This Month's Books

Sea Vegetable Gourmet Cookbook & Wildcrafter's Guide by Eleanor & John Lewallen

Anyone even remotely interested in west coast seaweeds should get Pacific Seaweeds, a new (2000) field guide from Harbour Publishing by Louis Druehl. It's got color, drawings, a few recipes and healthy doses of humor.

However, since this is the cooking issue, I'll also mention Eleanor & John Lewallen's Sea Vegetable Gourmet Cookbook & Wildcrafter's Guide. It has a wide selection of great recipes and helpful notes on harvesting seaweeds responsibly. The authors have been harvesting and selling seaweeds from the California coast for many years and provide excellent tips on the best times, places and ways to gather an assortment of the most popular species. Mixed in is a rambling of New Age philosophy essays, food for thought as you munch marinated sea palm with roasted red peppers or gobble down delicious nori tempura.

For a more detailed review of this book see the Bryan Nichols article in this month's issue.

Sea Vegetable Gourmet Cookbook & Wildcrafter's Guide Eleanor & John Lewallen,
Mendocino Sea Vegetable Company, 1996 128p, $19.95 US ISBN 0-9647643-7-7, www.seaweed.net .

Harbour Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1- 55017-260-3

Web: www.harbourpublishing.com

Kayak Cookery by Linda Daniels

Linda Daniel captures the uniqueness of paddling a 'big cooler' while capitalizing on the bounty of sea and shore. She helps you prepare for every situation from feasting with friends to "extra-easy" meals when there's no time or energy to cook. Daniel outlines what gear is essential, how to package and protect your food and how to provision for short and longer trips. The narrative is packed with great hints; the recipes range from French Toast and Goulash to Fresh Artichokes and Crab Benedict. First written a decade ago, this handbook contains current concepts, though brand names and availability may have changed. Linda Daniel is a home economist and paddling buddy of veteran sea kayaker Randal Washburne, receiving his rave reviews.


Menasha Ridge Press, 2nd printing, 1997. ISBN 0-89732-236-3. 200 pp., $12.95 US. (800) 247-9437. gwalton@menasharidge.com

Kayak Cookery : A Handbook of Provisions... can be bought at Amazon.com

Kayak Cooker : A Handbook of Provisions can be bought at Chapters.ca (Canadian site and Canadian dollars)

Living Off the Sea by Charles White.

Most recreational boaters are familiar with Charlie White's books on seafood (How to Catch Crabs, How to Catch Salmon...)-they are inexpensive, informative and written with a relaxed style. "Living Off The Sea" has a bit of everything in it, with chapters on crabs, shrimp, oysters, clams, salmon, bottomfish-all the essentials. There are also brief but helpful sections on exotic seafoods, "undesirable" fishes and seashore survival food. While certainly not exhaustive (the seaweed section is thin indeed), it is well suited for kayakers who are curious about gathering or catching different types of seafood. If you find something you really like you can pursue your interest with more specific books.

1998 by Charles White. Heritage House. ISBN 0-919214-77-0. 124 pp w b/w diagrams. $11.95.

Living Off the Sea can be bought at Amazon.com

Living Off The Sea  can be bought at Chapters.ca (Canadian site and Canadian dollars)

A comprehensive one burner recipe guide with updated stove buying guide.

Harriet Baker, Contemporary Books, ISBN 0- 8092-5883-8 1975, newly revised, b/w illus., 294 pp, $14.95 US, $21.95 Cdn.

The One-Burner Gourmet can be bought at Amazon.com

The One-Burner Gourmet   can be bought at Chapters.ca (Canadian site and Canadian dollars)

A compact, straightforward guide to outdoor cooking, with tips, tricks and recipes.

Cliff Jacobson, 2nd edition, Globe Pequot Press, 1999, ISBN 0-7627-0426-8, 71 pp, b/w illus., $7.95 US.

The Basic Essentials of Cooking in the Outdoors can be bought at Amazon.com

The Basic Essentials of Cooking in the Outdoors can be bought at Chapters.ca (Canadian site and Canadian dollars)

Fernbank Publishing 2001. ISBN 0-9688890- 0-X, softcover, B&W, 95 pp.

This is a handy and interesting guide to historical sites, hiking trails, and the chain of lakes on beautiful Quadra Island, BC. It covers everything from the geological origins of the island to recent history. The authors include a section on "Island Seasons" which explores some of the natural occurrences of each month.

New Holland Publishers (NZ) 2001. ISBN 1-877246-71- 9, paperback, color, 173 pp. $29.95 NZ

This concise book details over 75 kayaking trips on New Zealand's scenic upper North Island. It features over 20 maps and color photos, as well as information on safety, weather, & equipment. It also includes advice on trip preparation, points of interest and route information.