Crab

"Everyone," says Dick Kauffman, "loves a crab apple tree in spring, but often gardeners don't realize the potential of some old and many newer varieties to remain attractive throughout the balance of the growing season. " Scab and rust, two diseases that can wipe out crab apple foliage by early July, leaving a tree bare until the next spring, have given these plants a bad reputation. Large fruit, no longer needed by cooks to produce pectin, also was considered a drawback. So far, breeders haven't produced the perfect crab apple, but they have made much improvement, and Kauffman grows at his wholesale London Grove Nursery in Chester County about 18 of the best varieties for this area.

  It's true, says Chester County's Frank Barbalace, that the subtly sweet, crab-scented marinara sauce he (and partner Steve Donze) are bottling is indeed, as the label says, "Grandmom Concetta's, since 1929, original recipe. " He ought to know; it was his grandmother, born in Naples, who cooked the sauce from crabs at the Jersey Shore when he was a kid. Good over penne; better, Frank says, with sauteed shrimp added. - Rick Nichols A charitable twist Those in the loop - that October-centric pink-ribbon loop, that is - get yet another chance to contribute to breast cancer research, by savoring soft pretzels that forego the usual triple-twist in favor of the familiar ribbon's single loop shape.

In Grandfather's day, crab apple trees had mixed reputations. In the spring, they produced glorious blooms. But by the family picnic in August, they already had dropped countless diseased leaves on the lawn. Then, they frequently produced rather messy fruit that had to be swept from the walk or patio. "Crabs have changed," says J. Richard Kauffman, president of London Grove Nursery Inc., a wholesale tree nursery near Avondale. "Thanks to extensive study conducted by Penn State and other universities, researchers have developed crabs resistant to the diseases that caused them to lose their leaves so early in the year, and many of the newer varieties have smaller fruit, more like that of a holly, which will often remain on the tree until the following spring.

I love the quirky limitations of regional foodways, I really do. But our lack of destinations for good whole crabs - just as the crustacean season is about to hit its peak - has gotten me steamed up. How is it that Philadelphia is so close to the Chesapeake Bay, yet so far from its love of hard-shell culture? Dainty crab cakes? We have plenty. But when it comes to the messy pursuit of whole critters piled high and all that they entail - the big dining halls filled with paper-topped tables, the joyous sound of mallets crunching down, the tangy celery spice of Old Bay seasoning the air - Philadelphia has far too few places to indulge.

Ever feel like you've been cast, unwittingly, as an extra in a particularly loopy science-fiction film? Try walking along the boardwalk here on Martin Z. Mollusk Day. Beneath you, in a large square etched in the sand, elementary-school-aged pigs sporting yellow ribbons are having a hoedown with what resemble three- legged scarecrows and black cows. (Or are they crows? Who knows.) A man dressed in a garbage can is serenading a crustacean to the tune of "Some Enchanted Evening.

If you've been searching for an attractive and comfortable place where you can let your hair down and get serious about seafood, then Crab & Company is the spot to drop anchor. This two-month-old restaurant, with a moderately priced and simple menu, is on Passyunk Avenue about a stone-crab's throw from South Street. It has a quiet, soft charm that makes it suitable for ties and jackets, as well as rolled-up sleeves. The attractive bar has a well-rounded selection of wines and spirits.

Put out a net - a giant one. Buster the crab is gone. Someone snatched the 75-foot inflatable crustacean from atop his perch at Obadiah's seafood restaurant late last week. The wicked deed has gone unpunished despite a $1,000 reward Cape May County Crimestoppers has posted for the clawed one's return. Police are looking for suspects, even as Buster's owners yesterday erected a new inflatable on the roof that had been the monster crab's domain for the last two seasons. Now, said Sandy McIntyre Ummarino, whose family owns the restaurant, Crusty the crab has crawled into the spot once occupied by his twin brother, the lamented Buster.

Marine biologist Chris Wojcik spent months building a 46-foot horseshoe crab replica, meant to function as an artificial reef off the New Jersey coast. The plan Thursday was to sink the anatomically proportionate concrete sculpture - and the 50-foot barge to which it was bolted - three miles east of Mantoloking in Ocean County. The work would rest on the ocean floor, providing an environment for lobsters, fish, and about 150 other species, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection, which gave the operation its approval.

When I get that craving, usually on the third Wednesday morning in July, I jump into my car, take Interstate 95 south, and on the other side of Wilmington, pick up Route 13, the main highway into the Delmarva Peninsula. As I move south of Dover, I lose WCAU on the car radio, but the craving is so overpowering it just pulls me on. I pass Perdue trucks packed with thousands of chickens panting in the heat. Corn and soybean farms stretch over the endless flatland. At Seaford, I cross the Nanticoke River, 31 miles from its Mississippi-size mouth in Tangier Sound.

