A new exhibit at the Maine Historical Society documents 300 years of the vegetarian movement, and it reminds us of the roots of Maine Coast Sea Vegetables. When our company was founded by Shep and Linnette Erhart in 1971, not many people in the United States ate seaweed and many of those who did, followed vegetarian or macrobiotic diets. Macrobiotic diets are similar to vegetarianism in that both exclude meat, but macrobiotics followers may include seafood, and the philosophy also focuses on eating local and seasonal foods that balance each other in harmony. This philosophy is a good fit with the local and seasonal nature of our wild sea vegetables harvested from the Gulf of Maine.
In 1975 the World Vegetarian Congress held its first meeting on American soil at the University of Maine in Orono. Maine Coast Sea Vegetables was there with a booth (actually, a blanket & sign) selling dulse, kelp, and alaria packaged in small paper bags, with labels hand-drawn by Linnette. People following vegetarian or macrobiotic lifestyles were among the first and most loyal customers of Shep and Linnette’s new seaweed company, and word spread well beyond Maine.
The business grew more in the 1980's when Erewhon, a macrobiotics health food store that was then located in Boston, began buying sea vegetables regularly and by the case. To ensure a more reliable supply, we moved away from on-demand harvesting to fill orders, to harvesting for an entire season. In 2012, Maine Coast Sea Vegetables was honored to be awarded the Aveline Kushi Award for demonstrating “enduring dedication and support of macrobiotics”.
Technically speaking, sea vegetables are algae and not plants. Despite this, though, nutrient dense sea vegetables are a natural fit for vegetarian and macrobiotic lifestyles. Their mineral content is often several times higher than that found in cereal grains, vegetables, or meat, and sea vegetables of every variety contain more iodine than just about any other food. Anyone interested in a healthy diet knows the crucial role iodine plays in promoting good health!
Some varieties, such as laver, are said to also contain vitamin B12, making sea vegetables one of the few non-meat sources of this essential vitamin. People who avoid eating meat have to be careful to find other ways to get enough vitamin B12, and sea vegetables can be part of the strategy.
Laver and other red sea vegetables, such as dulse, also contain up to 40% protein and, depending on season, the protein is complete, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids needed by humans. Most meat is a complete protein, but only a few plant-based foods can boast of providing complete protein. Including seaweed as part of a balanced diet helps vegetarians & vegans ensure adequate protein intake.
Finally, sea vegetables impart umami, the savory fifth flavor reminiscent of meat, to broths and other recipes. No wonder vegetarians love seaweed! These same attributes, though, make sea vegetables a great food for meat eaters too. Especially for those who may be looking to not just find satisfying ways to eat, but to be environmentally conscious as well.
Which brings us to dulse, the star of this article. It’s been said by many that dulse tastes like bacon. To be honest, dulse doesn’t taste exactly like bacon, but we encourage you to lightly pan fry some dulse leaf or flakes and taste for yourself. Microwaving dulse for about 20-30 seconds also brings out its umami flavor. We think most people will appreciate the reason for the bacon comparison!
Regardless of whether one thinks dulse tastes like bacon or not, there is no denying that it is rich in umami and has a unique, almost meaty flavor. Smoking enhances these flavors, which might be why our applewood smoked dulse is such a popular product and why our smoked dulse-tomato-sandwich recipe is a staff favorite.
Even 100% carnivores who might otherwise dismiss vegetables as ‘rabbit food’ will enjoy the flavor enhancing properties of sea vegetables. A few sprinkles of dulse granules with garlic adds meaty umami, a touch of salt, and garlicky flavor to juicy steaks and other grilled meats. Although sea vegetables do contain carbohydrates, they are of an entirely different nature from the plant carbohydrates that many carnivores try to avoid.
Unlike starchy plant carbohydrates, seaweed carbohydrates have actually been shown to control blood sugar and prevent weight gain. They also offer other unique health benefits that typical terrestrial plant carbohydrates often lack. Xylan, for example, is a cell wall material present in dulse as a dominant carbohydrate. Xylan is thought to act as a prebiotic because it is easily fermented by probiotic bacteria into short chain fatty acids in the human gut, and short chain fatty acids are proposed to have systemic anti-inflammatory properties. These are important considerations for hardcore carnivores who may not otherwise get enough dietary fiber to maintain a healthy microbial gut population. Who knows, maybe a carnivore and sea vegetable diet is the secret to good health!
