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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 13, 1983 - Speaking of Soft ClamsJanuary 13,1983 The 6uffoli Maltz Page 13 SOFT CLAMS - -These gourmet delights are not as plentiful as they were years ago, but the extra effort in searching them out is well rewarded when the succulent steamed morsels are dipped in butter. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh Speaking of Soft Clams One's almost afraid to mention the weather we've had these past few weeks for fear it will change. Lawns are still green and the jasmine in my son's yard is blooming with its cheerful yellow flowers as if it were spring. Just to bring a bit of that wonderful color indoors is like lighting a candle in the dark. The day was so fine Saturday that my wife, Barbara, and I decided to take a walk. Not just an ordinary walk along the daily trodden path; we would carry a soft clam rake and basket and our walk would be along the shore of the bay just in case we'd find a spot for digging. It seems we always think of the old days as being more productive -- more fish, more clams, more oysters etc. In those days as a kid we used to go P- clamming out on the flats in the creek when the tide was way out. Without a word of exaggeration, we could get a bucket of clams in one hole. I remember well the instructions my Dad would give. Dig a hole first, and then when the water and sand are pulled out just keep working the sand loose on the bottom and eventually the sides will cave in. There they'd be -- big, fat, soft clams one along side of the other, their holes to the surface half intact as the sand crumbled away around them. All you'd have to do was pick them up. That's how you prevented them from getting broken when digging. As their name implies, they have a soft shell. We could always find where the P -clams were the thickest by walking along and looking for their holes in the sand. As you did this, you'd see an occasional squirt shooting up from where an over - reacting clam pulled his siphon back down into his shell. It's amazing how long the necks of these soft clams can stretch. Six inches, eight inches and even more these clams will be below the surface but their siphons or necks are designed to reach from these depths. Through these tubes the nutrient - laden waters of our bays and creeks flow to nourish and fatten the young clams. Through another passage in the same tube the waste water flows out, the water continually moving as the clam feeds. Where Have the Clams Gone? What they filter out is so minute that it takes a microscope to see it. Tiny plant and animal organisms that flourish in our shallow waters are their building blocks. It's a complicated chain of events that works just fine provided all the elements of temperature, salinity, nutrients, water quality etc. are not disturbed. Can you imagine what a heavy layer of silt, some foreign pollutant or an oil slick over their siphons would do? People often ask, "Why aren't there as many clams as there used to be ?" "How come there are so few fish ?" or, "What happened to all the crabs and blowfish we used to have ?" In all honesty, I don't think anyone can really pinpoint the cause because there are so many factors that go 9@(]g3 @M i] n0QMT9 into making the natural world work. True overharvesting is one cause we all can see and monitor. Here we put limits on catches and require shellfish permits to try to keep a handle on things. It's why we have a seed clam program to renew the continual taking away by all. But this is only a small part of the big picture. What has happened to the water and most important the habitat are the hidden background factors. To get man to live within the natural world and not interfere with its systems is a difficult task but it can be done. The problem is that it does require sacrifices that many often do not wish to give up. Barbara and I did go on our walk. The short - handled, pronged rake found some likely spots and we got enough P -clams for a mess of steamers. It was great to be out on a sparkling day. The wind had picked up and the warm Alps sweaters we had gotten for Christmas felt good. As we headed home we glanced down along the shore where we had dug. Standing by our filled holes were gulls scrutinizing the overturned gravel. Like the gleaners in that famous painting they, too, were hoping for an over looked morsel. Back home the steaming pot on the stove told me that it was just about time for supper. Fat, tender, P -clams dipped in butter soon were transformed into a heap of discarded white shells. Once again the land had rewarded us and we were reminded that we would have to continue our vigil to keep the land from being trampled on. PAULSTOUTENBURGH Community Calendar -- Who, What, Where and When My Honored Guests' RIVERHEAD- -The area artists will be among 