Clamming...

H

Hotrod

Joined
Mar 19, 2003
Messages
978
Hey guys,

Wondering about the survival skill aspect of clamming...

As much coast as the eastern seaboard has, the backwaters are loaded with clams!

I've never been claming but I've heard all ya need is a rake and a bucket... then throw em in the pot an boil/steam em :cool:

Might be worth looking into for a survival skill... as well as netting minnows an what not for bait on the surf side.

:cool:
 
Most intercoastal waters have tons of oyster beds. Only collect in months with an R. I myself would avoid September and April too if they were warm months that year. By the way you can eat them raw.

Make sure you have good shoes on and walk slowly. The beds will cut up the bottom of your shoes and walk slowly so you don't fall in a hole or low spot and cut your legs.

By the way there are numerous shell mounds from the Native Americans thoughout the southeast.
 
Yeah, I would think that any method of collecting natural foods and then knowing what to do with it once you've got it, would be a very big asset in a survival situation.
 
Bear in mind that clams and other shellfish are filter feeders, which means they extract their food by filtering it from the water they live in. This means that if there is a source of effluent nearby, they filter that as well, and pass the goodies (germs) along to whoever consumes them. At certain times of year, there are algae blooms such as "red tide". When a clam that has these algae in it's system is consumed by a human, it causes Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP), which is nearly always fatal to humans. I would strongly recommend that you check with local authorities before harvesting any shellfish.
 
I would also make sure that the clams shell is tightly closed before picking and then put them into some clean water so that they have a chance to clean themselves out.

:)
 
You don't need a rake or a bucket or something to boil them in.

You can dig them with your hands. I've done it hundreds of times. Go slowly and deliberately. Clamshells are like broken glass, work too quickly and you're going to get cut.

Clams can be carried in your hat or shirt or whatever. They can be roasted over the coals directly or boiled by putting down a layer of seaweed.

Everyone's cautions here regarding red tide and other nasties should be heeded.

Oh, and here you need a license to dig 'em.

Mike
 
I'll have to do some more looking at the local laws etc...

I'm pretty far from the beach, but I think I'd be more comfortable there then anywhere in a survival situation thats not involving the oceans dieing... :D

Something about bluefish that hit on an empty beer can!

:cool:
 
You can also find shell fish far from the ocean.Some rivers have fresh water clams .But as x39 mentioned make sure of the source.
 
I'd never thought about a freshwater clam... I guess they would still hide in a mud bank environement? Or sandy soil?

:confused:
 
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