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There’s sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami.  Umami is the earthy robust taste sensation that became official in 2000.  Identified in 1909 by Japanese chemist, Kikunae Ikeda, the translation means roughly “delicious taste”.  It’s a meaty, savory, deep taste and when you add umami to your cooking you add a robust depth.

Our umami taste begins with glutamate, which is an amino acid.  Seaweeds are very high in glutamate as well as fermented sauces like soy, miso and worcestershire.  Aging also brings out umami.   Aged cheeses, cured meats including bacon and prosciutto will bring a pop of flavor to whatever you are cooking.  The cool thing is you don’t need a lot of an umami rich ingredient to add complexity to whatever you are preparing.

Seaweeds are one of the best ways to get umami into your diet.  Maine produces all kinds of seaweeds from fresh to frozen to dried.  Maine is actually number one in the country for seaweed production and our seaweeds are valued worldwide for their quality and flavor.  It’s our cold, mineral rich waters that make our seaweeds so sought after.

One cold July day out on Gotts Island with the wood stove going we made a soup with a base of local seaweed.  It was simple, we just put a bunch of seaweed in our stockpot and fired up the wood stove.  After a few hours, we strained the broth and added some root vegetables.  The soup was thick, rich and yummy.  Just what we needed on a cold summer day.

If you want to try a little Umami flavor in your everyday cooking I recommend Dulse flakes.  Dulse is a slightly purple seaweed full of minerals, vitamins and those elusive trace elements.  The flakes resemble coarsely ground black pepper and you can simply sprinkle on whatever you want.  It will enhance pasta, rice and potato dishes and honestly no one will suspect you have boosted both nutrition and flavor.

I know this is going to sound a little radical but I love adding seaweeds, especially dulse flakes to anything I am baking but especially chocolate.  I like to make brownies from scratch but last spring after volunteering brownies for a meeting I realized I just didn’t have time.  I bought a mix and livened it up with the addition of a tablespoon of dulse flakes soaked in dark rum.  If it sounds a bit weird think of all the gourmet chocolate bars with sea salt added.  Trust me, it’s divine.  

If you want to learn more about umami and seaweeds here are some great websites

http://www.umamiinfo.com/

http://www.seaweedcouncil.org

It’s the 100th anniversary of Acadia National Park and this is something to celebrate.   One hundred years ago, the deeds to the land that is now Acadia were given to President Woodrow Wilson.   Like all our parks, Acadia has an interesting history, and Acadia is our only national park to begin with donations from individual families donating parcels of land.  The island of Mt Desert was populated by wealthy landowners who summered in “cottages”.  These cottages were large mansions with plenty of room for family, guests and servants.  These summer visitors were know as “summercators” or “rusticators”.  Most of the original families have last names Americans are familiar with including Rockefeller, Morgan, Ford and Vanderbilt.

Living near a national park is a combination of joy, wonder and frustration.  I talked with Carly on the phone yesterday and she planned on making shampoo bars except she was out of rubber gloves.  She’d spent the day before buying groceries in Bar Harbor and parking was such an issue she couldn’t go back.  The last time I drove thru Bar Harbor I was struck by the beauty of the mountains in the distance and then freaked about cars and people.  That’s the frustrating bit about living in a totally breathtaking place.

And then there is the beauty.  Most people think of Maine as summer, beaches, lobsters and blueberries.  Maine is stunning during the short but oh so sweet summer months.  But Maine, and Acadia is beautiful all year round.  In fact, I enjoy fall the best.  Summer is such a busy season and you are always figuring out alternative routes and stressing about parking.  How much extra time do you need to allow to catch your boat?  You can never get that question answered correctly.

Something happens in the fall with the light.  Out on Gotts Island the days become magical in September and sunny October days.  Perhaps it’s the shortness and the crisp wind but wandering the roads, lobster boats in the horizon is one of my life’s simple pleasures.

