Keeping busy in the era of Covid-19

tod osier

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We had a couple freezer filler clam trips on the equinox tides.

With the Snowgoose and Skeet after a successful trip.
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Mother, son and dog with clams.
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Chauffeured back to the ramp.
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You should hear this next portion in your head in the voice of Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue.

Steamed clams.
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Clam paella.
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Clams on the fire (one of our favorite ways to eat clams).
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Clams on the fire.
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Clams for freezing.
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Ground clams.
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Clam meat portioned to make chowder.
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And now youth turkey. Gus and I were out 4 times this week and worked birds two mornings off the roost and had another bird that we had gobbling but could not get to commit. We did a big hike running and gunning yesterday with Jen and finally found a receptive bird for Gus.

Spring woods.
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Found some of these.
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The hunter.
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TURKEY!!!!
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Turkey cracklings. Definitely worth doing, and although not very photogenic, they certainly went fast!
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Deep fried turkey nuggets as requested by the hunter.
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The meal. Turkey and garden lettuce.
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Looks like a full plate! Pun intended, lol. Jealous particularly of the morels. Though I?ve searched I have never seen them in my part of NJ.

A great way to stay busy
 
Thanks Jode, we are doing pretty good considering. Nice to have the distractions.

On the mushrooms, Gus found a nice handful to serve as an appetizer with turkey heart in butter, Jen and I only found one a piece. There was something mentioned by the youthful one in the party about his young eyes being the ticket. bum. His mother did spot his turkey for him when it snuck in on us though.
 
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Tod

Another great photo-essay of the Osier adventures. Gus has hit the age where he is growing so fast you can see it each time you post his picture. Confident at the tiller, big grin with his turkey. I promise you will look back at these pictures in 10 years and they will bring a tear to your eye. Keep making memories my friend.

Eric
 
Tod,
good job! The calming season and turkey season (so far) has been coronafied in WA state. We will see on the morels, time is nearing for them buggers. It is great to enjoy the spring harvesting through you post.
 
RD Nelle said:
Tod,
good job! The calming season and turkey season (so far) has been coronafied in WA state. We will see on the morels, time is nearing for them buggers. It is great to enjoy the spring harvesting through you post.

I saw that fishing, and I think spring bear, was closed. Really tough to think about the closing of outdoor activities like that. Hopefully things get opened up (or not closed further) and you can get out!
 
Huntindave McCann said:
Gus, Nice job on your turkey.


Tod, I like clams, do you deliver?

I feel the same about walleye fillets, but they never seem to materialize on my doorstep :(. :).

I'd be ecstatic to be driving cross country this summer and I'd love to deliver if only our plans work out!
 
Eric Patterson said:
Tod

Another great photo-essay of the Osier adventures. Gus has hit the age where he is growing so fast you can see it each time you post his picture. Confident at the tiller, big grin with his turkey. I promise you will look back at these pictures in 10 years and they will bring a tear to your eye. Keep making memories my friend.

Eric

I know what you are saying, I'm enjoying this year for sure. Man did he have a lot of great firsts this year, what a time we have had. I believe you on the 10 year comment, time is flying by.
 
Good morning, Tod~


Great tale and photos - as always!


Reminds me I've got to get my Turkey stuff together for Friday morning.


All the best,


SJS

 
Matt Mahoney said:
Todd,

Do you not call them quahogs there?

Matt

I didn't grow up here, but I'd say the locals are mixed on clam/quahog. I always use quahog when there is the potential to confuse it with digging steamers.
 
Steve Sanford said:
Good morning, Tod~


Great tale and photos - as always!


Reminds me I've got to get my Turkey stuff together for Friday morning.


All the best,


SJS

Thanks Steve, good luck! Hopefully those sneaky birds haven't been watching you around the farm to figure out your blind side to come in on, but I wouldn't put it past them! :) Give them heck.

