Before I begin to tell the story of our coastal foray the other day, I have to say, I have bad news as far as my bipedal mobility is concerned. I went out for a quick ride on my skateboard the other night to get my blood pumping as I had been working on the final touches on my most recent draft of my dissertation proposal the whole day. Fifteen minutes later, my wheels locked up in a crack in the pavement and I went flying forward, striking my kneecap on the pavement. A CT scan and a few X-rays later revealed that I had sustained several fractures to the patella. That's right, my kneecap was in five pieces!
Painful is a massive understatement! But I have subsequently undergone knee surgery and am currently on the mend.
It may be a while before I have a decent new foraging story for you as I cannot walk, but in the meantime, here's my recollection of a great weekend with my lady-friend Diane, our buddies Nick and Jeremy, and a few other good friends and family who stopped by for the day.
Diane and I hit the coast on a Friday and set up the tent near sunset.
We could see that the tide was way out and that the evening clamming could be quite good the following day. *It is illegal to harvest clams any later than a half hour after sunset in the state of California so we would have to wait until the following afternoon to dig.
We made an excellent pasta the first night and relaxed around the fire after harvesting some local cypress wood to burn.
The next morning after pancakes, coffee, spam and eggs, we headed to a secret spot to meet up with our buddy Jeremy for a little mushroom hunting.
It's quite easy to pass by a patch of cryptic black trumpets huh?
The forest floor was covered with edible fungi. Though at first we did have to hike a bit to find the right mix of shade, moisture, and mix of conifer and tan oak duff.
But soon after we were loading up on black trumpets, winter chantrelles, hedgehogs, and even a few oyster mushrooms!
Jeremy found his first black trumpets!
Diane got her first trumpets, hedgehogs, and winter chantrelles!
We sauteed some of the mushrooms in oil and garlic and added them to bread with a spread of goat cheese and a dash of balsamic vinegar (a simple seasonal snack that is always well received). We also ate the last piece of king salmon that I caught on my dad's boat a few months back (and he subsequently smoked for me). We were all smiles!
Jeremy headed back to Sacramento to dry his massive harvest of coastal fungi!
In the meantime, Diane and I made our way to the coastal mud flats to meet up with Nick, my brother, Jeff, his son, Robert, and his sons for a little clamming. My older brother Justin, of course, showed us all how it was done ;) He had a limit of 50 littleneck clams in half the time the rest of us were able to dig 30 a piece!
We used modified water jugs for buckets to hold our quarry, and though we didn't get as many clams this time as Diane and I did the time before, we still cleaned up and went back to camp with plenty for an incredible wild mushroom-little neck clam chowder (with enough clams for a subsequent clam sauce spaghetti with Diane's roommate Cindy).
It was Nick's first time clamming and he got a nice harvest! He enjoyed it so much he took his girl back out last weekend and did it all over again!
Wish me luck healing up so I can meet you out in the woods soon. In the meantime, get out there soon on your own, with friends, family and loved ones, and have yourself a lot of laughs while pursuing the delicious harvests that only wintertime brings!
Keep the old ways alive!
Damn, the sucks on the knee, wish you speedy recovery. I just started reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteKevin, is there a recommended reading on laws and regulations for California foraging?
ReplyDeleteAlex, Good question! It really depends on what you want to gather. If it is sea life you will need to visit the California Department of Fish and Wildlife home page and read the ocean fishing regulations and seasonal supplement. They also have regs for freshwater and hunting. This will also inform you on what types of licenses and tags you may need. Mushrooms are a but different. You should check out where it is legal to gather and then see if there are specific rules on quantities in that area. Thanks for reading and please don't hesitate to ask any further questions! Also, if interested in bivalves like mussels and clams ALWAYS call the biotoxin hotline first to know if there are any quarantines in effect that might make certain CA areas unsafe to gather these incredible sea treats 800-553-4133
DeleteThank you sir for the awesome feedback. I was not aware of the biotoxin hotline and that will be added to my list of things to know.
DeleteDoes the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has rules governing shoreline harvesting of seaweeds, small gobies, and crabs as well? I think they would, but how do I refer to them when asking? Shore foraging?
Alex, Yes, all marine fish, crustaceans, and macro algae (seaweed) are subject to specific regulations. All of this can be found on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife web page under Marine fishing regulations. A valid fishing license is required (even for seaweed) and in Southern CA an additional ocean enhancement stamp is required. Please do not delete you comments bro as I am sure others have the same questions and may benefit from reading our correspondence. Good luck fishing and gathering!
DeleteThanks Kevin. I will be taking the hunter education course offered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as a first step but would like to expand some more.
DeleteDo you hold classes or small training sessions? Or do you know anyone that you can recommend?
The delete was just an edit/delete and repost.
Alex, That is great! I do not lead hunting classes but the Department of Fish and Wildlife does. They are offered for a viariety of species and throughout the state. I am sure you will get a lot out of them! https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Hunter-Education/Advanced
DeleteHave fun and be safe!
Kevin
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