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July 17, 1997 - Paul's Guide to Better ClammingJuly 17, 1997 • The Suffolk Times • 7A Paul's Guide to Better Clamming Have you gone clamming lately? It's one of those things that you have to be in the right mood and in the right spot to make it a successful adventure. Years back you could go to any of our creeks and get a mess of clams without worrying �OCU$ about pollution. Today you had On better check where you clam for if you Nature take clams from a contaminated area, by Paul you could get very, Stoutenburgh very sick. And sec- ondly, you might just get ticketed for clamming in an uncertified creek. So to play it safe, call this local telephone num- ber, 765 -3912, for a recording telling you what creeks are open and what creeks are closed to shellfishing. One more thing that has changed, and I don't mind it a bit, is if you are going shell - fishing in any of our town waters you must have a shellfish permit. You can get one at the Town Clerk's office in Southold. If you are a resident over 62 years of age or under 14 there is no charge. Now most of our creeks are rather large so it might take a while to find a good "spot." Once you've located it, the reward is there for the digging. Most people will use some sort of clam rake. I've got quite a few and, depending on who's pulling the rake, I size the person up and give the wide ones to the muscle men and the smaller ones to the women. Years ago all clam rakes were fashioned at the blacksmith shop, where long slen- der tongs were hammered out similar in shape to the top half of a question mark ( ?). These tongs all radiated out from the center, forming a rake with about one -inch openings between the tongs. As the era of the blacksmith faded, a more modern straight -tooth rake came into being. It was similar to our iron garden rakes but with a bit longer and thinner tooth. Attached to this is a basket of wire that collects the clams as you dig them. Old Method of Treading Where my son and I were going we did- n't use any sort of rake but fell back on the most ancient of all methods for digging clams and that was using our feet and hands. It's called treading. Where we were working we used mostly our hands, mov- ing through the sand or mud until we hit our prize. This method is not for every- one, for occasionally you might get cut or run into a crab or other unexpected crea- ture. Plus all the while you might be work- ing through all kinds of grass and debris that hold their own mystery, but I can assure you it is rewarding and this method lets you know the true story of this ancient art of clamming. Usually your whole body is submerged as you work your way along the bottom. We use a basket or some other sort of holder inside a tire tube or old life ring, anything that will float your bucket as you gather them up. Sometimes when the incoming tide catches you off guard and you are working in deep water, you'll have to submerge com- pletely to get down to your clam. It doesn't take you long until you learn the difference between a false alarm (rock or shell) and the true clam. I've seen commercial clam - mers dressed in wetsuits over in the Great South Bay treading for clams. They'll spend all day working in the water and still keep warm in their wetsuits. Clams come in different sizes. To be legal all must be one inch in thickness, so don't be caught with undersized clams or you'll be ticketed. The smallest legal - sized clams are called little necks and they're between three and four years of age. They are the most popular ones used for clams on the half shell. The next size are cherrystones and they are about five years old. The big granddaddies or chow- der clams are the ones from six to 15 years old or older. The daily legal take is 100 clams of any size. It is always nice to get a mixed batch, for then you can have clams on the half shell with a dash of sauce (with lots of horseradish) or the cherrystones can be steamed or broiled with a bacon strip on top. And, of course, the chowder clams can be used for what- ever type of chowder you enjoy, New England or Manhattan. We often grind up the big ones, using some fresh and freez- ing the rest for later. Our favorite is baked clams using the shells for the dishes to cook them in. Opening clams can be a hassle for some and many don't even attempt it. They just put them in a pot and boil them free. This tels the other day. I don't know how Barbara made them but they turned out great. I do know we used the ground -up clams as a base and fried them like pan- cakes. Then with a little butter and salt they made real good eating. It's about this time of the year that clams start to spawn. Hard clams grow in the brackish water of our creeks and bays. Brackish water is a combination of salt water and fresh water so that's why we don't get