Pluff mud is special to me for many reasons. My mother was nurse in Walterboro, SC during the depression. Originally from Norway, she had always longed for the beach. When she was able to save enough money, she and my father bought a small house on Pawley’s Island. It was the perfect place to explore and one of my earliest memories is playing in the marsh. The joy of pluff mud came only after getting stuck in it. The explorer in me wouldn’t let it go and so the pluff mud and I became good friends. I learned how to move through it, to savour its rich aroma, and most importantly, its rich meaning to the Lowcountry.
Pluff Mud was the name of my first boat and remains
It starts in North Carolina and can be found all the way to northern Florida. Eels, crabs, shrimp, fish and other water creatures live and thrive in the marshes, depend on the pluff mud.
Red Wing Blackbird
Marsh Hens
Sound of shrimp (air bubbles popping)
Events and Festivals
Wooden Boat Festival in Georgetown
Dolphin will force fish onto smooth bits of pluff mud so that they can be consummed. Doesn’t do this on pluff mud that has oysters and the potential to get cuts from the shells.