My opener is Wednesday, this year we can hunt until sunset. I've done it in Michigan, which goes until late afternoon (5 pm?) and WI (1 pm?), but CT and NY has always closed at noon. Lot of new options and I'll be putting in long days and maybe not getting out so early, which will be appreciated. Gus got his bird at 1 pm and we got into the woods about 9.
 
Matt, Quahogs are larger hard lams. Good for grinding into fritters or chowder, eother manhattan or new England. My mom used to make a kickass clam pie, also!

If you open them just our of the water, and put a dash of tabasco or lemon or vinegar on them, they are pretty good raw, too.,
 
george w said:
Matt, Quahogs are larger hard lams. Good for grinding into fritters or chowder, eother manhattan or new England. My mom used to make a kickass clam pie, also!

If you open them just our of the water, and put a dash of tabasco or lemon or vinegar on them, they are pretty good raw, too.,

Have to disagree George. Where I grew up (Buzzards Bay) and bull raked commercially for them, we called softshell clams "clams" and all hardshell clams "quahogs". Size of the quahogs determined their more precise names; the smallest were "little necks" or just "necks", the midsize ones were "cherrystones" and the big ones were "chowder" size. The necks were the most valuable at the fish market where I sold my quahogs. I've also heard the term "top neck", but we didn't use that term.

I've noticed that as one moves south from the Massachusetts area, both hard and softshell are generically referred to as "clams".

Matt
 
Matt~


Yes - quahog - no matter how pronounced - is never heard in Long Island waters, in my experience. The three sizes - little neck, cherrystone and chowder were what I learned in my youth - and these were all hard clams. Digging soft clams is a whole different kettle of fish!



I always presumed that the "Little Neck" designation originated on Little Neck Bay - on the north shore within the bounds of NYC.


BTW: I used to hunt and dig clams in waters leased by Blue Point Oyster Company. I do not know their history - but I'll bet Tom Whitehurst does. In their day, I believe Blue Point oysters were highly-renowned. When I knew the company, they were managing beds of hard clams.


All the best,


SJS

 
Interesting regional differences Steve.

In New England "clams"(softshell) are dug using a clam hoe when the flats are exposed at low tide. Down here on the Chesapeake, where there are no exposed flats at low tide, the commercial softshell clammers work from boats using a hydraulic dredge which stirs up the bottom, blowing the clams out of the mud and on to a conveyor belt running up alongside the boat cockpit. They also fish for razor clam this way.

Matt
 
Matt~


On the south shore bays, baymen mount a small outboard on an inner tube and jet the soft shell clams out of the flats. Just like gunning ducks and geese, the many indigenous approached are usually driven by local conditions and traditions.


All the best,


SJS

 
Soooo jealous! I haven't had clams in years. I was hoping to get to come up to a conference in Providence this fall, was looking forward to some steamed clams. But the conference just got cancelled. Oh well....

Back in high school, we used to get steamed clams at a local seafood place for $1.50/dzn. I bet they are a little higher than that now!
 
Steve Sanford said:
Matt~


Yes - quahog - no matter how pronounced - is never heard in Long Island waters, in my experience. The three sizes - little neck, cherrystone and chowder were what I learned in my youth - and these were all hard clams. Digging soft clams is a whole different kettle of fish!



I always presumed that the "Little Neck" designation originated on Little Neck Bay - on the north shore within the bounds of NYC.


BTW: I used to hunt and dig clams in waters leased by Blue Point Oyster Company. I do not know their history - but I'll bet Tom Whitehurst does. In their day, I believe Blue Point oysters were highly-renowned. When I knew the company, they were managing beds of hard clams.


All the best,


SJS

fun discussion... the sizing nomenclature I use follows what has been said with necks (little and top), cherrystones and chowders, all are hard clams and I'd say quahogs just as likely as clam, but never call chowder sized clams specifically quahogs (though I know people do).

As an FYI the official range of the Blue Point has expanded from earlier times and the north shore of Western Long Island Sound is included.
 
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