Eating and Conserving

About a week ago, we arrived in Husvik, an abandoned whaling station on the Northern side of South Georgia. Mama, Adam, Rabbit, and I went ashore, leaving Daddy on anchor watch. As the dinghy landed, a man walked up to us from the old whaling manager's house. He introduced himself as Ken and led us inside. There we met three other people. They were in Husvik to study and eradicate invasive plants that must have come ashore at the whaling station, 200 meters away from the house. We invited them to dinner on Sila, and they offered to bring a dandelion leaf salad. Deciding that there was no point rushing back to the boat, we went with them to learn how to pick dandelion leaves for consumption. Just as we were leaving, they offered to bring some reindeer meat. They only received enthusiastic replies from us. When they arrived, our meal turned out to be pan-fried reindeer, pan-fried Patagonian Tooth-fish (Chilean Sea Bass), dandelion leaf salad, and peach crisp.

All of the meal, except for the dessert, was not only from South Georgia, but also benefitted the local environment. Two years ago, 8,000 reindeer, an introduced species, were round up and shot in a successful attempt to eradicate them from South Georgia. The reindeer were introduced to provide sport and food for the whalers. The problem with the reindeer was that they trampled vegetation, collapsed burrowing-bird nests, and ate tussock grass, which is an important habitat for many native species. Some of the meat was saved and now feeds people working on South Georgia or is sold to people in the Falklands/Malvinas. After being quickly cooked, it was a delicious, tender, red meat. It was, as Mama tells me, more like elk than deer.

The toothfish was a small specimen that had been studied in the King Edward Point Research Center. When we visited, they gave us this completely gutted and cleaned frozen fish. It defrosted and came right out of the pan onto our plates. With a little salt and pepper, it was perfect. And if you have ever had Chilean Sea Bass at a restaurant in the U.S., then you have enjoyed this delicious fish too. It is worth noting that the Patagonian Toothfish fishery around South Georgia is carefully monitored and is one of the most stable fisheries in the world, according to the folks at the British Antarctic Survey laboratory.

When the Norwegians put a small hand full of Norwegian soil on the graves of their deceased countrymen, they unwittingly introduced the dandelion. Additional seeds were probably introduced when machinery, hay for the livestock, tools and clothes from Norway and other places were brought ashore in South Georgia. Dandelion, with the little flying white seeds, flew over all of South Georgia. With the powerful winds in the Southern Ocean, one seed could fly the length of the island. Glaciers, a barrier to most plants and animals, were simply places that could not grow dandelions, not an impassable wall. The dandelion leaves we had collected were diced up into tiny little pieces. Mayonnaise and a collection of little goodies, like bacon and homemade croutons, were added to cut the bitterness. Our four visitors, who were here to kill weeds, joked that this was how they kept weeds in check: by eating them.

Even the peach crisp contributed, as it fed people who are working to eradicate invasive species. In addition to the fact that our consumption of this meal helped the South Georgia environment, it was an exceptional meal, even by Sila's high standards.

If you are inclined to find Husvik on Google Earth, the coordinates for our anchorage are as follows: 54°10.97'S and 36°42.40'W. - Porter