Clamming is a popular family activity in many coastal regions.
Making your own clam chowder is a culinary adventure, and it's even more adventurous if you dig your own clams for it. Digging for clams -- or "clamming" -- is a popular year-round pastime in many coastal areas around the world. Many different species of clam can be used for chowder, but the technique for finding clams and digging them out of the sand is pretty much the same no matter whether you're going for Little Necks in Maine or razor clams in Oregon.
Instructions
1. Ask at a local sporting goods store whether a clamming license is required in that area, and buy one if it is. Be sure to find out what the daily catch limits are, and where the best digging areas -- or "clam flats" -- are likely to be. Finally, ask for the hours of low tide at the time of year you're digging.
2. Put on your rubber boots and take your shovel or hoe, your bucket and your clamming license down to the clam flat at low tide.
3. Go down near the water line and look for signs of clams beneath the surface. These will be quarter-size holes in the sand, sometimes surrounded by a raised area of sand that looks like a doughnut. You may also see clams squirt water in the air if they're disturbed by noise on the surface.
4. Stick your shovel or hoe into the sand about 6 inches away from the hole in the sand, on the seaward side. Excavate toward the hole until you find the clam itself, being careful not to break the shell with the shovel. Grab the clam by the shell with your hand and drop it in the bucket.
5. Gather clams that are about 4 or 5 inches in length. Do not keep broken clams, clams with open shells, or clams that smell putrid -- these are all signs the clam is already dead and starting to decay. Be sure not to gather more than your legal limit of clams.
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