Best tools to cut wet kelp?

[tara_copp]

Hi everyone! I'm really glad to join this group! I am just in the beginning stages of understanding kelp and will be receiving a small wet sample from a farmer I intend to cut and then let dry. Will a good new pair of garden shears be strong enough, and if I graduate to larger samples, do you have any recommendations on a good chopping/ milling machine for kelp I should purchase? Thank you! Tara 

[jwhis]

@tara_copp - Welcome Tara! Because you have such a specific question, I've moved your question to the "Processing & Markets" topic for better visibility!

[grace_collery]

@tara_copp - Great question! To start, shears will probably work, albeit very slowly. Wet kelp is very challenging to work with and there isn't very much small-scale equipment out there that's appropriate. People chopping kelp on a commercial scale have used Urschel machines to shred and slice it. Kelp must be very dry in order to mill it, or it will gum up a machine. The recommended type of mill is a hammer mill (blade/burr/stone mills will not work). I hope this is a helpful starting point; keep us posted!

[suzie_flores]

@tara_copp Hey Tara, sugar kelp can be cut with shears easily as well as a pizza cutter or pasta noodler. When I harvest from my farm I use a small knife. Different kelp species will have different thickness of kelp tissue.
I dry for myself in a sunny window (the kelp, when patted dry with a towel will be crispy in a few hours) and dry commercially in a dehydrator.
Many farmers i know also dry bulk amounts in a greenhouse. Let me know if you have more questions about drying. Happy to help.

[charles_westcott]

@tara_copp What is your goal? Are you cooking with kelp or looking to build a production facility to handle tons?