Food Afield Podcast

Food Afield Podcast – Field Note: Purging Clams You dug the clams. Now what? One of the most common questions from new shellfish harvesters is what to do once the clams come home. In this Field Note episode, John Fraser takes a closer look at the process of purging clams, why people do it, what it actually accomplishes, and some of the misconceptions surrounding it. You’ll learn: * What purging is...

Clams of the Pacific Coast At low tide, the Pacific coast reveals one of the most reliable food systems in North America. In this episode of Food Afield, John Fraser heads onto the beaches of the Gulf Islands to gather butter clams and basket cockles while exploring the deeper history of shellfish harvesting along the coast. This is not simply a conversation about digging clams. It is a look at ti...

What you’ll learn on this episode of the Food Afield Podcast: How to identify oyster habitat (jagged rock, broken shell, white clusters on shoreline) Ideal tide range for harvesting (roughly 0 to 1.5 feet) Why oysters are often overlooked despite being abundant Legal requirements: fishing license and local regulations How to check shellfish safety (DFO closures and PSP risk) Ethical harvest: take...

Welcome to the Food Afield Podcast. This short introduction lays out what the show is about and what’s coming next. Food Afield is built around one idea: real food is closer than most people think. Each episode follows a single ingredient—or a single meal—from start to finish. Where to find it, when it’s ready, how to take it, and how to cook it. This isn’t theory or gear-heavy advice. It’s practi...