Making your own Sea Salt
There as several methods used commercially for this process
but this article focuses on the smaller methods aimed at the self sufficient
individuals.
Salt flats
or "Salines"
These are shallow ponds a couple of inches
below sea level near the shore where water can be allowed to flow into them and
then blocked off so that it remains trapped with no new replenishment until the
level has dropped in the ponds and high tide water is allowed to flow in again.
Generally these need to be in an area wind a fair amount of drying wind (the
reason there were virtually no trees on the Turks and Caicos Island until
recently as this was their industry - tree cutting not recommended). This cycl
is repeated until the brine becomes so salty that ibegins to form crystals which
form on the bottom. These are then scaped up into piles and shoveled into bucket
and carried ashoe where it is further dried. The ponds need to have a berm
around them to prevent fresh water from rein from flowing into them and diluting
the brine.
Boiling
This simply putting sea water in a large pot
and boiling it until all the moisture is gone and only salt crystals are left
behind. This takes an enormous amount of energy and should only be done in
regions were renewable forest energy is plentiful. While boiling the scum
is scraped of and dried and becomes "Bittern"
which is used in
Tofu production
Dip and dry
A simple method is to take a coarse absorbent
piece of cloth (cotton) and dip it into the sea and the hang this up to dry,
When it is dry there will be salt crystals which can be scraped off and used.
Works best with a square piece that is suspended by all 4 corners resulting a
concentration of crystals in the center.
| 
