February Clamming Trip

The Coast was opened again for clamming so off we went to the Beach. It was perfect. The drizzle didn't stop us from going out and it was daylight which made it great to see those little "v's" and divots. But first we settled in at the Doels and was able to enjoy Becky's Butterfly quilt in the room we were staying in.
I was prepared. I had my Boeing visor hat on to keep the mist off my glasses so I could see - a necessary thing. I had my rain gear on, gardening gloves (another necessary thing), clam gun, license, bag and most importantly my buddy, Phil.

Off I went - not waiting for Phil to put the camera away and come out to the water's edge.

It was fun. We got our limits, our aches and pains and great memories to get us through the cleaning process.

As you can see, Phil was very happy with the catch. We were on the beach a total of 45 minutes, from the time we drove on to the beach to the time we were driving off and on our way back to the house. 30 clams, 45 minutes, nice weather and a great relaxing time. Yep... very happy.

So after dinner, we needed to clean the clams and get them prepared for the freezer. Phil got the stock pot out, heated up the water and proceeded to dunk them for 10 seconds to get the shells warmed up and some of the sand out of the clams.

Then you put them in the cold water and ... tada.... the shells just fall off.

Ok, so maybe one or two are a little stubborn and stay on and you have to pull it off, but all in all, a great process.

I have lucked out so far when it comes to cleaning the clams. Usually the guys are outside cleaning them and us girls are preparing the meal or the packaging process or just doing some stitching. Well, the "guys" were just Phil so I helped him clean.

I wasn't too sure about this, but we did get a process going. I took the heads off, cut the clam in half and got the bottom to Phil where the really messy part was. An hour later, we were done.

So, now Phil says I am a true "clammer". I have caught them, cleaned them, cooked them and eaten them. Hummmmmmm - that means he isn't as he hasn't cooked them yet. Guess I will get a meal out of him so he can make that claim. :-) All in all, a great weekend. Looking forward to our next clam dig soon.