Dulse was among the first sea vegetables ever offered by MCSV, along with nori (now sold as laver), Alaria (similar to wakame), and kombu (now sold as sugar kelp), and it continues to be popular to this day. Maine Coast Sea Vegetables was the first company in the world to sell certified organic dulse and one of the few companies anywhere able to reliably provide it to customers year after year (most years, anyways…more on that below!).
We get most of our dulse from Grand Manan, renowned for producing the best dulse in the world. Grand Manan is a beautiful island in the Bay of Fundy, and it’s recognized as a North American birding destination because over 240 species make it their home. Grand Manan is also a great destination for sea kayaking, coastal hikes, and solitude for the world weary. If you do visit you will quickly discover the importance of the Grand Manan dulsing tradition, with dulse sold at roadside stands and deserving of an exhibit at the Grand Manan Museum.
Sometime between 1974-75, Shep made a trip to Grand Manan Island to visit Leroy Flagg, the “King of Dulse”. The friendships formed in those early years with members of the Flagg family and other Grand Manan harvesters continue to this day. We are proud to be a part of the Grand Manan dulse tradition and grateful to offer the world’s best dulse to our customers. We sell the same top grade dulse found at Grand Manan roadside stands, but processed in our own special way for added appeal.
There was a period, however, of about 2-3 years when we had to ration dulse sales. The scarcity came about as a consequence of an earthquake on the far side of the world, followed by a devastating hurricane in our part of the world.
In March 2011, a powerful earthquake off the coast of Japan caused a tsunami to overwhelm the Fukushima nuclear facility, leading to a partial meltdown and release of radiation into the Pacific. Seaweed, and the iodine it contains, is a well-known antidote to certain forms of radiation poisoning, so in the months following the disaster we were overwhelmed with orders. We entered fall and winter of that year with record low inventory, but we had the prospect of rebuilding stores over the next couple of harvest seasons.
However, in October 2012, hurricane Sandy, the largest tropical hurricane ever recorded by diameter, swept up the east coast and over Grand Manan. The storm rolled the rocks and scoured the dulse beds, prematurely ending that year's harvest season and causing the following harvest season to be one of the poorest seen in years.
Fortunately, dulse and most other seaweeds are very resilient. Within a couple of years, Grand Manan dulse beds were once again flourishing, and we work hard to keep it that way. A benefit of organic certification for wild crops like dulse is that it encourages mindful harvest practices. The beds are inspected every year by 3rd party organic certifiers, and MCSV works closely with harvesters to ensure sustainability.
Nonetheless, mother nature has the final word and seaweed beds everywhere face threats such as warming oceans, invasive species, and pollution. Variable and fickle weather also affects harvests. In some years, long stretches of cool weather or cloudy skies mean that not as much dulse can be solar and air dried, which is how it’s done on Grand Manan.
Wild dulse is traditionally solar dried on clean boulder fields. Netting helps keep the dried dulse from blowing away.
In 2023, a combination of heavy spring rains, warm water, and calm conditions led to a condition known as grey leaf dulse, which is thought to occur when diatoms, a type of microalgae, grow on top of the leaf. Reduced salinity from rainfall and warm temperatures favor diatom growth, while calm conditions prevent diatoms from being washed off. Although the dulse was still perfectly safe and edible, it was grey instead of an appealing red color. There was still plenty of dulse that season, but a lot of it didn’t meet the quality standards for first grade leaf.
This is what premium dried dulse leaf should look like
Fortunately, grey leaf was less of a problem in 2024 and our inventory is strong. Don’t worry about it going bad; dried dulse has a stable shelf life of about 3-5 years for milled granules, flakes, or powders, and 5-7 years for whole leaf. It might be a good idea to stock up, though, because we never know what’s coming next season. Dulse is a great gift anytime of the year!
