A Foraging Creature

Euell Gibbons meets Thoreau in Waders at low tide. Artist Nina Carelli dreams up our collective wild side in the name of food and adventure.

1. Field Guide

A variety of field guides are available from Bunch of Grapes, Vineyard Haven. For your urban foraging friends, buy a copy of Tom Brown’s Field Guide to the Forgotten Wilderness. Handy notebooks and cool pens help document your foraging ways: EduComp, 4 State Road, Vineyard Haven.

2. Duct Tape

Three dollars at hardware stores across the Island. What can’t it be used for?

3. Compasses

They’re hard to come by on the Island but “x” marks the spot at Brickman’s, Main Street, Vineyard Haven & Edgartown, $12 to $21.95.

4. Camera

Powerfully bulletproof, Mosher’s Canon PowerShot D10 Waterproof, Freezeproof, & Shockproof camera is a good companion on cold winter outings. Mosher Photo, Vineyard Haven & Edgartown, $329.99.

5. Shellfish Gauge

Five dollars buys you a gauge to measure your shellfish keepers. Any bait shop should have ‘em!

6. Clam Rakes

Available at Larry’s Tackel Shop, clam rakes start as low as $39, but $99 will get you a stainless steel cage and a bamboo handle. Larry’s, 258 Upper Main Street, Edgartown, (508) 627-5088, www.larrystackle.com

7. Snorkel & Mask

Essential gear for when you need to check under your boat or go for a scallop dive, these are available for $39.95-$49.95 at Wind’s Up, 199 Beach Road, Vineyard Haven. (508) 693-7669.

8. Hunting Knives

Scary hunting knives… well, scary or non-hungers, anyway! You can pick up your fixed blades and folder knives, $40-$120, at Dick’s Bait & Tackle, New York Avenue, Oak Bluffs, (508) 693-7669.

9. Shucking Knife

You’ve got the littlenecks, if only you could get into them… The key is a shucking knife, which you can find at area bait and tackle shops for $12 to $18. Also good for scallops and quahogs.

10. Filet Knife

A sharp filet knife is a fisher-person’s best friend, since it makes short work of slicing from local catch. $5 to $50 at Coop’s Bait & Tackle, 147 West Tisbury Road, Edgartown, (508) 627-3909, www.coopsbaitandtackle.com

11. Shellfish License

Our creature would definitely be stopped by the Shellfish Constable if his license wasn’t so prominently displayed. Keep it legal by visiting your Town Hall’s Shellfish Department.

12. Scallop Basket

Canvas bags are all the rage for in-town foraging (aka, shopping), but on the water, we prefer Coop’s stainless steel scallop basket, $38. $20 will get you the plastic version, which Coop thinks is a great value with lots of room. Coop’s Bait & Tackle, 147 West Tisbury Road, Edgartown, (508) 627-390

13. Neoprene Waders

Steve Morris of Dick’s Bait & Tackle tells us that Neoprene waders are what will keep you warm during this winter’s blustery scallop season, $135. Dick’s Bait & Tackle, New York Ave, Oak Bluffs, (508) 693-7669