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Sunday, May 11, 2014

Summer Chesapeake Bay Crab Feast!

Summer is almost here and with those lazy hazy days of summer the eastern seaboard states of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware is the tradition of the warm weather crab feast.  It's usually nothing complicated with newspapers spread out on a picnic table with crabs piled high in the center for the traditional meal.
  

In my neck of the woods we eat crabs with lots of melted butter, corn on the cob and of course watermelon to round out the entrees.   

Crab meat is such a delicacy especially the prized sweet meat of the Chesapeake Bay blue crab and when feasting with my family there is no accompanying bread, cornbread or hush puppies, traditional sides.

Blue Crabs
  

I am so focused on the crab picking I never miss the bread, in fact this is the first time I have even thought about it.  It's not that I don't like the accompanying traditional breads, I have eaten hush puppies and biscuits in restaurants when ordering shellfish.


At a crab feast for a large local state government gathering there weren't any of the above mentioned breads or even corn bread but no one mentioned it or cared, the crabs are that good! 


Although these hush puppies look amazing.  Click on the description and you will find a recipe waiting for you.




Deadrise workboat, official boat of the State of Virginia


The above image is one of the workers of the Chesapeake Bay Project, "The Chesapeake Bay Project is a unique regional partnership that brings together leaders and experts from a vast range of agencies and organizations. Each Bay Program partner uses its own resources to implement Bay restoration and protection activities." - the Chesapeake Bay Project website. 


The Chesapeake Bay has been over-fished, marine life has also been damaged from runoff of surrounding farmland and other states.  According to Wiki the once abundant crabs and oysters are at the lowest numbers than anytime in the past. 


The organization includes volunteers under the Project umbrella, are working to arrest the damages done to this important fishing area.
A view of a house that is no longer there...


or the land, due to winds and tide washing the land away, nature's way of rezoning!

Lynnhaven Fishing Pier sunset, Chesapeake Bay

For more information about helping to save the Chesapeake Bay click on:  The Chesapeake Bay Foundation

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