Best Haul Yet!/ UPDATE Thanks Guys!

[44 Degrees North]

WHERE'S THE BANDS ?  I wouldn't worry so much about the law on notched ones as I would commercial fishermen. Your tagged taking shorts or notched stuff around here and your buoys are beach combers prizes. You never fish again. I'm glad we got Sunday off, need it. Thought about going clamming this morning but I think I'll just rest up today. I see your up early this morning you must be digging. Wife and I have been picking wild raspberries nights after work up country. Gathered up 10 quarts for the freezer. A yearling cow was in one of my spots Friday night. I didn't drive her off, she is going to need them more than I am. Saw a nice 8 pointer in velvet last night. That got me pumped. Get the game cameras out this week. Blackberries in a week or two.  44

[CLAMFARMER]

I don’t cook ‘em with the bands on. I’d band em if I was holding ‘em.

I don’t keep anything questionable. I think that female will be over measure next shed. I only wish I renotched her! If I see her again, I will.

Did well clamming today. 242.16#. I didn’t think they would take em all. Kinda BIG, but they took em. Said they needed em today. 

I wish I had time to do some wild gathering. Hardly know what direction to head most of the time, unless the tide’s falling!

Sounds like you guys are having a good summer!

WHERE'S THE BANDS ?  I wouldn't worry so much about the law on notched ones as I would commercial fishermen. Your tagged taking shorts or notched stuff around here and your buoys are beach combers prizes. You never fish again. I'm glad we got Sunday off, need it. Thought about going clamming this morning but I think I'll just rest up today. I see your up early this morning you must be digging. Wife and I have been picking wild raspberries nights after work up country. Gathered up 10 quarts for the freezer. A yearling cow was in one of my spots Friday night. I didn't drive her off, she is going to need them more than I am. Saw a nice 8 pointer in velvet last night. That got me pumped. Get the game cameras out this week. Blackberries in a week or two.  44

[CLAMFARMER]

I know a lot of you guys probably know this stuff......

If any of you have experience doing this with lobster meat, Please give me any best methods you know of! 

Now that I have the machine, I can see it being used often!

Just picked out about 20#+ Of whole lobster. Got a little under 4# meat. Yeah, I ate some along the way.  It was good! 

OK, the vac does NOT like liquid. Tried to pack with a mix of lobster juice (only what I got as I broke them up)  and milk. Couldn’t do it with enough vacing to my liking. Will pack it dry from now on.  Having said that, you can pull most of the air out and leave liquid in. I don’t think the air is good for long term (months) freezing. Still gonna try a couple variations. Might try packing a few in soft butter for easy warm up at the Snopro hacienda. 

[jperch]

Clamfarmer, wow looks great!  Here is an easy trick to help with the liquid problem.  Take some paper towels, double it up once or twice, cut a strip and place it at the top of the bag to be sealed.  As the unit begins to vacuum the liquid will start to be drawn into the paper towel and it will not interfere with the seal.  With a little practice this solves the problem.  jperch

[CLAMFARMER]

Thanks Perch! Is that yellow or white???
I’ll try that next round! 

Clamfarmer, wow looks great!  Here is an easy trick to help with the liquid problem.  Take some paper towels, double it up once or twice, cut a strip and place it at the top of the bag to be sealed.  As the unit begins to vacuum the liquid will start to be drawn into the paper towel and it will not interfere with the seal.  With a little practice this solves the problem.  jperch

[jperch]

Clamfarmer, jperch is short for jack perch.  That is what my grandfather used to call large yellow perch.  The smaller ones he called grass perch.  I'm from upstate NY and yellow perch are my primary target on the ice.  I know they are not held in high esteem in Maine, do they make good lobster bait??  Good luck, I enjoy your posts.   jperch

[CLAMFARMER]

Clamfarmer, jperch is short for jack perch.  That is what my grandfather used to call large yellow perch.  The smaller ones he called grass perch.  I'm from upstate NY and yellow perch are my primary target on the ice.  I know they are not held in high esteem in Maine, do they make good lobster bait??  Good luck, I enjoy your posts.   jperch

  I’m from Johnson City, grew up on Onieda! Best catch of jack’s perch late 70’s, about 250# no sonar, used bobbers and 2# test off Cleveland that day.  

I miss walleye and good jack perch. There are some good ones here - not right close to me - but other than that, most are stunted and full of yellow grub (parasites). There is some good fishing I miss in NY. AND! Maine is GREAT! TOO! Ain’t no lobstah or clam digging down theyah.  

Hopefully I’ll make it down to Onieda this winter or fish with my nephew who numbed the ‘eyes on some rivers last winter.

[stguy]

When we had our catering business we had a freezer full of lobster meat, when we stopped doing it, it took us a couple of years to go through it all and it was all still good eating.

vacuum packed it dry, some of it with butter. some of it we through in some veggies and added a little milk after it was reheated.

You do know you can get the vac bags you can boil?

[CLAMFARMER]

When we had our catering business we had a freezer full of lobster meat, when we stopped doing it, it took us a couple of years to go through it all and it was all still good eating.

vacuum packed it dry, some of it with butter. some of it we through in some veggies and added a little milk after it was reheated.

You do know you can get the vac bags you can boil?

I think the ones I have will do that. If not, I’ll pick some up. Thanks!

[44 Degrees North]

Got one those a few years back, good rigs. I would never freeze scallops in freezer bags because they always came out fishy smelling when thawed. Bought one of those after a buddy told me about it. Scallops are still not as good as fresh but as close as it probably will get, no fishy smell. Just froze those raspberries with it. She spreads them out on a cookie sheet, flash freezes them then vac seals them. Do it the same way with peas, blackberries, blueberries any crushable foods.

[44 Degrees North]

Works great on deer and moose. Freezer burn is a thing of the past.

[nofishin]

Thanks Salty! Yeah, Doing the same on mud bottom and out in the channel. Seem to be getting the bigger ones up in shallow. I set around the guys I know are high liners.  

The thing about freezing is to freeze them fast and very cold. I also freeze them with the broth in them, which seems to help and avoids freezer burn. I had some left from last year this spring. Was a little spongy but ok. Cryovac is best all around. I think I’m buying a small unit today.

Oh boy.  you are both way off.  freeze in evaporated milk.  one quart ziplock bag, fill with lobster meat, dump in one can (sometimes a little more), so that all meat is covered.  the key is to then get all the air out. 
the meat will taste fresh for over a year.  also makes great chowder.  I would rather have frozen meat than fresh. 

[ran7ger]

What's worse than lobsters on your piano?

 crabs on your organ!

[CLAMFARMER]

Thanks for all the great help, advice and experience you all contributed. Some serious professional “Foodies”  gave  most definitive functional methods. According to them (some on Facebook) vac packing is the best and dry or with some butter. I have had professionally cryovaced lobster meat a year after it was packed. Not quote like fresh, but very good and way better than the ziplock way. I will be putimg some up with milk too, if the vac ideas I got hold up, which I believe they will!

Thanks Again!!!!

 

Joe

[stguy]

When you cook them, add a little sea salt to the water first, don't know what it does, but it does make it taste better after it's been frozen.