How One of the Largest and Most Expensive Clams Is Farmed - Vendors
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- At Taylor Shellfish Farms in Washington’s Puget Sound, fishermen plant, grow, harvest, and ship about 1 million enormous geoduck each year. Geoducks are the largest and among the most elusive burrowing clam species, making them a highly coveted and expensive delicacy in seafood restaurants around the world.
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Credits:
Producer: Carla Francescutti
Directors: Carla Francescutti, Murilo Ferreira
Camera: Carla Francescutti, Murilo Ferreira
Editor: Lucy Morales
Executive Producer: Stephen Pelletteri
Supervising Producer: Stefania Orrù
Audience Development: Terri Ciccone, Frances Dumlao, Avery Dalal
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I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and these were readily available and we dug them up for sport every year. They were SOOOOO inexpensive. $5 for a whole Geoduck was normal. But the sport of digging them up was a whole day's event. Then we'd have a huge meal of them afterward.
There used to be a freezer plant in OlyWa that sold a one pound frozen package of chopped geoduc for $1. Was an alternative spelling. Long ago. I used it for chowder. Then they developed the airfreight to east Asia market. Before that big organized group harvested about half the standing biomass in sub-tidal south Puget Sound illegally. People went to prison over the theft. That day in, day out, diving 30 or 50 feet down is about most miserable work there is. Semi-dark much of the year. Even with dry suit they’re just are cold all the time. Piece work, paid by the pound. Need to harvest about 2/minute to do o.k.
I really love the chef POVs at the end of these videos, it really shows off the whole process!
They only share one dish. That restaurant has many more geoduck dishes that they could have shared. Just lazy documentary production.
@@henryt9281 The series is called Vendors, it's about the ingredient and the process behind sourcing them! Hope you still enjoyed the episode.
This is definitely one of those foods that makes you wonder "What madman looked at that and thought I could eat that?".
A starving human.
Exactly, because it looks like , ya know.
😂 "I'm so hungry, I could eat a whole 🍆"
It was on a dare
Chinese people
Looks like a titan dong, sounds like a Pokémon, tastes like shrimp crossed with clam. Is there anything geoduck can’t do?
😆
Give this man a standing ovation. That was brilliant. 👏🏽😂
It can’t catch them all
it even squirts
Apparently it can't stay erect after squirting liquid.
Mother Nature has a great sense of humor.
I wanted to add a like, but I think that leaving it as 69 likes is best ;)
Keep telling these stories, EATER. Truly fascinating - not to mention important for consumers to better understand our food systems.
Thanks for watching!
may I add that we all need to appreciate all the dedication and hard work from
'farm to table'...
@@bigapplechinglish Yes! I'm a farmer myself, but before I was I didn't fully realize just how many hands our food goes through before it reaches our plate. Also you're fighting against pests, floods, droughts, wind, heat, and even the clock. It's a constant battle every step of the way.
I used to work as a geoduck farmer. Loved it. Taylor Shellfish definitely is the big dog in the sound. This video brought a smile to my face.
What made ya leave?
@@sincereyoutubeapology love.
Taylor Shelton Wa
@10:00 "We try to make them perform on demand, but sometimes its a little tough. They get a little shy."
Me too buddy 😅
And me..
😂
I always enjoy seeing these videos, and how these farmers take pride in cultivating the freshest ingredients out there. Even if they’re something a little outta the ordinary, it’s always refreshing to learn something new, exciting, & delicious.
Yes, Geoduck is Delicious 😋!!!
A geoduck can live over 100 years????? Holy moly.
amazing, It's unbelievable how many people worked this hard to get a product into our hands
The family used to dig these up every spring break. Geoduck's a must try if you also enjoy lobsters / oysters/ crabs.
very tasty, sashimi is good
I thought they’d taste more like chicken
i've eaten all of those except geoduck
I'm not surprised these are popular in the Asian market.
mmhmmm-anything that moo-ves
I've had the geoduck sashimi at Taylor Shellfish Farms in Seattle, it was excellent!
