QUANG NAM – Sitting on a cliff, despite the waves rushing over her wet body, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tam meticulously picked up each stalk of seaweed and put it in the basket.
Every day, Mrs. Tam, 51 years old, residing in Tam Quang commune, cycled nearly 5 km from her home to Tam Hai island commune, Nui Thanh district, picking seaweed and jam. From September to January of the next lunar year, at Ban Than rock rapids, jam is in season.
Wearing sandals, wearing a raincoat, Mrs. Tam walked along the rocky beach, seeing where green and black seaweed grew, she swooped down to pick it up. Her hands quickly pulled out the seaweed clinging to each stone. After about 15 minutes, she poured the seaweed into a plastic jar and continued to work until 9 am with the result of more than a kilogram of seaweed jam.
The kind of seaweed jam is very special, in any year of persistent rain and wind, the harvest is good. This year, less rain, less seaweed. Picking seaweed jam must depend on the water, when the tide is low, the open rocky beach can be picked. When the water rises, stop working. Every day, Mrs. Tam picks about 3-5 hours.
Mrs. Tam brought the seaweed home, washed it three times with fresh water, and put it in a cloth to squeeze out the water. After that, each stalk of seaweed was spread on a bamboo mat about 40 cm long and 25 cm wide to dry in the sky. “One kilogram of dried fresh seaweed is nearly two ounces of dried seaweed, selling for 250,000 VND per ounce,” she explained.
Living in the sea, there is no land to grow rice. In winter, boats stop working, so Mrs. Tam has no job. The work of picking seaweed gives her an income of several hundred thousand dongs per day.
Ms. Huynh Thi Thieu, 56 years old, residing in Tam Hai commune, also went from 5 am to 10 am to collect nearly 2 kg of seaweed, selling 200,000 VND. In her village, there were dozens of other people who went to Ban Than rock rapids to pick seaweed and jam. Some people use boats to go to Hon Mang and Hon Dua, nearly a kilometer away from Ban Than rock, to pick up a large amount.
This job does not have to invest much, just buy a pair of anti-slip sandals, a raincoat, a plastic basket and a container. However, due to frequent contact with rocks and sharp oyster shells, Ms. Thieu sometimes cuts her skin. “Because I have to bend for a long time, my back is tired, and it requires endurance to get a lot of seaweed,” she said.
The seaweed grows on the rapids, the low tide is usually near morning. Pickers have to wake up early, withstand wet and cold for many hours. “The rocky beach is slippery, the waves are constantly hitting, so you have to be careful. While picking seaweed, you have to observe regularly, if you stumble or meet a big wave swept into the sea, you will lose your life,” added Ms. Thieu.
In Tam Hai commune, someone was killed by a wave while picking seaweed. That’s why the pickers always go in groups to support each other.
Jam seaweed, also known as seaweed jam, black seaweed, scientific name is Porphyra , belongs to the red algae Rhodophyta , living and growing naturally in brackish water or shallow seawater.
This type of seaweed has a nutritional content that is dozens of times higher than that of other seaweeds because it contains amino acids, vitamins B, B2, A, C and trace elements and minerals necessary for the human body. Low fat content, very suitable for dieters and diabetics.
Jam can be processed into many dishes such as shrimp soup, minced meat, fresh fish, shrimp, mussels or tubers.
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