Bullwhip Kelp Pickle Recipe
/
Collecting bull kelp
So you have collected the stipes and blades of bullwhip kelp. Before you knew it the cooler or tote had quite a bit in it! The blades will be dried, and then crumbled to fit easily into jars. The stipes will make several batches of pickles with some left over to add to dinner.
The kelp does not need to be rinsed, but if you do, then just a very quick freshwater rinse is enough. For pickles, peeling is optional. We like the unpeeled variety. If you would like peeled pickles, then a carrot peeler works well. The kelp is slippery at this point, so, if you want, then you can slide the stipe over a dowel to help stabilize it for peeling.
Get your canning supplies ready to go:
- A large pot with a lid to process the jars in, and enough water to cover the jars by at least an inch
- A small pot half full of water to simmer the lids in
- A large pot to boil the kelp mixture in
- Colander
- Clean, hot pint and/or half-pint jars (keep hot in simmering water or in the oven) This recipe fills about six pints or twelve half pints.
- Ladle, spoons, canning funnel, jar grabber, towels to set jars on, lid magnet, cloth to wipe rims, hot pads
If you haven't canned before then please check with your extension service or a reference like the Ball Blue Book of Canning to learn the basics.
Bread and Butter Kelp Pickles:
- 3 quarts bull kelp stipe sliced into 1/4" to 1/2" thick "O's"
- 2 large onions chopped or sliced
- 1/4 cup canning salt
- 1 pint vinegar 5% acidity
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Combine kelp and onion in a large bowl. Sprinkle with canning salt, stir the salt through the kelp and onion. Let stand for one hour. Rinse well with fresh water.
Get your big pot of water for processing going so that it will be at a boil when your jars are packed. Put new, clean jar lids in the little pot, and start bringing them up to a simmer when you start boiling the kelp.
Salt kelp and onions in a large bowl, let stand for an hour, then rinse thoroughly with fresh water.
Sugar and spice
Measure the sugar and spices, stirring the spices into the sugar to prevent any clumping. Combine sugar and spices with vinegar in a large pot and bring to a boil to make the syrup.
Add the rinsed, drained kelp and onions to the hot syrup and bring to a boil again.
When you first add the kelp to the syrup it will turn bright green!
After boiling they won't be as bright.
Ladling kelp pickles into the jar.
Pack the kelp and onions into a clean, hot jar. Use the back of a spoon to press the kelp in. Ladle in syrup to within 1/2 inch of the top. If the kelp is packed loosely then you will run out of syrup before all of the jars are filled, so pack 'em in.
Wipe the rim, put the lid and ring on, and proceed to the next jar.
Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove the jars from the bath, set upright about one inch apart on a folded towel away from drafts to cool.
Check that all of the jars sealed. If any didn't seal then put them in the refrigerator and eat the pickles within a few weeks.
Label the jars with contents and date.
The kelp pickles can be eaten right away, but the flavor is better after a week or so.
Kelpy-O pickles
This recipe was modified from a recipe by Dolly Garza in a University of Alaska Sea Grant draft brochure. Thank you Dolly for the edible seaweed class and the recipe! Dolly Garza has retired from the University of Alaska, but her generous sharing of knowledge has continued to enhance the lives of many Alaskans.
For very detailed information about seaweed for food and medicine visit Ryan Drum's website and scroll down to the articles:
Happy kelping!
Alaska Beachcomber
P.S. When mixing up canned salmon for salmon sandwiches, I like to chop the kelp and onion pickles in place of commercial relish!
More on subsistence food and medicine:
- Processing and Using Stinging Nettles
- Harvesting Bullwhip Kelp
- Highbush Cranberry Ketchup Recipe
- Highbush Cranberry Punch
- Harvesting Devil's Club Root
- Making Devil's Club Salve and Tincture
- Edible Mushrooms: Golden Chanterelle, Winter Chanterelle, Hedgehogs
