Marigold, a very good point. I'll be sure to dwell on making sure that you pick from somewhere appropriate!
marigold
Joined: 02 Sep 2005 Posts: 12458 Location: West Sussex
Posted: Mon Sep 26, 05 1:12 pm Post subject:
Good luck with the article, cab, I do have fond memories of winklepicking as a child on holiday in Dorset. I loved the collecting part amongst the rocks on the beach, then there was a long rigmarole of cleaning them (how we laughed when they escaped their bucket and crept all over Gran's kitchen!). Then the smelly boiling up and finally picking them out with a pin to eat. Mum loved them, but I thought they were revolting! The pleasure was in collecting Mum's holiday treat.
No worries about sewage in those days - most of the cottages had bucket loos and the contents went on to the garden. My grandparents grew the BEST tasting fruit and veg .
No worries about sewage in those days - most of the cottages had bucket loos and the contents went on to the garden. My grandparents grew the BEST tasting fruit and veg .
Even now, there are lots of places with beautiful clean beaches where you can gather plenty of shellfish, eat the seaweed, and pick up lots of good coastal plants. It's an area where, as yet, we don't have a good article.
I'll do one soon, but of course if someone were to beat me to it I could cope with that...
Jonnyboy
Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 23956 Location: under some rain.
Posted: Mon Sep 26, 05 1:44 pm Post subject:
Good point would be some links to the marine stewardship council and some info on how to find a clean beach.
I'm sure that there are some people here who would be keen to collaborate on this with you.
marigold
Joined: 02 Sep 2005 Posts: 12458 Location: West Sussex
Posted: Mon Sep 26, 05 2:18 pm Post subject:
I'm sure most beaches are perfectly safe and clean - it's just that I happen to live near one that might not be, hence my caution.
Richard Mabey's "Food For Free" has tips on foraging shellfish safely.
Cockles are great, but foraging for them is a hard and dirty experience. Or at least when I used to go foraging for them it was! I was scared witless when more recently a bunch of Chinese labourers died picking cockles near my old spot Should we be telling beginners to go cockling?
I think three or four shellfish, three or four plants, seaweed, and a mushroom or two that do well near the coast.
Joined: 07 Nov 2004 Posts: 282 Location: Leicester
Posted: Mon Sep 26, 05 6:27 pm Post subject:
I've sucessfully snorkelled for spider crabs and caught (a few) prawns with a small net, digging around the rock pools. Bit more cunning in location and a better net and there would have been a decent portion of prawns. Once found a chap on at Pendine, S Wales with about one and a half pints of them.
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Should we be telling beginners to go cockling?
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