From Noma, a restaurant rated best in the world, to Juneau’s The Rookery Cafe, chefs are using traditional foraged foods to create a menu that is not only seasonal, but a connection to place. The menus, however, don’t use common names like “pickleweed.” They rename these foraged foods something more poetic — like “beach asparagus” or “sea bean.”
Frankly, beach asparagus needs a name boost, as it’s not something you would normally be interested in tasting. It only grows about four inches tall and is comprised of three-quarter inch segments. The plant has a dull green color with the tips turning a magenta hue as it flowers around mid-July. At that time, the plant gets a woodier texture. However, last summer I did a late harvest and still found them to be quite good if the top segment was collected, rather than farther down on the plant.
To harvest, use your fingernail to clip the top third. Beach asparagus grows in clusters of fifty plants with other clusters nearby. Considering that each plant only produces one seed, the ability to create large swaths on the upper tide zone or in salt flats is fairly amazing.
Beach asparagus tastes somewhat like a pea pod, but without any of the stringiness. Unlike other greens, beach asparagus retains its crunch even after it has been blanched. This texture adds a nice element to salads, especially a kale salad, which tends to lack some of the crispness you find when you use lettuce.
But beware of how you prepare it the first time. My daughter loves salt. Ever since we started making herbed salts, her consumption has increased beyond what any heart specialist would deem healthy. Yet, she will tell me not to add it to beach asparagus because it is too salty.
I had to remember that this is a plant which may be immersed as high tide covers the ground where it lives. I now soak the beach asparagus overnight in fresh water to leach out more of the salt. If I don’t have the time to do that, I rinse it at least three times before I use it.
Besides salads, I like to add it not only for the taste, but to things that can benefit from the texture. For instance, I like to use it in a sushi roll instead of cucumber.
I’ve found it good in a light pasta dish on those nights when boiling water seems to be my limit for what I can do. I throw in the beach asparagus a minute or two before the pasta is done. After I drain the water, I add some butter and grate parmesan cheese unless finding the grater seems like too much work.
The great thing about using foraged foods is they turn even the simplest meals into something special. You get “angel hair with beach asparagus,” which even to a restaurateur sounds appealing. Except to my daughter, that is; she would prefer noodles with butter.
• Corinne Conlon is a freelance writer based out of Juneau. She can be reached at dirtgirlgardening@gmail.com.
