Waterbody

SPRING FORAGING GUIDE 4/4

In southcentral and southeast Alaska, fiddleheads typically emerge from late April through mid-May depending on elevation. The window is short — once they begin to unfurl, they're past their prime.

Raw fiddleheads can cause digestive upset, so always cook them first. Before cooking, rinse your fiddleheads well and rub off any remaining papery husks. Then boil or blanch them for 10–15 minutes, or steam them until tender. From there, the world is your oyster — sauté them in butter with garlic and a squeeze of lemon, toss them into a stir fry with spring nettles, or serve them simply as a side dish. Their flavor is earthy and bright, a little like asparagus with a wild green edge, and they pair beautifully with the kinds of rich, savory flavors that feel so restorative after a long Alaskan winter.

Get the full guide on our blog: https://akwaterbody.com/blogs/journal/3-edible-wild-plants-to-forage-in-alaska-this-spring

What plants do you love to forage?

SPRING FORAGING GUIDE 3/4

Look for the fresh, brighter yellow new growth of spring popweed attached to rocky substrate in the mid-tidal zone. This early growth stage of the seaweed is tender, succulent, and tasty when sauteed up and added to stir fried vegetables. You could also dry the seaweed and grind it up to use as a savory umami-rich flavoring.

Harvest spring popweed by snipping bunches of it off above the seaweed’s holdfast - that “root” which attaches the seaweed to a rock. Be sure to leave enough plant material behind for the seaweed to continue growing.

What do you love to forage?

SPRING FORAGING GUIDE 2/4

Look for fireweed shoots in May, just as they're emerging from the soil. Once the plant reaches knee height or higher, the shoots become too fibrous to enjoy. Early shoots can be harvested and eaten in the spring – sautéed in butter and garlic with a texture similar to asparagus.

Pinch off fresh shoots just emerging from the soil - but be sure to leave some plant material behind, and always leave several plants untouched within a patch of fireweed to ensure the community continues to thrive!

Get the full guide on our blog: https://akwaterbody.com/blogs/journal/3-edible-wild-plants-to-forage-in-alaska-this-sprin

What do you love to forage?

SPRING FORAGING GUIDE 1/4

Wear gloves when harvesting!

Enjoy stinging nettles sautéed with garlic and butter, chopped and added to soups, blended into a green smoothie, or whipped up with garlic and oil into a delicious spring greens pesto. Steaming, blanching, boiling, drying, or pureeing nettles renders their sting inert, so you can enjoy their earthy green flavor and rich nutrients without fear of a stinging belly.

If you prefer to drink your nettles, dry them in a food dehydrator or on cookie sheets in the sun and crumble into a jar to use as a loose leaf tea through the winter.

Check out the full guide on our blog: https://akwaterbody.com/blogs/journal/3-edible-wild-plants-to-forage-in-alaska-this-spring

What do you love to forage?

It's almost time to start foraging wild plants!
Here are 4 of our favorites to forage and eat.
You'll notice a trend - everything is delicious sauteed in garlic and butter 😂
Get the full guide on our blog: https://akwaterbody.com/blogs/journal/3-edible-wild-plants-to-forage-in-alaska-this-spring

I need your help! We want to release some new formulas this year, and my mind has been swirling with ideas. Help me decide which to make next!

Should we start with:

🍄A clay facial mask + coordinating facial oil infused with functional mushrooms? (to expand our Boreal Forest collection)

or

🌊A kelp infused facial oil to go with our Deep Blue Sea facial mask?

or (plot twist)

❣ Something else we haven't even thought of yet?

Let us know in the comments :)

Stress less, breathe more. ✨ Calm Body Balm blends lavender, chamomile & lemon balm to soothe your body and quiet your nervous system.
https://akwaterbody.com/products/calm-body-balm

Bar soap for people who hate bar soap (that used to be me, before Waterbody)