Lmao nice try Taylor 🥸
Seems like a pretty sustainable type of farming
These clams could be found as far south naturally as tomales bay in california. My avatar is my holding my son and 2 wild geoduck in hand. They are my family’s favorite!
You really are holding 2 😅🤭
I’m going to remember this video whenever I hate my job
So facinating and informative. I hope that I have the opportunity to try fresh geoduck one day!
When I first moved to Washington I went out to the Sound and actually got one. :) Catch and release for me, but it was interesting digging one up from the beach.
The nearby university's mascot is the geoduck and they even have a fight song:
Go, Geoducks go,
Through the mud and the sand, let’s go.
Siphon high, squirt it out,
swivel all about,
let it all hang out.
Go, Geoducks go,
Stretch your necks when the tide is low
Siphon high, squirt it out,
swivel all about,
let it all hang out.
I remember when I first started going to sushi restaurants (40 years ago), mirugai nigiri was one of the less expensive options and one of my favorites. Now, I rarely see it.
Raw octopus is my favorite. Tastes like spring water.
A visit to one of their restaurants is a must whenever I'm in Seattle.
Taylor Farms are the best. Caught, cleaned and sent directly to your kitchen. 2 for $60. Ceviche, chowders etc. You've got to try them. Now we have to convince them to start abalone production.
Yes again another fantastic Eater video!
Learning about what’s out there in the world,is great.
6:53 that one looks like it's having a bad time
From what I know its an acquired taste basically reserved for the Asian community. Its not that its terrible but because its so expensive and unimpressive compared to other shellfish that its something you usually try only once.
Such an awesome video. Very informative. I want to try it!
As I entered the dimly lit geoduck farm, a shiver ran down my spine. I had heard whispers about this place, a secretive establishment tucked away in the coastal wilderness, where something monstrous was bred. I was here to document the story of a geoduck, from its birth to its tragic end, as a chef's delicacy.
In the heart of the farm, I saw them for the first time - baby geoducks, grotesque yet fascinating. These ancient creatures, with their impossibly long necks and oversized shells, wriggled in the mud. I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding as I watched them.
Years passed, and I continued to visit the farm, documenting the life of one particular geoduck. It grew at an alarming rate, buried beneath the sand, its neck extending further and further into the murky waters. It was a monstrous spectacle, and I wondered what thoughts could stir within that grotesque shell.
Then came the day when the geoduck's life took a dark turn. Divers arrived, their wetsuits glistening in the eerie light. They descended into the water, searching for the chosen ones. I watched in silence as they extracted my geoduck from its home, a gut-wrenching scream echoing in my mind.
The geoduck was transported to a bustling city, a far cry from its peaceful underwater existence. It ended up in the hands of a renowned chef, who saw it as the pièce de résistance for his restaurant. The anticipation of its final moments weighed heavily on my conscience.
The night of reckoning arrived, and I found myself at the chef's exclusive restaurant. The geoduck, still alive, lay exposed on a gleaming platter. The chef approached, a wicked gleam in his eye. He wielded his knife with precision, severing the geoduck's neck in a swift motion.
As the geoduck's flesh was prepared before my eyes, I felt a deep sadness and guilt. It had lived a life of strange captivity, only to end up as a dish on a decadent menu. Its fresh meat was served to eager diners, ignorant of the creature's journey.
The horror of that night haunted me for years to come. The geoduck, born into captivity, lived a life of despair, only to meet a gruesome end as a culinary masterpiece. Its story was a chilling reminder of the darkness that could lurk beneath the surface of even the most delectable dishes.
Tell me this is AI and you didn't write this 😂🤣😭
@@FlanRoBoThEaD it was the first (& last) time I’ve eaten geoduck 👀🥺😈
@SeanSchwifty hang in there, cupcake.
That was excellent. And a vegan would be proud of you - non vegsns like me as well. Makes you.think.
