Ipswich clams are here again!  A seven-week closure of the local clam beds, due to red tide, had forced local Essex and Ipswich clam shacks to bring clams in from Maine and elsewhere.  Last week, the algae infestation called red tide abated enough to finally reopen the local clam flats to commercial diggers, according to an article by Andrew Ryan in the Boston Globe.  Doug Woodman of Woodman’s of Essex says he prefers the local clams: “The quality of the clam is better.  We were getting them from northern Maine, but it's not the same, especially with fried clams. Tourists can't really tell the difference, but some of us can."

Some area clam beds remain closed, such as those in Newbury and Rowley.  Ever wonder how local clam diggers make a living when the means to their livelihood are off limits?  Read about it in this Boston Globe story by David Cogger.

The photo above shows the Woodman’s pickup counter, from the Roadfood.com review.