BC BookLook Review: Forget kale, go kelp
A recent review from BC BookLook showcases not only Cedar, Salmon and Weed, but a look into the many projects Louis Druehl is involved in. And of course, some kelp facts!
“Who better to give us lowdown than a man who had a genus of kelp named after him, Louis Druehl? Lately Louis Druehl was newsworthy because he’s written a very readable, Cannery Row-styled novel set in the West Coast fishing community of Bamfield in the 1970s, Cedar, Salmon and Weed (Granville Island 2015). But it’s his scientific and business activities that might one day make him better known. Louis Druehl and his wife Rae operate Canadian Kelp Resources Ltd., a company that produces sea vegetables (Barkley Sound Kelp) and operates a kelp farm. Mostly they sell in western Canada via two distributors, PSC Natural Foods and Horizon, to health food stores and “progressive” groceries.” -BC Booklook
The Top Ten Things You Don’t Know About Kelp
- The female kelp produces a perfume that attracts the sperm. This substance smells like gin.
- Kelp is the source of umami, a flavour enhancer. The new discipline gastrophysics was partly started to understand this fifth taste.
- The brown pigment of kelp, fucoxanthin, is a strong antioxidant.
- The slime of kelp, fucoidan, is thought to hold off the diseases associated with aging (hypertension, diabetes, stroke, etc.).
- Iodine, as an element, was first discovered in kelp. The concentration of iodine in kelp is up to 20,000 greater than in seawater.
Want to know the other five? Read the full article here.