My first California fall in decades has me all nostalgic about my childhood memories and one of them is clam digging at Pismo Beach with my grandmother. I've never been much of a morning person but spending time with grandma was such a treat that I made the early morning effort to catch the tide just right a few times and had the time of my life!
Pismo clams are so huge and delicious that they were nearly hunted to extinction. (by people and the sea lions that populate the Central Coast) The limit per day is ten and they have to measure at least 4.5" at their widest point, though clams up to 7" can be found.
Our families clam digging pitch forks, that I've inherited, were "customized" by grandpa with a fixed caliper to make measuring clams a snap. (see photo) Armed with our pitchforks and pails we made short work of reaching our limit as we walked the beach at low tide watching for air bubbles in the sand.
The big fall event for the past 63 years is the Pismo Beach Clam Festival. As you'd expect, with such heritage, restaurants serving award winning clam chowder abound. Splash Cafe near the pier is supposed to have the best and often has a waiting line that winds around the block.
Our family has such good memories of growing up visiting central coast beaches that I couldn't resist sharing a couple of photos from years gone by. Lots of fun was had building sandcastles and beach combing for abalone shells with their colorful mother-of-pearl lining. I took this photo last night of a of a few shells from my collection. Over 40 years old and just as beautiful as the day we found them.
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