day 377 – four kinds of seaweed from hokkaido

1. “Kuki Wakame” – seaweed stems  (top left)

- fantastic in salads with ume or ponzu dressing

2. “Tororo Kombu” – pickled, shredded kombu kelp (top right)

- used in soups, on udon or soba noodles, and rice

3. “Gagome Kombu” – brownish, very sticky kelp with fronds like basket mesh (bottom left)

- hailed locally as a super-food, high in anti-oxidants, eaten in soup, on rice

4. “Mekabu Kombu” – the thick, ruffled part near the root of the seaweed plant (bottom right)

- wild grown and hand-harvested, eaten in soup or in salads, on rice or noodles