You want the flavour of the geoduck to shine through so you don't want other sauces and so on.
Translation: It does not taste of much.
I was really surprised watching the last video about the oyster farm that he was using a Yeti bucket to harvest the oysters. Just noticed on this video that it’s all sponsored by Yeti…and very evident 😂😂 good work as always
The things are super common in WA, to the point where I just assumed they grew everywhere. This video is the first time I found out they only grow in WA
Wow someone had to be REALLY hungry to be the first person to eat that 🤣
In my mind, someone had to be really fast to be the first person to try that
Lobster was once considered only fit to feed prisoners
@@NelsonTexas1 Well, they fed the prisoners rotten lobsters
@@aaronfalzerano9432 Umm no 🤣 Do you have any idea how dangerous and deadly rotten lobster meat is for humans?
@@hdjghasgaj umm yes, do you know how dangerous being a prisoner was in the 1700's? th-cam.com/video/eJ4r3ZbSaR0/w-d-xo.html
If they used a four-prong hole digger (instead of the single-hole), they could increase their production. May be something to develop and sell to the lucrative geoduck planting industry.
They gotta have like 20 incidents a day where someone gets squirted right in the face and everyone cracks up
Gotta respect these blue collar workers.
No wonder they cost so much they carry them in buckets that cost $100 each.
Who looked at that thing and decided to eat it 😂
Native to just that area?? They are all the way up the coast, Canada, southeast alaska..
This is really fascinating
I've heard if you harvest during winter they'll be too small 🙄
Most farmed geoduck is harvested September through February.
@@jlgibbons1 think u missed the joke
@@macsdf1 Yup. Missed it. But we don't worry about that anyway as the water is really cold in the summer, too.
In summer there will be bigger
25 seconds in with "no machinery at any stage of the game"... 50 seconds in... A LARGE MF MACHINE!!!
that's not a machine lol, it's just a cage that holds sand
its just a hose,
This is the proper way of handling a Geoduck.
I remember watching Mike Rowe do this on TV decades ago
I pulled something like that out of my shorts this morning!
10:59 yeah
I am way too immature. At 10 minutes of this video I couldn’t stop laughing 😂
I grew up tormenting my family with these on the beaches along Hood Canal!
I ate geoduck when I went to China, very good
Do you know if the 'duck skin could be used for seafood sausage?
Thanks for the video
They get so loooong and huge
📸😳
Yeesh Melody, why don't you just ask it out on a date😂
Hard work no wonder why this sea food is very expensive.
Such a cool job
Wow, It looks strange, but I would taste it
That's what she said
@@sociopathmercenary I was about to say this😂
If I had a nickel every time I heard that......
@@sociopathmercenary dude im dead
No
Well this is neat I should have assumed that Taylor Shellfish harvested these as well. I have one up the block from me and love it there and now I am going to have to try this out.
If your only building material is muscle and you need to burrow through something and deposit stuff on the other side, evolution has a pretty well-established blueprint.
I first read about these from the old book "The Egg And I" and later the videos of "Ma And Pa Kettle"
I can't help but wonder. Who decided to try that back in the day? 🤔
Awesome, I love these type of channels.
We have steamer clams - steamers - in the northeast that look like small geoduck.
More like the geoduck look like large clams...
Stop
How do you get random strangers to not go on these beaches??
It's private property. Trespassers can be arrested, and stealing just a few geoducks can result in a felony charge due to their market value. Believe me, Taylor Shellfish is well aware of potential thieves...every foot of that shoreline is under video surveillance 24 hours a day.
Hmph never knew it was pronounced gooeyduck. I always thought it was geo-duck, like geography. Learn something new every day.
Never have tasted that and seen one irl!!! Never heard of this before!!
I was waiting for one of the punji sticks to poke an eye out as they try to use the hose to pull the clams out. I saw one case where it came pretty close.
