Coquina

Coquina. for Building and Broth. , What’s That Rock on the Beach? , What is that rock growing out of the beach sand? This is Coquina (ko-key-nah), Spanish for “little shell.” Coquina rock is a mixture of shells and quartz sand. It was formed by nature hundreds of thousands of years ago., The coquina deposit along the East Coast of Florida is named the Anastasia Formation. It extends from just north of St. Augustine to southern Palm Beach County. The longest exposure of coquina rock is in Flagler County., Washington Oaks Gardens State Park is an excellent place to see coquina rock. Look closely into the tidal pools on the rocks. You may see an anemone, a starfish or a small crab. Walk down to the surf and see the living coquina clams as they burrow back into the sand. Scoop up a handful, and you’ll be holding a rainbow of colors., A Fort Made Of Seashells , The Spanish quarried coquina rock on Anastasia Island as early as 1598. The used this material to build the fortress Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine. The national monument is Florida’s oldest structure. It was built between 1672 and 1695. Fort Matanzas is another local national monument made of coquina., Coquina rock is relatively soft and easy to quarry. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, the Lehigh Cement Plant mined coquina. It was used to make cement. Visit the Flagler Beach Historical Museum to see old photographs of the plant. Coquina also is used as a decorative material in many local parks., More than 1000 years ago, Native Americans used baskets to gather coquina clams from the beach. Then they cooked and ate them. Archaeologists find prehistoric middens (trash piles) that contain millions of discarded coquina shells., You’d have to eat lots of coquina clams to get any real food value. It’s estimated that about 300 clams yield only 100 grams of meat., 100 grams of coquina meat would provide 54 calories, 8.6 grams of protein. 1.0 gram of fat, and 2.0 grams of carbohydrates, Coquina Soup. Coquina broth makes a tasty soup stock or base for other dishes. Try this recipe:, . Collect a few quarts of live coquina clams from the wet sand, just above the line where the waves are breaking. , . Rinse well, and cover with about ½ inch of water , . Add some pepper, a little butter, and a tablespoon of sherry , . Boil for five minutes , . Strain out the shells and serve the broth , Yields one serving