# Fresh Clams



## shorts (Sep 9, 2008)

Right now they are draining the recreation pond on our farm land.  They want to dredge the bottom.  There are clams all over that are alive now but will die with the exposure.  Does anybody know if we could take them out and cook em up?  Would they need to be put in clean water for a while?

Thanks in advance SMF!


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## waysideranch (Sep 9, 2008)

We put crawdaddy's in salt water to flush the &*^% out.  Not sure if it will work but why not.  They will be brined anyhooo.


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## shorts (Sep 12, 2008)

Just thought I'd bump this just in case someone that has done clams from a pond missed it.  I'd go dig some up if I thought they'd be good!  Now there may have been some runoff from the fields so hopefully not too many pesticides are in there...I have eaten bluegill out of it and I'm still here!


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## brandsbay (Sep 12, 2008)

Not sure if this a help ,With salt water clams any nasties they have eatn tend to stay in there system,we have had large areas closed to fishing because of this,around sewer outlets and some river mouths this has been a poblem.I guess all clams are the same.


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## biggiesize (Sep 12, 2008)

I think you have mussels. are they dark shelled and more oblong than round? google mussel recipes and click the allrecipe site they tell you how to clean them


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## cowgirl (Sep 12, 2008)

Hmmm, wonder if these would be hard to raise.


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## shorts (Sep 13, 2008)

Thanks Brandsbay I'm not sure if they have any nastys or not...the fish was good!

I do appreciate Biggiesize...not sure what they are...always called them clams!

Ya know Cowgirl not even sure how they got there...they never put any in!!!


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## supervman (Sep 13, 2008)

Well, I can tell you how they got there. 
Ducks and other such waterfowl that muddle and puddle around will take off outta one body of water fly to another. 
During flight their feet are "compressed" or folded if you will. 
They land in your pond open their feet to paddle around and any clam seedlings, fish eggs, frog legs that got in there foot folds from the other body of water fall out and BAM you got em. 

I have a way to flush out clams. I'll go find it. 
V


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## supervman (Sep 13, 2008)

*How to Prepare Clams for Steaming* 
1.   Fill sink with approx. 4 inches of water.
2.  Place clams in water and gently agitate.
3.  *Important: *Discard clams that have a pungent odor
     or sound hollow when tapped together.
4.  Place clams in steamer and cook till open.

I'd flush em a couple times just to be sure here is another method
Put em in a LARGE clean bowl or a clean plugged sink of fresh cool water. 
Put in a handful of flour and mix it around. 
The clams will consume the flour and flush out sand and "things" 
Let them sit in the water for 20 minutes this way. 
Drain rinse and clean and repeat one more time. 
After that scrub each clam individually and place on a damp towel. 

DO NOT use a regular kitchen knife. Use a special Clam or Oyster knife. 
Discard ALL open clams and any that will not fully close when tapped. 

You might find this tutorial helpful as well. 

http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-ti...en-mussels.asp 

GOOD LUCK 
V


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## cris (Sep 13, 2008)

Not sure why they're draining the pond or where it's located, but suggest you check to make sure the pond wasn't polluted first. It's not so much pollution you can see, but I'd be more worry about stuff you can't.


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## supervman (Sep 13, 2008)

POND CLAM UPDATE 
Dude - 
Check out page two of this 
http://italianfood.about.com/od/tipstricks1/ss/aa031406.htm

Seems a WAY better way to flush.

This is another short dissertation: 
How to Purge (clean) Live Clams of Sand
Mussels and oysters live on the ocean bottom and tend to accumulate less sand than clams. Both hard shell clams and soft shell clams live buried in the substrate, but soft shell clams cannot close their shells tightly, therefore, are more susceptible to sand accumulation. When placed in clean sea water, any of these shellfish will purge themselves of sand. Place shellfish in a container of cool sea water or a solution of 1/3 cup salt to 1 gallon cool tap water. The water should adequetly cover the shellfish. Leave for 30 minutes and then repeat 2 or 3 times, changing the water each time. Instead, you may use a very large container, such as a wash tub, and leave overnight. Using a large amount of water, or changing a small amount frequently, is necessary to prevent shellfish from using up the oxygen in the water and then suffocating. Note, by adding cornmeal to the water, shellfish will feed on the cornmeal and replace their stomach contents with the meal. This is desirable for those who do not like the appearance of the normal dark stomach contents of most shellfish.


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