My seaweed journey began because I was searching for a natural solution to my chronically itchy scalp.  I'd tried everything- doctors, medicated shampoos and grocery store shampoos.  Nothing really worked and often I was left with bad looking hair.  For over 2 years I have used our Seaweed Shampoo Bars and my scalp and hair have relaxed into happy.

There are many factors that can cause an itchy scalp.  This is because we are all individuals.  

Some causes for itchy scalp are-

• dandruff
• allergy or sensitivity to the ingredients in your haircare products
• stress
• hormones
• reactions to hair dyes

In general, natural products are better.  In our modern world, we can't avoid chemicals but take time to read labels.  Strong chemicals can lead to dryness and this increases scalp irritation.  Make sure you go beyond your shampoo and check out all your haircare products.  

For me, stress often played a factor and I would be caught in a vicious circle of trying all kinds of products, having bad hair days and then trying a new product or visiting a doctor.  I was willing to try anything and that's how I discovered seaweed.

Seaweeds have many benefits for our hair including-

• naturally detoxes and I like to think restocks with essential trace minerals and vitamins
• natural antiseptic properties
• contains iodine which heals dry skin and eczema
•  adds natural moisture which can increase luster and shine

I still sometimes get an itchy scalp.  Usually when I'm super busy or going thru a stressful time.   This is a reminder to slow down, hydrate and take some deep breaths. One of the biggest benefits of using seaweed for me is how much happier I am with my hair.  I've come to accept and love my unruly, curly hair and that is a good thing.

Of course, Maine seaweeds are the best.  Carly hand harvests our seaweeds from the cool, mineral rich waters surrounding Gotts Island near Acadia National Park. 

Dulse & Rugosa is a mother and daughter business with our feet firmly planted on a small Maine island.   In fact, Carly was just about born on remote Gotts Island thirty years ago.  Back in those days- this is before cell phones and internet our only way of communicating was a CB radio with a link to the Camden Marine Operator.   Gotts is one of the super remote islands with no ferry, real cars (by that I mean inspected regularly) and no electricity except from the sun.  So, when it was near Carly's due date, we thought about the tides a lot!  In my experience, it is always low tide out on Gotts when you really need to get off.

We'd already decided on Carly's name- I knew she would be a girl.  She is named after our dear island neighbor, Carl.  When my contractions started we knew it was time to get off.  Wondering about the tide?  Low of course.  This meant we had to go around another island which was an extra 20 minutes.  We left at dawn and the sky was brilliant- one of the rare occasion I've seen the Aurora Borealis. The thought went through my mind to name her Aurora but she has always, even in my tummy been Carly.

We had a few more adventures on the way to the midwife including our car overheating and needing to call for a tow.  We started at dawn but Carly wasn't born until six that evening.  I guess she wanted to wait until all the chaos had settled.  The next day, we headed back to the island.  Of course, it was low tide again and we had to land on an awkward beach.  A kind neighbor gave us a ride up the hill in his WWll jeep.

Because Carly spent her early years roaming the fields, forest and shores of the island she has a deep love of place.  Dulse and Rugosa started with this love of place.

Our mission reflects the experiences and joys of Maine island living.

At Dulse & Rugosa our mission is to bring you nourishing and effective skincare made with botanicals harvested from our Maine island home.  From our farm, our island shores and the sea we gather hardy Maine plants with benefits to your skin, hair and scalp.  Our botanicals include four varieties of Maine seaweeds, hand harvested from our mineral rich waters.  Dulse & Rugosa, nourishing body and soul.

At Dulse & Rugosa our mission is to bring you nourishing and effective skincare made with botanicals harvested from our Maine island home.  From our farm, our island shores and the sea we gather hardy Maine plants with benefits to your skin, hair and scalp.  Our botanicals include four varieties of Maine seaweeds, hand harvested from our mineral rich waters.  Dulse & Rugosa, nourishing body and soul.