I read this and it brought back fond memories of mine from the years I spent summers at Ninigret Conservation Area clam digging in the shallow inland ponds. I used to get a non-resident shellfish license and get a peck a day and a few crabs (illegal ones!). That area used to be one of the hidden gems in the beautiful state of Rhode Island.
That touched a nerve.
In the early 1960's, Barrington RI was our family gathering place. My Folks had a place in Barrington RI, on 100 acre cove. My extended family, and DW's extended family gathered for a seafood feast... probably 25 to 30 people. We'd plan for low tide.
My mom and Aunt Winnie, commandeered the two rowboats,
w/two kids each to go out to the marsh for crabs... poling the boat and netting the crabs... tossed into the bottom of the boat, 'til it was full... maybe 40 crabs.
The rest of us did the clamming. So here's how you clam:
Best at low tide, in about 30 inches of water. The bottom is sandy/muddy. You "scootch" down and wiggle your feet in the mud, pushing forward, until you feel something hard, which is always a clam. Now, with the water up to your neck, your hands spread out in the guck, picking clams of all sizes. Each person has a burlap gunny sack, to carry the clams. Sometime, one hand can pick up three or four clams. With 12 people doing this, the sacks are filled in a short time. Some of the littlest kids had to stay closer to shore, but they still picked their share. In all, probably a bushel and a half... About 70 pounds.
While RI clams are all the same, they are classified by size:
Little Neck: The smallest size of clam, amounting to 7-10 clams per pound.
Cherry Stone: A little larger, you'll get 6-10 cherry stone clams per pound.
Top Neck: These are sometimes also labeled as count neck clams, and they equal roughly 4 clams per pound.
Quahog: These big guys are also called chowder clams and weigh in at a mighty 2-3 clams per pound.
To feed 25 people, you need a lot of clams. Mom did the clam chowder... Rhode Island Clam chowder... best in the world. We all... who had the nerve, drank clam juice cocktails... (just plain clam juice)... Uncle buddy, opened up the littlenecks and the cherrystones, for everyone who could... slurp them down... cold and raw. My dad could have eaten all of them. Aunt Alice made the fried clams.. in a big pot, on the outside grille, and Aunt lillian boiled the crabs. All in all, the meal lasted about 2 hours.
I don't remember too much about permits or limits back then, but one of my cousins eventually became the manager of the South County Conservation Dept. of Fisheries.
Thanks for bringing back the memories.
