SUMMER FUN ON THE HALF-SHELL
Expert clammer offers tips for seaside gleaners
by Shauna LaFauci
(Boston, Mass.) -- Everyone needs an occasional escape from the world of cell phones, e-mail, and information overload. One person might garden, another practice yoga -- activities that reward the mind, body, and soul. For some, the simple act of digging clams leads to inner tranquility.
One man found so much personal satisfaction in what he calls "the art of clamming" that he wrote a book about it. Christopher Reaske, vice president for development and alumni relations at Boston University, is the author of the newly re-issued and updated The Compleat Clammer and its companion, The Compleat Crab & Lobster Book (Burford Books).
"For me, the spiritual reward of clamming comes from standing still, alone at the edge of the water on a long stretch of deserted beach, or walking slowly through an inland saltwater marsh at low tide feeling very much at peace with an unchanging part of the world," he says. The follow-up -- family and friends gathered around a clam dinner -- is another great incentive, he adds.
People have been clamming since before recorded history. "There's something irresistible about putting on old shorts, and spending a summer day gathering a meal from the sea," according to Reaske. "It's simplicity itself -- there's nothing mysterious or complicated about finding, opening, and preparing clams and other shellfish. While not as dramatic as reeling in a big catch, clamming is perhaps a more soothing -- and reliable -- source of pleasure."
Reaske has been perfecting his clamming style for more than 20 years and jokes that his books were written entirely at high tide -- low tide being prime clamming hours. His book demonstrates how a few simple tools and techniques can fill the pail efficiently: a pointed spade, a clam rake, a floating container -- such as a mesh bag or wire basket suspended from an inner tube -- and patience make seaside foraging fruitful.
The most-commonly gathered shellfish, the soft-shell clams known as steamers, can be deceptively challenging to dig, he says. These sand and mud-flat dwellers are found in the ocean's intertidal zone (the area between low and high tide) as well as in salt marshes from Labrador to North Carolina and California to Alaska.
The challenge comes when the creatures sense footsteps above them and dig deeper and surprisingly quickly into sand and mud to avoid predators. Because of this, Reaske notes, they must be gathered at low tide, when they rest between six and nine inches from the surface.
Reaske recommends beginning the hunt as close to the water's edge as possible, so you can move up as the tide comes in. Avoid sites of recent clamming -- the signs are mounds of sand that haven't had a chance to be leveled by the tide. Since clams tend to live in colonies, look for a group of holes in the sand that have several inches between them, indicating good-sized clams.
"The trick," he explains, "is to use a pointed spade and begin a steep, deep hole close to the water; a little water in the hole will loosen hard-packed sand, but not obscure digging. As you begin to dig, the clams are making their escape, so work quickly, using your hands to widen the hole in a circular shape." This will reveal steamers suspended vertically, almost as if they are stacked on a shelf.
The Compleat Clammer also describes how to harvest other popular bivalves, such as mussels, oysters, and scallops. While summertime is probably the best time for clamming, it can be a year-round activity. "Oysters, for instance, are even better catches in the late fall and early winter," says Reaske, "when they're fattening up for procreation."
Although some consider clamming a New England tradition, all coasts offer clamming opportunities. Just about any stretch of salt water is home to mussels, clams, or oysters. Reaske's personal favorite clamming grounds are the tidal flats of Shelter Island, off Long Island, N.Y. A complete day of shellfishing might include digging steamers at low tide; wading out to pick up oysters, which rest on the bottom, as the tide rises; then harvesting mussels, which cling to rocks, mud flats, bunches of washed-up kelp, and each other, as the tide comes in.
For the first-timer or for the out-of-town clammer and crabber, Reaske notes it's essential to find out about local regulations governing these activities. In Massachusetts, each town has its own restrictions and permits; in other places, a state agency sets regulations, quotas, and legal-size rules. Agencies and townships will also know where it's safe to go clamming and crabbing. Reaske's web site, http://www.bu.edu/news/clamming/, directs fellow shellfishers to tide charts, clamming locations, and even his favorite recipes.
"Clamming is a spiritual experience," says Reaske. "Like many simple things in life, it can be learned by a child but takes years to perfect." He warns, however, that its simplicity can become addictive. Reaske reminisces how many years ago he had to be dragged along on his first clamming outing. Late in the day, his friends could barely drag him away -- "I kept saying, 'just one more.'"
- 30 - July 30, 1999 850 words
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