I think he needs to say Geoduck one more time
I don't believe that I coexist in the same planet with these creatures. It reminds of the interdimensional TV Rick and Morty.
New drinking game, take a shot every time he says "geoduck".
It even pees a little out the end. 😂
Isn't there a pokemon that's called Geoduck?
Do geoducks have feelings?
Did it take 6 years to start this farming?
Great conservation great video
I've seen lots of their country cousins, the Gaper Clam, while diving in S. Calif. I've thought of how I could harvest them while scuba diving. Any idea on how this is done?
6:32 GAWD DAMN SON
imagine being sponsored by YETI
I wonder what it taste like.
Clam. It's a clam. It will taste like clam.
#OnlyClams
🤣
i had worked for a temp agency, and they sent us to a geoduck farm in shelton, and it's awful in the summer as it's humid af. oh, some sections of the beach, is like quicksand
🙄I thought geoduck just like sea urchin and scallop live under water, thanks for the video.
We call them “STEAMERS” or “Piss Clams”. On the Eastend of Long Island in the North Atlantic. I can walk on my beach on the bay (Shinnecock Bay) and when you see a squirt of water shoot up out of the sand you dig and pull out. Great steamed (Hence our Name) and eat with drawn butter.
How long did it take before they changed the I to a U?
That dude looked like he did not like it at all 😂
With the vast amount of water pollution, especially in the USA, there is no way I would eat any marine life. Especially filter feeders.
Who looks at one of these and thinks “yeah that looks good”?!
my thoughts exactly lol
Chinese people.
Definitely not me
Me
Asians and white people, mostly
How funny would it be if his name was Richard Farmer?
Gently put this is BOILING WATER...
I've seen something like this before, but I can't remember. Wait a minute!
😂😂😂
why the heck is it spelled "Gee Oh Duck" and pronounced "GOO EE DUCK"?
I think since we make up language we can collectively change the spelling, right?
Da braddah had me, til he pronounced 'ikura' 😂😂😂
Turns out, I knew nothing at all about clams. My Dad is allergic to shellfish, so obviously, we didnt eat a lot of it, Ive tried some thinfs, but not clams.
I would never have guessed what these creatures are!
I've eaten geoduck before but it was smoked, when I was in the region.
No wonder they're a hit at bachelorette parties.
They are so small. in the early 80's , i fished em and they were so much bigger . like twice the size of these.
I am always surprised when public resources are used like this for private business. Like is that land public or private. How is the access to the public water managed? Can anyone with land there do this? Very interesting......thanks for sharing.
It's private - the company purchased land that extends along the bay. It's the same as a shipping harbor that is owned by a company and you can't just enter it as public land. You would not be able to do this on public lands. This is not really prime "beach" type property for people to go to, but it is suitable for this type of marine animal farm.
It's private land or leased. And while I don't know the exact extents of the property line, when you're dealing with shorelines like that there are phrase like, "Mean Lower Low Water" where they own or have rights to where the low (or lowest) tide recedes to. That said, they're still highly regulated by agencies like Washington Department Fish and Wildlife for the resource and possibly Washington State Ecology for water quality or run-off issues. I know I've boated and tromped through a bunch of Puget Sound shoreline areas and the businesses have well-marked and clear boundaries. And that said, you can find public areas that do have oysters and I've harvested many before.
@@mattcwatkins thanks for taking the time to reply. Makes sense.
Taylor Shellfish owns the land. Lots of it, from Puget sound to a few places in Canada. They're passionate about the water quality, and not disrupting their neighbors who live near the farms. When covid hit, they paid all staff in their restaurants full wages with benefits.
Side Challenge: Count how many times he says *_Gooey Ducks._* 😅 Geoduck
does this hurt the duck?
The clams live in the same hole for their entire life. That sounds so depressing. I was wondering, what do they feed on?
You'll be glad to know that geoducks can't get depressed, due to their lack of a brain. They're filter feeders, so they eat whatever organic detritus that floats by.
that a geo-deeck
looks delicious