26 represented at a show entitled My Honored Guests" that is currently running at Art Complex -East, 40 W. Main St., Riverhead. Sandra Orlovsky of Southold, August Mosca of Shelter Island and Linda Berger of Shelter Island all have works on display at the show. A reception for the artists will be held on Sunday, Jan. 16 from 2 to 5 p.m. The show is open daily except Wednesday from noon to 5 p.m. through Jan. 30. Roaring 60's -- Senior Citizens Club News from East to West Suffolk C Coll 6 Community College CONVENIENT EXTENSION COURSE SITES DAY OR EVENING COURSES LOW TUITION EARN A COLLEGE DEGREE PREPARE FOR A NEW CAREER STUDY FULL —TIME OR PART —TIME IMPROVE YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS SELDEN BRENTWOOD RIVERHEAD CAMPUS WESTERN CAMPUS EASTERN CAMPUS ADMISSIONS ADMISSIONS ADMISSIONS 451 -4031 348 -4062 369 -2600 Ext. 220 EVENING AND EVENING AND EVENING AND EXTENSION CLASSES EXTENSION CLASSES EXTENSION CLASSES 451 -4097 348 -4570 369 -2600 Ext. 218 5900 %K e••-;% Adjustable i"all Band Flashing SPRING CLASSES START FW 1, DAY JANUARY 26 "' EVENING JANUARY 31 8G 106 11 82 NESCONSET STAMEN WADING RIVER 892 Jericho Tpke. Rte. 25A and Sound Ave. 265 -8888 929 -8200 Distributors' (j STAMEN BUILDING MATERIALS collp Home of Long Rooanp - j(ta-a;,o Island's atdfng GuttersBuildingMtlsrlabLtuCJ11M1 Seamless Gutters2SoleHours: Mon. - Po. 7A.14 5 P.M.. Sal 7 A M - 12 Noon ALL FUEL CHIMNEY SYSTEM" TRANS FAN Through an Exterior Wall Through a Ceiling d Normal Pitch Roo/ Through a High Pitch or Chalet Ceiling a Room to Room Air Mover Ib- Moves up to 225 cu. ft. Dlakap Slone CoKar Insulated Plpe AdjustablM\ Round Top Insulaed Plpr Round Top of air per minute Variable speed controller Uses less electricity Chimney Cap 1np_,\ t storm collar than 40 watt bulb Storm coR.r 1• Adjustable0 5900 %K e••-;% Adjustable i"all Band Flashing l Flashing. Segmented Color Insulaled Pip. Trim Collar\ Single Wall Single Wall Smoke Pipe Finishing Collar Smoke Pipe Rool Supportp Gniis RegistersgKit Flnlsh Support Pacluga j t= Floor Registers Booster Fans Return Air Grills FinishingCollar Stove Pipes S ElDOws Insulated Tae Wall3pater 1/4' FIREBOARD 3 x a Wall Support Kit % _ I L J _ double walled *all stainless steel 1/4' 4x8' $1240 25, 5° WE STOCK BLACK HEAVY GAUGE PIPE & FITTINGS sheet sheet January 13, 1983 The i Teb g- tebiebn Page 13 r SOFT CLAMS- -These gourmet delights are not as plentiful as they were fears ago, but the extra effort in searching them out is well rewarded when the succulent steamed morsels are dipped in butter. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh Speaking of Soft Clams One's almost afraid to mention the weather we've had these past few weeks for fear it will change. Lawns are still green and the jasmine in my son's yard is blooming with its cheerful yellow flowers as if it were spring. Just to bring a bit of that wonderful color indoors is like lighting a candle in the dark. The day was so fine Saturday that my wife, Barbara, and I decided to take a walk. Not just an ordinary walk along the daily trodden path; we would carry a soft clam rake and basket and our walk would be along the shore of the bay just in case we'd find a spot for digging. It seems we always think of the old days as being more productive -- more fish, more clams, more oysters etc. In those days as a kid we used to go P- clamming out on the flats in the creek when the tide was way out. Without a word of exaggeration, we could get a bucket of clams in one hole. I remember well the instructions my Dad would give. Dig a hole first, and then when the water and sand are pulled out just keep working the sand loose on the bottom and eventually the sides will cave in. There they'd be -- big, fat, soft clams one along side of the other, their holes to the surface half intact as the sand crumbled away around them. All you'd have to do was pick them up. That's how you prevented them from getting broken when digging. As their name implies, they have a soft shell. We could always find where the P -clams were the thickest by walking along and looking for their holes in the sand. As you did this, you'd see an occasional squirt shooting up from where an over - reacting clam pulled his siphon back down into his shell. It's amazing how long the necks of these soft clams can stretch. Six inches, eight inches and even more these clams will be below the surface but their siphons or necks are designed to reach from these depths. Through these tubes the nutrient - laden waters of our bays and creeks flow to nourish and fatten the young clams. Through another passage in the same tube the waste water flows out, the water continually moving as the clam feeds. Where Have the Clams Gone? What they filter out is so minute that it takes a microscope to see it. Tiny plant and animal organisms that flourish in our shallow waters