Feelin' A Little Crabby?

Life in the Workman family never seems to have a dull moment. It seems that with every trip we make comes a new experience. When we made this trip to Maryland, we had no idea we would stay with a lady who lives right on the biggest creek we've ever seen. That in itself is a lot of fun, but the adventure doesn't stop there. Monday was our first introduction to crabbing. You see, this huge creek has blue crabs in it, and our hostess taught us how to catch them right off her pier.

All you do is tie a piece of crabbing string to a chicken neck....

tie the other end to the pier, toss it in the water.....

and then just wait til the string starts floating around funny.

Here's the gear for just about any kind of crabbing you want to do ~ the net, the crab pot, the bucket, and, of course, the bait.

Then your patience pays off with a feisty little crab. : )

It's a little more difficult than it seems, but it doesn't take that long to catch on. The crabs have a way of letting go as soon as they get near enough to the surface to see the net. Once you get them, they're quick to try to get out.......and some of them are successful.

Ann is a great teacher and spent a lot of time patiently explaining the ins and outs of the business.

It wasn't long before we all joined in......no nasty worms, no chicken livers, no taking smelly, slimy creatures off a hook......hey! this is better than fishing!

Some of the crabs were rather selfish and didn't want to let go.

This is how the crab pot works. A certain kind of fish is put in the center for bait, then it is lowered into the water.

It was fun to watch the crabs as we put them in the bucket. The crabs previously residing there treated the newcomer as a trespasser, and what a commotion! Round and round and round they would go, thrashing and pinching til one of them felt like they had dominance. There were several times that one of them had the other's claw in his, and still other times when the other end of the leg was no longer attached to the rightful owner.

This little guy means business. Sure glad it wasn't anyone's fingers!

At the end of the crabbing session, the crabs were dumped into the live box. There we could keep them and feed them until we had gotten enough for a meal.

The pier is kinda busy when everyone's down there.

This is the view from the dining room window. It is especially beautiful in the morning and evening in the low lights of the day.

And to think this is a CREEK! Never have we seen such big boats on a creek!

O.K., Daddy, we're waiting......give us some action! : )

Daddy mending the net

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We caught 33 crabs the first day (which we thought was pretty good, but the locals said it was slow), but our next crabbing expedition was more successful. Our running total for the week was around 100. Wednesday was the day chosen for the crabs to meet their fate. Ann was a great help showing us how to steam them.

We first put the live crabs (yes, I did say the live crabs) in the top part of a special pot with holes in the bottom of it. Then we put water in the bottom part and turned it on to boil. As the temperature starts rising, the crabs get a little uncomfortable and begin scratching around and trying to climb out. What ultimately happens is the crabs cook to death.

You know they're done when they turn red. It's amazing how they can be so blue yet turn so red!

Then we got a lesson in how to eat crab. Just think! We didn't even have to make fools of ourselves trying to figure out how to break those silly things open with that weird looking hammer! : ) We heard some stories about tourists who hadn't ever done it before.

Didn't Mama ever teach you not to play with your food?!?

Uh-oh.....looks like we've influenced her. : )

The hammer and knife are used to break the legs open. The goal was to get a "lollipop" -- what they call it when you slip the shell off while leaving the meat intact.

The whole process is pretty messy. Mom asked if they ate them like that in restaurants. "Oh, yes!" "Are they this messy?" "Uh huh." "And do they look like this when they're done?" "Yes....uh huh." We're just glad the picnic table was covered with newspapers and paper bags and there were plenty of napkins.




Don't you just love the thought of eating something that stares right back at you? : )

Pretty soon, Mom was eating them like a native. : )

In our family, it seems either we all like it or else we're split in half. And it's not always the same people on the same side. It was no different with crab. So four hearty crab eaters dove into the pile of 49 crabs with a gusto.

This is NOT one of those crab lovers, but one who was conned into dismantling one. Don't worry....the proceeds were charitably donated without any reluctance to a non-profit organization. : )

Daddy's favorite part was the legs, so while the others ate the bodies, the legs found their way to a pile right in front of him. After a few hours of picking and prying, the crabby half of our family decided they had had their fill and made a unanimous vote to adjourn for the time being. We had heard rumors, but we got to experience it first hand.........when eating crabs, the one most essential element comes at the very end ~ you MUST take a bath when you are through.

Would you care for some?????

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings.

The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
God made them, high or lowly,
And ordered their estate.

The purple headed mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky;

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden, ~
He made them every one:

The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water
We gather every day;

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty
Who has made all things well.

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

~Cecil F. Alexander