Drain Plunger Flushes Clams from Their Lair without Harm

Posted by Wayne G. Barber 

 Ever since original native inhabitants of our great country, a "aborigine" first hauled several soft-shelled clams out of the muck of a tidal flat, laid them on coals of his cooking fire to stew in their own juices, and found them good, his descendants have striven to devise a quick and easy way to harvest the tasty bivalves.
  Some clams, the hard- shelled quahog for example, rest with a portion of their shell above the sand. Thus they are visible to the gatherer and may be easily plucked from the bottom, or if the water is murky they may be found by treading over the bottom barefoot or by using a special quahog rake.
 The wily steamer, or the soft-shell clam, hides several inches beneath the bottom, maintaining contact with the sea above through his long neck.
 The usual way to get steamers is to dig with one's hands in the shallow water on a mud flat above the tell-tale holes that mean the clams are down below.
 The hand-digging method has one major drawback, particularly for women who care about the condition of their hands. The muck in which the clams hide is usually loaded with small bits of shells. The invariable result is broken fingernails and cut fingers.
 Various tools, including spades, forks, shovels, and hoes, may be used to dig clams. Their primary drawback is that many of the fragile clam shells are broken in the process.
 The origin of the first major breakthrough in amateur clam-digging techniques is not known, although there are some residents of Wareham, Massachusetts, who say it began there. The tool is a common drain plunger. This ubiquitous household object, when agitated forcefully on a underwater clam bed, brings the creatures out of their lairs in a swirling caldron of water. There is no damage to the clams or your fingernails, and a plunger will last the average family several seasons.
 Some plunger devotees advocate making a large circular hole in the clam bed; others hold out for a trench. It's all a matter of individual preference. One can tell when the clams are uprooted, for they can be spotted as they swirl momentarily to the surface in the muddy whirlpool around the plunger before sinking to the bottom. After making the hole or trench, allow the water to clear and then gather the clams that will be resting on the newly plowed bottom like so many potatoes.
 Although the classic fate of the soft-shell clam is the clambake or steaming pot, it does make an excellent chowder.
 Procure enough clams to provide about two and a half cups of clam meats.( this could be as many as ten dozen small clams) and then steam them open. Remove the meats from the shells, skinning the necks in the process, and save a quart of the clam juice broth.
 Dice fine a quarter of a pound of salt pork and brown it in a large pot. Dice fine two medium sized potatoes and two medium size carrots and add the vegetables to the pot along with the clam broth, plus a one pound can of whole tomatoes.
 When the vegetables are almost done add a few sprigs of parsley, and when the cooking is over toss in the clam meats. Salt and pepper to taste afterward. This is a adequate amount for a family of five. Enjoy !

Count the Rings on the shell for the clams age.