Vice President George Bush, a millionaire who likes to show people he's just a regular guy, went crabbing on the Delaware River yesterday. Delaware's top Republicans joined the GOP presidential candidate aboard the 36-foot crab trawler Wiso II. Bobbing in the river alongside of them were two Coast Guard boats, two marine police boats, a state police boat and two boatloads of press corps, scrambling from port to starboard trying to get a glimpse...

The Coast Guard has suspended a search for the missing crew member of a commercial crabbing boat that capsized Thursday in the frigid waters of Delaware Bay. Josh Cattlet, 24, was on the 40-foot Linda Claire, which went down six miles west of Cape May Point about 8:30 a.m., officials said. Two other crew members, Chris Serra, 27, and Dave Wood, 25, were rescued by good Samaritans. Authorities said the three men were the only ones aboard the Linda Claire out of Port Norris, Cumberland County.

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a crew member of a commercial crabbing boat that capsized in the Delaware Bay Thursday morning. Two others were rescued. Authorities identified the missing man as Josh Cattlet, 24, who was on the Linda Claire, a 40-foot vessel that sailed from Port Norris, Cumberland County. Chris Serra, 27, and Dave Wood, 25, were rescued from the frigid waters by Good Samaritans on two other fishing vessels, the Captain Brown and Sandra Lee, officials said.

Makes 6 servings 1 pound lump or jumbo lump crabmeat 1/4 cup finely chopped flatleaf parsley 1 bunch scallions, roots trimmed, thinly sliced 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs 2 large eggs 1/4 cup milk Pinch of cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 lemon, thinly sliced, for garnish ...

The sand trucks are running. The bulldozers are spreading. A nearly $1 million effort is under way to restore Delaware Bay beaches that are - or were, before Hurricane Sandy ravaged them - crucial turf for spawning horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds that depend on crab eggs for refueling. On beaches where there was once ample sand for the crabs to dig into and deposit their eggs, biologists surveying the area after the storm found rugged tufts of sod, which had underlain the sand - part of $50 million in damage to bird habitats affected by Sandy.

Classic stuffed flounder is reimagined with a meatier fish, cod, and served with a salad of crab, corn, scallions, and pineapple.   Cod With Corn, Crab, and Pineapple Salad 4 servings For the salad:   5 ounces chopped, cored pineapple 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon sugar Salt Fresh black...

NEW JERSEY state Sen. Jeff Van Drew wants a 5-year-old ban on harvesting horseshoe crabs lifted. Here are the main arguments over the ban:   Pro-ban * The Atlantic red knot, a shorebird recently added to the endangered-species list, depends on horseshoe-crab eggs as a vital food source, a resource that activists say would be depleted should the ban be lifted. * Tens of thousands of bird-watchers routinely flock to the Jersey Shore in early May to watch red-knot migration.

MIDDLE TOWNSHIP, N.J. - The horseshoe crab was weird long before it had a name, a survivor whose 10 eyes have seen dinosaurs, mass extinctions and mankind's march up the food chain. For humans, these living fossils have proved profitable. First, it was discovered that horseshoe crabs made good bait for catching conch and eel, and later a lucrative use was found for their lifesaving blood. Now the South Jersey shores of the Delaware Bay have become a battleground for a fight over the ancient creature, involving fishermen, environmentalists, politicians, scientists and bird lovers.

Company description: "Once harvested, the claws are cooked fresh on the boat, then promptly chilled - never frozen - and flown fresh to the restaurants. " Chain: Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House. Location: 15th and Chestnut streets. Calories: Because it has fewer than 15 locations, the chain isn't required to provide nutrition information. But the Internet consensus seems to be 60 calories for 3 medium claws, which are 100 percent protein, with no fat or carbs. Order time: 15 minutes.

Marine biologist Chris Wojcik spent months building a 46-foot horseshoe crab replica, meant to function as an artificial reef off the New Jersey coast. The plan Thursday was to sink the anatomically proportionate concrete sculpture - and the 50-foot barge to which it was bolted - three miles east of Mantoloking in Ocean County. The work would rest on the ocean floor, providing an environment for lobsters, fish, and about 150 other species, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection, which gave the operation its approval.

One of the city's great underused alfresco dining spaces, the elegant walled garden behind the Philadelphia Art Alliance, has reopened in time for the balmy weather. Even better, the recently opened restaurant now known as the Rittenhouse Tavern is featuring some stylish New American plates from former Le Bec-Fin chef Nicholas Elmi. For a lunchtime bite of early summer at its best, go for the soft-shell crab sandwich, the meaty crustacean crisped inside a light tempura crust, then paired with the sweet-tart crunch of pickled pole beans, shredded cabbage slaw, and a spicy remoulade spread inside the airy crust of a warmed hoagie roll.