are their building blocks. It's a complicated chain of events that works just fine provided all the elements of temperature, salinity, nutrients, water quality etc. are not disturbed. Can you imagine what a heavy layer of silt, some foreign pollutant or an oil slick over their siphons would do? People often ask, "Why aren't there as many clams as there used to be ?" "How come there are so few fish ?" or, "What happened to all the crabs and blowfish we used to have ?" In all honesty, I don't think anyone can really pinpoint the cause because there are so many factors that go into making the natural world work. True.overharvesting is one cause we all can see and monitor. Here we put limits on ftQMg3 c;W Mn-3QMTN catches and require shellfish permits to try to keep a handle on things. It's why we have a seed clam program to renew the continual taking away by all. But this is only a small part of the big picture. What has happened to the water and most important the habitat are the hidden background factors. To get man to live within the natural world and not interfere with its systems is a difficult task but it can be done. The problem is that it does require sacrifices that many often do not wish to give up. Barbara and I did go on our walk. The short - handled, pronged rake found some likely spots and we got enough P -clams for a mess of steamers. It was great to be out on a sparkling day. The wind had picked up and the warm Alps sweaters we had gotten for Christmas felt good. As we headed home we glanced down along the shore where we had dug. Standing by our filled holes were gulls scrutinizing the overturned gravel. Like the gleaners in that famous painting they, too, were hoping for an over looked morsel. Back home the steaming pot on the stove told me that it was just about time for supper. Fat, tender, P -clams dipped in butter soon were transformed into a heap of discarded white shells. Once again the land had rewarded us and we were reminded that we would have to continue our vigil to keep the land from being trampled on. PAULSTOUTENBURGH Hunters' Jamboree RIVERHEAD- -The Riverhead Sports- men's Club will again mark the conclu- sion of the Long Island deer hunting sea- son with a Deer Hunters' Jamboree, scheduled for tomorrow at the Elks' Lodge on East Main Street in Riverhead. The event will begin as hunters come in from the field that evening. Tickets are $6 at the door, and chairman Art Sarno requests that all who attend bring their appetites. My Honored Guests' RIVERHEAD- -The area artists will be among 26 represented at a show entitled My Honored Guests" that is currently running at Art Complex -East, 40 W. Main St., Riverhead. Sandra Orlovsky of Southold, August Mosca of Shelter Island and Linda Berger of Shelter Island all have works on display at the show. A reception for the artists will be held on Sunday, Jan. 16 from 2 to 5 p.m. The show is open daily except Wednesday from noon to 5 p.m. through Jan. 30. Community Calendar -- Who, What, Where and When Suffolk E County 6 Community " I College CONVENIENT EXTENSION COURSE SITES DAY OR EVENING COURSES LOW TUITION EARN A COLLEGE DEGREE PREPARE FOR A NEW CAREER STUDY FULL -TIME OR PART -TIME IMPROVE YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS SELDEN BRENTWOOD RIVERHEAD CAMPUS WESTERN CAMPUS EASTERN CAMPUS ADMISSIONS ADMISSIONS ADMISSIONS 451 -4031 348 -4062 369 -2600 Ext. 220 EVENING AND EVENING AND EVENING AND EXTENSION CLASSES EXTENSION CLASSES EXTENSION CLASSES 451 -4097 348 -4570 369 -2600 Ext. 218 I Insulated Pipe Round Top Moves up to 225 cu. ft. of air per minute a Variable speed controller Adlwtat" SPRING CLASSES START Fill I DAY JANUARY 26 *- EVENING JANUARY 31 8G lob 11 82 NESCONSET STS ME:N WADING RIVER 892 Jericho Tpke. Rte. 25A and Sound Ave. 265 -8888 929 -8200 Distributors' Home of Long Rooting - Aiding STAMEN BUILDING MATERIALS CORP Building Materials Seamless Gutter Sloe Hours: Mon. - N 7 A.M. - 5 P.M. Sat 7 A.M. - 12 Noon I Seamlau Gutter ALL FUEL CHIMNEY SYSTEM" TRANS FAN Through an Exterior Wall Through a Ceiling & Normal Pitch Roof Through a High Pitch or Chalet Ceiling Room to Room Air mover Dlstw aeon" collar Insuloted PlpeRoundTop I Insulated Pipe Round Top Moves up to 225 cu. ft. of air per minute a Variable speed controller Adlwtat" ti r Uses less electricity Chimney Cap Flashing ;\ 4 it Storm cmar than 40 watt bulb Storm Collor 0y11Y1BendFlashin orhlnp Segmented Collor Insulated PipeO Trim Coll is\ i Grills & Single Wall Smoke Pipe Single Will I Smoke Pipe Finishing Collar \\ Root Support Kit Registers va_-! Finish Su PPOrt Poeksaa Floor Registers 800ster Fans Return Air Grills Finishing Stove Pipes mulctedulctd TN Collar Elbows s.. Wall swi, FIREBOARD xI3' 4' Wall Support Kit , ` L J 1/4' double walled all stainless steel Q x s $1240 d WE STOCK BLACK HEAVY GAUGE PIPE & FITTINGS f sheet 57 ho er neK