient rich sea vegetables with the benefits of CBD. Cacao nibs and sea salt flakes complement the sweet kelp coulis and add texture to the brownies. The beautiful dark green flecks of kelp add a slight chewiness to counter the crunch of the cacao nibs. Serve with coffee for a lunch time treat, or with a glass of red wine or port after a meal. These decadent brownies also pair well with a glass of champagne or prosecco for any celebration.

Why did we want to make a kelp brownie?  We came up with the concept of a kelp brownie because we wanted to provide consumers and processors the opportunity to expand their concept of seaweed as an ingredient, from savory to sweet. Seaweed has been a traditional ingredient in many cultural foods. It was used in puddings in Ireland, and there is candied seaweed which can be added to muffins and cookies, yet seaweed has most often been viewed as a savory food. Seaweed is versatile and adds nutrients, flavor, and fiber to all your baking specialties. Dried or roasted seaweed can intensify the flavor and may not be suitable for sweet applications, while fresh or frozen will be a more subtle addition like zucchini or spinach.

AND just like ASMI’s SWAP the MEAT, lets SWAP the Vegetables to Sea Vegetables, a perfect accompaniment to seafood and helps to support local communities!

What is the Symphony of Seafood? The Symphony of seafood is a celebration of innovation and the wide range or uses for Alaska seafood! The Symphony highlights the uniqueness of Alaska’s products and the story of the people that harvest and live in these communities, thus, exposing these products to the market place.

Recyclable packaging,  (hopefully to someday be from seaweed) 

Retail $4.00 CBD infused $3.50 uninfused.

A common question is: What is the difference between seaweed and kelp? Explore the Kelptastic website for information and links to learn more about the curious world of seaweeds!

Kelp shown to reduce coastal pollution in Alaska

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by The Fish Site

20 January 2023, at 6:13am

The water-filtering abilities of farmed kelp could help reduce marine pollution in coastal areas, according to a new study led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

seaweed growing on a rope
Sugar kelp at an experimental farm near Juneau. Alaska. The study reinforces that kelp is better at absorbing nitrogen than carbon © Schery Umanzor

The paper, published in the January issue of Aquaculture, analysed carbon and nitrogen levels at two mixed-species kelp farms in southcentral and southeast Alaska during the 2020-21 growing season. Tissue and seawater samples showed that seaweed species may have different capabilities to remove nutrients from their surroundings.

“Some seaweeds are literally like sponges — they suck and suck and never saturate,” said Schery Umanzor, an assistant professor at UAF’s College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences and the lead author of the study, in a press release.

“Although carbon and carbon sequestration by kelp received most of the attention, kelp is actually much better at mitigating excessive amounts of nitrogen than carbon,” Umanzor added. “I think that’s a story that’s really underlooked.”

Nitrogen pollution is caused in coastal areas by factors such as urban sewage, domestic water runoff or fisheries waste disposal. It can lead to a variety of potential threats in marine environments, including toxic algae blooms, higher bacterial activity and depleted oxygen levels. Kelp grown in polluted waters shouldn’t be used for food but could still be a promising tool for cleaning such areas.

Kelp farming is an emerging industry in Alaska, touted to improve food security and create new job opportunities. It’s also been considered as a global-scale method for storing carbon, which could be a way to reduce levels of atmospheric carbon that contribute to climate change.

Analysis of kelp tissue samples from the farms determined that ribbon kelp was more effective than sugar kelp at absorbing both nitrogen and carbon, although that difference was somewhat offset by the higher density of farmed sugar kelp forests.

Umanzor cautioned that the study was limited to two sites during a single growing season. She is currently processing a larger collection of samples collected from six Alaska kelp farms for the subsequent season.

“Maybe it’s a function of species, maybe it’s the site, maybe it’s the type of carbon and nitrogen out there. There’s a lot to know in a follow-up study,” she concluded.

https://thefishsite.com/articles/kelp-shown-to-reduce-coastal-pollution-in-alaska

Advancing Kelp Nursery Infrastructure and Technology Webinar

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Join us for a conversation on Advancing Kelp Nursery Technology and Infrastructure, Wednesday, February 1st
Last year, GreenWave revamped its kelp nursery and implemented new infrastructure and technology to: Increase labor and energy efficienciesImprove seed quality while reducing the costs of operationDevelop a modular model for kelp seed production that could be replicated throughout southern New England and beyond This presentation will review the major transformations to GreenWave’s kelp nursery, including water treatment systems, lighting, cooling, and standard operating procedures, and will share preliminary findings from the 2022-2023 production season. 

We invite insight, updates, and discussion from other hatchery technicians on lessons learned from the 2022-2023 season. The recording of this event will be shared on the Community in the Ocean Farming Hub. 

This conversation is part of GreenWave’s Farmer Forum, which is a series designed to bring active kelp farmers together to discuss seasonally-relevant topics with subject matter experts.Event DetailsAdvancing Kelp Nursery Infrastructure and Technology
February 1, 2023
3—4 PM EST (11 AM—12 PM AK) 
Online (Zoom)Register
Please reach out with any questions to farmertraining@greenwave.org.

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MxV7suyZTSKZiXpjzTNrog

Kelp Climate Fund Signup

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The Kelp Climate Fund is a subsidy program that provides farmers direct payment for farming kelp in recognition of the environmental benefits their farms provide, including carbon and nitrogen removal and reef restoration. The way the program works is farmers report the total amount of seedstring they outplant in the fall, and agree to collect key monitoring data on kelp growth rates throughout the season. GreenWave aggregates this data to track total kelp planted and the resulting climate benefits throughout farms in North America.

Farmers will be paid $1 per foot of kelp seed planted, up to $25,000 per farm at the time of harvest.

To be eligible for the Kelp Climate Fund, farms must be located in US or Canadian waters and outplant 1,000 or more feet of seedstring.

The fund for the 2022-2023 season has been fully allocated, but we are actively fundraising to try to support more farmers this season. We also anticipate growing this fund each year. Please apply to be considered for a waiting list, and we’ll be in touch if funding opens up.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd9VKjgIkL6yJEBLEJ9NjmwTpVnk513NU8j5AGaVknhKgA8Xg/viewform

Seaweeds of Alaska

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All kelp is seaweed, but not all seaweed is kelp

Seaweed is a general term for marine macroalgae, and includes over 10,000 different species and counting.  Macro algae are large algae that grows in the sea. Seaweeds use light from the sun, carbon dioxide and nutrients from seawater to grow.  Seaweed  can vary in shape, color, size, and flavor. Seaweed are in three groups — red, brown, and green. Kelp fall under brown seaweeds.

Check out Dr. Mandy Lindberg’s https://www.seaweedsofalaska.com  for a complete guide to seaweeds of Alaska

Green Wave Ocean Farming Hub

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GreenWave’s Regenerative Ocean Farming Hub is a free seed-to-sale training program designed by and for ocean farmers. The Hub includes interactive farm design tools, gear lists and budgets, how-to videos, and curriculum–all the nuts and bolts to launch and grow an ocean farm or kelp hatchery. Learn more and sign up: greenwave.org/hub