I was sitting on the subway feeling hot and tired after a long day selling seaweed at South Street Seaport. I unzipped my sweatshirt and immediately recalled unzipping my wetsuit on the motor boat ride home from a morning harvesting seaweed. I opened up my new book, the photographs revealed strong, tough looking men crossing South Street wet, cold and fishy. I though “how uncomfortable”. I hate being wet and cold. But I also though how necessary and interesting their work is. That moment in the hot subway I felt a wave of appreciation for my work out on the water. There is something inside of us that needs to be doing that work. I need to do work that pushes my body. Work that has a history to it. Larch has taught me to stay present in the work and I will keep practicing that. For me it is for the moment and the memory. Selling at the markets and sharing the story keeps the work alive.

The book South Street by Barbara G. Mensch is about the history of the Fulton Fish Market- the oldest fish market to have stayed at one location. It survived in Manhattan from 1822 to 2005. Barbara signed her book, to her left I sold seaweed and to her right Megan sold olive oil and vinegars. I gave out samples of a wakame salad made with a dressing Megan whipped up using her oil, vinegars and sea salts. Megan is going to sell my seaweed at her shop called Provisions on Beekman St. Many other shop owners showed interest in carrying my seaweed. That is something I will need to think about and plan for with next summers harvest. For now I am happy working my way into markets here and there selling directly to people and through my website.

I really love that seaweed harvesting has brought me to a historic place, South Street Seaport. The essence of the men that kept the fish market going for so many years is being kept alive by today’s vendors and an organization that values the public market.