Indians today descended on Southport Beach to harvest Samphire, Monday 10 August 2015.
This visiting party come each year from Leicester to gather as much Samphire as they can before the tide comes in.
Samphire is harvested from June to September, along the Southport and Banks’ salt marshes and mud flats.
You can no purchase Samphire in supermarkets such as Morrisons, the current price is £12 per kilo, this has risen from £7 in 2014.
It is now used widely in restaurants around the region, such as The Vincent and the Highwayman Inn.
Also known as Glasswort, is a succulent edible seaweed that is considered a local delicacy and has been harvested in the north west for many decades.
In the old days, samphire ashes were used to make soap and glass (hence its other old English name, “glasswort”.
In the 14th century glassmakers located their workshops near regions where this plant grew, since it was so closely linked to their trade.
Samphire is known for its digestive and anti-flatulent properties.
It’s known samphire is useful in curing ailments relating to ill digestions and obstructions.
It contains diuretic and depurative properties and is rich in iodine, phosphorus, calcium, silica, zinc, manganese and vitamins A, C and D.
When pickled in the early years, it was often taken along by sailors on ocean voyages to combat scurvy.
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