Why didn’t the oyster have any friends? Because he was shellfish. That makes a cute joke, but the oyster actually has many friends. Friends like us who think it needs to be celebrated. National Oyster Day takes place on August 5. This day commemorates the different types of oyster shellfish. Oysters have been eaten for thousands of years and are believed to have been one of the first living creatures. This delicacy can provide a different taste depending on where [...]
Each year, August 5 is the day to celebrate everyone’s favorite briny bivalve mollusk: the oyster. Here on the Alabama Gulf Coast, we celebrate these delicacies every day. How much do you know about oysters? One oyster can filter 1.3 gallons of water per hour through their gills. They feed on organisms, such as plankton, during the process. Oysters have been eaten by humans for thousands of years. Oysters change their gender during their lives. They all start off as males and most change to female by [...]
There’s no “R” in May, so can we eat raw oysters? Yes, you can eat raw oysters in the summer. The adage of “R” months can be traced all the way back to 1599. According to a New York Times article, an English cookbook warned people not to eat oysters in the summer months. That was probably a really good idea a few hundred years ago. In modern times, though, as long as the oysters are grown in healthy waters [...]
Show of hands: Who loves oysters? Okay, now another poll question: Who has heard you should only eat raw oysters during months that include the letter “R”? The myth dates back a few hundred years - to 1599 to be exact. According to the New York Times, that’s when the warning showed up in an English cookbook as “don’t eat oysters in the summer.” It made sense at the time, mainly because unrefrigerated or un-iced oysters spoil more quickly and [...]
Don’t you just love oysters? Baked, grilled, steamed or raw, you can’t beat the flavor of a dozen fresh Gulf oysters. It’s crucial for the industry that we keep our local waters clean. You help in that effort when you pick up your trash and use environmentally-friendly boating practices. The warm, brackish waters of Mobile Bay, Navy Cove, Portersville Bay and other places make a perfect growing spot for oyster farms. When cultivated well, our waters produce plump and briny [...]
Do you ever wonder what happens to those shells after you finish off a dozen oysters at your favorite seafood restaurant? Many of those eateries are taking part in an oyster recycling program started last year by the Alabama Coastal Foundation and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Republic Services collects the shells that would have previously been thrown away and delivers them to a site where they are stored outside. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources then loads them onto barges [...]
