A Note From Danielle

My alarm has been ringing since 5:15am. It’s now 6:00am and I am officially behind schedule. I swig my mouth with mouthwash, throw my hair in a clip, slide on leggings and a t-shirt, and am out the door. Thankfully, I packed the sixteen 5-gallon buckets, waders, and purple beach cart in my car the night before. I’m headed to First Ave to collect 80 gallons of fresh seawater.

Usually when I get to the beautiful shoreline of Asbury Park, I take a few moments to pause, drink up the salty air, and see if I can spot any whales or dolphins showing off in the distance. But not today. I need to get back to the Asbury Park Food Collective by 8:00am if I have any hope of filtering today’s sea water haul before going home to relieve my husband from Dad Duty so he can go to work.

I draw a symbol of gratitude in the sand and rush back to my car with four of the sixteen buckets in tow (it takes four trips!), shouting several “no thank you’s!” to the kind beach goers who ask if I need a hand. I give a quick wave to Rob at the Department of Public Works who’s always working hard to make sure the boardwalk is ready for the day, and am off on my merry way.

I unload my car at the collective, hose off the sandy buckets, and begin to run the day’s haul through our reverse osmosis machine (five times). It should take three hours exactly, which means I’ll only be home five minutes late. Tim, my husband, can be five minutes late to work today, I decide.

I jot down a few notes for Kim and Matt who will be coming by later to keep the salt production moving while I’m on Mom Duty, and hop in my car. I cross my fingers for only green lights, arrive home, run up the steps, and greet my husband who is tying his shoes so he can run out the door. We are in a 24 hour relay race together, except the baton happens to be our adorable but very rambunctious toddler.

Luckily, my son is ready for a nap. I give him some milk, turn on the sound machine, hum “You Are My Sunshine” three times, and lay him down in his crib. Out like a light.

It’s nearly noon and I haven’t eaten anything today yet. Thankfully, I was working the Asbury Fresh Farmer’s Market yesterday and picked up some goodies from other local vendors in between serving my own customers. I cut a slice of a Jersey Artisan baguette, layered it with a little mayonnaise, sliced cherry tomatoes from Morton Gardens, fresh basil from the pot on my balcony, and of course, Asbury Park Flake Sea Salt. I sit down on my couch, and take a bite.

For the first time today, I am still. It is an involuntary reaction to the burst of flavors fully captivating my taste buds, but so gratefully welcomed. The flake sea salt has pulled the juices and sweetness from the tomato, and drawn out the floral notes of the basil. The flavor is savory, deep, and rich. It tastes like summer. I close my eyes and let out a reflexive “mmm” as I slowly chew and savor this very special moment.

Many of our lives, mine included, are often consumed by a rush that forces us to scarf down our food, and eat to be full and without fully enjoying the experience. But, Asbury Park Sea Salt has helped me discover that we only need a few simple but high quality ingredients to have extraordinary culinary experiences everyday.

Asbury Park Sea Salt is one of those ingredients. Despite an inevitable rush on some of my morning hauls, my team and I are meticulous about quality. We harvest, sort, and jar all flakes by hand in small batches to preserve the delicate crystal texture. We pick out any crystals that are not up to our flaky standards and reboil them. We share notes on any conditions that affect the texture, like humidity, and adjust our dehydrator settings to accommodate. A handwritten note on our white board reads, “I <3 salt!” and we truly do.

Not only is this sea salt special because of where it comes from and how it’s made, but because the delicate but gently crunchy sea salt flakes deepen the flavor of whatever you put it on, making it taste more of itself. It’s truly magical.

What’s your favorite food? Try it finished with flake sea salt and you’ll experience a richer, deeper flavor. Whether it's sweets, fresh seasonal produce, pasta, salad, meat, fish, eggs, you name it, try it with flake sea salt and see how it makes you feel. Have you ever had a banana with peanut butter and flake sea salt? It’s out of this world. My nieces and nephews can’t have their PB&J without Asbury Park Sea Salt!

I understand we live in a busy world, and that there’s not always time to make deliciously elaborate meals. But, it is my greatest desire that throughout all of life’s chaos, you'll discover that all you need is a pinch of Asbury Park Sea Salt on a simple dish, and you’ll have found a moment to savor. 

You deserve it.

Enjoy,
Danielle Hickson
Founder, Asbury Park Sea Salt