Free Food in August: The Daring Hunt for Cockles

I had this most interesting conversation today with my Neighbour Sailor here just in front of one of the last Dutch Islands (Schiermonnikoog). ‘Had gathered a lot of kokkels (cockles) yet’ I asked. ‘Nah not many around here’. And so he walked away stamping his topboots through the mud.

What a loss! Hunting & gathering is not just about looking with the eyes. See, walking barefoot showed me there was actually a lot of dinner potential just below the surface as I could feel with my feet, every step I took.

So here’s what we will eat tomorrow: mussels and cockles. And this is how I do it:

Place the shells in a bucket of fresh seawater and change the water 3 times a day. This way you wash the sand and mud out of the shells.
In the pan they go with a bit of water, halfway under is fine. Oh, beer or whine is also good. Than the trick of my Grandmother Coba, let the boiling water lift up the lid of the pan 3 times and dinner is ready.

Maybe I will invite my neighbour for dinner… if he dares to take of his boots!