hard clams in the ocean. Likewise the surf clam that is found in the ocean isn't found in the bay. Each to its own, I guess. The female releases the eggs that drift until they come in con- tact with the spermatozoa of the male, which is released about the same time. Once contact is made fer- tilization is accom- plished. It takes a clam about three years to become mature enough to reproduce. The maximum age to which clams will grow, I'm told, is about 25 years. Once the eggs are fertilized the larvae are waterborne from six to 12 days and it is during this time all kinds of sea an- imals prey on them, particularly jelly- fish. When the swimming period ends they settle to the bottom where a whole new array of preda- tors pounce on them such as fish, periwin- kles, conchs, drills, starfish, all sorts of crabs and others. All this time the tiny lar- vae and later the small clams feed on the rich nutrients found in our bays and creeks. And so get that old clam rake out of the cellar or garage, put on an old pair of ten- nis sneakers and give clamming a try. If nothing else, you'll get cooled off in the water and, who knows, perhaps you'll wind up getting a nice mess of hard clams. Then it's clam chowder, clams on the half shell, baked clams or steamed clams or perhaps clam fritters, who knows? If you are not in the mood for clamming yourself, why not stop in at one of the local fish markets and buy a dozen or two, knowing that they are cer- tified and from our local waters, and then enjoy. Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh WELL -USED CLAM RAKE —This old -time clam rake has scratched out many a clam. Here it has pulled up one of the many predators that feed on young clams, the common sand crab. ■ w69w 9 wwL Y0% a II WWn wagon 75 Years Ago July 14, 1922 Mattituek Inn Sold: The Mattituck Harbor Inn was sold recently to Eugenia Sommermass and another of Weehawken, N.J. According to the deed filed in Riverhead the sale price was $28,000. The new owners are already in charge. Local News: The Greenport's Ladies' Village Improvement Society will hold a 15 cent tea in its new quar- ters, "The Rest Room," on Friday, July 21, from 3 to 5 p.m. Everyone is invited. Come and bring your fancy work and spend a pleasant afternoon. 50 Years Ago July 11, 1947 Interesting Bits of Greenport News: Starting on Monday and continuing through Saturday, the 19th, the Carnival Shows Inc. will exhibit at Greenport at the polo grounds. The carnival will be under the auspices of the Greenport Fire Department racing team, and the proceeds from the carnival will be used for the purpose of purchasing uniforms for the team. The racing team made an excellent showing at the recent North Fork Fireman's Tournament at Southold and the generous support of the public is needed to properly outfit the team. is okay, I guess, but I don't give it high marks in my book. The secret to opening clams is to have them chilled either by putting them on ice or laying them out on a tray in the refrigerator. Then by picking them up gently and working a good "clam knife" in the crack, you will usually have no problem. I must admit with the huge clams I need some help and a hammer comes in handy. Set the clam on end and put the knife on the crack. Then give it a whack! Once the knife is in the shell, you proceed to cut the two muscles that let you open the clam. By the way, we just had some clam frit- 25 Years Ago July 20, 1972 Shelter Island Ferry Will Ask Fare Increase: "It would only be a very slight increase," Frank Beckwith, Superintendent of the Shelter Island Heights Association said Wednesday of the requested rate raise on the ferries operating between Greenport and the island. The price of a car and dri- ver might go from the present one -day, round -trip rate of $2 to $2.25, and the one -way car and driver rate from $1.60 to $1.75. The company does not plan any rate raise in the com- muter ticket for car and drivers, for which the present five - day, round -trip rate, which is $7.25, and there would be no increase in the one -way passenger fare, which is now 20 cents. The ferry company has not made a change in rates in the past 12 years. During that time wage levels alone have doubled, going from $1.60 to $3.20 an hour. Local Oarsmen Heading For Olympic Trials: Joseph Townsend and Dick Curtis competed in the National Rowing Championships held in Philadelphia last weekend. Faced with competition from 20 boats from across the coun- try, the pair from Greenport finished third and were the sec- ond best U.S. boat. This weekend at the Olympic trials in Kent, Conn., they hope for a calmer course, and given flat water, conditions will more strongly favor the Greenport pair over the 1 1/4 -mile course. R Twin Forks Painting Painting F Interior /Exterior :y Special acts Staining Watersealing Powerwashing Free Estimates 734 -2722