Hey D,A 4-prong Pitchfork & Full length Spade Shovel will do the trick!When you get them home,Rinse them Real well with Freshwater,Then Put them in a Pot & Cover them with water,aprox.1" above,Pour 1/3 box of Cornmeal into the Pot stir it up,a bit,Leave it alone ,Till you are Ready to Steam them,When you are,Dump that pot of water it will contain sand,Put clams into steamer&Put a few 1/2 cut Garlic Cloves in The Steam water,Steam water should be about 1" deep,Sprinkle a dash of Lawry's in,Not too much.Usually when the water is on a Rolling Boil,that's what you want,& In about 3-5 minutes the clams will be Opening up,that's when they are done,Pour the remaining steam water into a Large cup,That will be Clam Broth,of which You can drink on the spot or Dunk French bread into, A Bit of melted butter,If your not worried about your diet,otherwise omit that one,Enjoy!A pint of Frothy Guiness or a White wine,Goes Real well with this!(note:You will notice a Dk. brown if not Black color on the tip of the valves,to be safe,Snip the dark part off with scissors,usually about 1/8")I usually dont,but for yourself/Your condition,It's recommended! Welcome to The Delicious World of self Harvested Seafood!