Fall is "in the air", the temperature is dropping slightly, the days are getting shorter, and the months that have the letter "r" in them are quickly approaching. But wait... September is a month with the letter "r" in it! This is WONDERFUL!
September is the first month of Oyster season in the lowcountry. We are all anxious for the official start of Oyster season. It is traditionally opened on or around September 16th (that's today folks) but in recent years, it has been delayed until as late as October 1st.
When the season is opened, all that a person needs is a recreational saltwater fishing license, a couple of 5-gallon buckets, some old tennis shoes and gloves, and a metal rod. Making a trip down to one of the open oyster beds is usually pretty easy if you have a shallow-bottomed boat. Just navigate out on a falling low tide, and look for the official DHEC signs indicating that the bed is open. Park anywhere and go get some Oysters!
I love this time of year because it is still warm enough to enjoy the boat ride and the low tide oystering, and the days are still long enough that I can get out after work for a couple of hours of oystering. On a Friday or Saturday night it's a great excuse to have some friends over to eat the catch of the day.
So, call a buddy and go get some oysters (when the season opens of course). It is a great time of the year to be outdoors harvesting as well as enjoying good company.
Happy Oystering!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Great Conversation Piece
About 5 years ago, a friend called me and said that he had a bunch of oysters left over from an oyster roast, and asked if I wanted them. They hadn't been cooked yet, so it was just what I needed to instigate my own oyster roast.
I was new to the whole oyster thing, but I had been to enough oyster roasts, and watched how it was done. I figured that I could do this too. All I needed were a couple of key pieces of furniture. I needed an oyster table and a sheet of steel to cook them on. The steel was just a phone call away, and I had it the next day. The oyster table is where I focused my simple mind.
I had some scraps of wood in the garage, so I started by making some legs that were a good height for standing up and getting good leverage. Then I cut a piece of plywood to put on the leg set and cut a hole in the middle for the shells to go through into the trash can. This didn't seem like rocket science to me, and it only took me about an hour to slap it together.
Here's the funny part... After using that table for 5 years and taking it to many an oyster roast, it has become quite a celebrity in my circle of friends. It has conversation appeal. It is not a work of aesthetic art by any means, but it does seem to have functional and conversational appeal. That little scrap of a table has become part of the community, and now it is starting to break down. It is time to start over and see if I can improve on the original design. I will update this post with some pictures when I get going on it.
If you find yourself needing a table to get messy on with your oysters, you should comment on this post so I know that you are out there. If I know that someone needs the table plans or instructional video posted, I might really get motivated to get it done. Otherwise, you will just have to get creative and throw a sheet of plywood on some barrels or maybe even put some legs on the sheet. I hope to post more oyster table ideas soon.
I was new to the whole oyster thing, but I had been to enough oyster roasts, and watched how it was done. I figured that I could do this too. All I needed were a couple of key pieces of furniture. I needed an oyster table and a sheet of steel to cook them on. The steel was just a phone call away, and I had it the next day. The oyster table is where I focused my simple mind.
I had some scraps of wood in the garage, so I started by making some legs that were a good height for standing up and getting good leverage. Then I cut a piece of plywood to put on the leg set and cut a hole in the middle for the shells to go through into the trash can. This didn't seem like rocket science to me, and it only took me about an hour to slap it together.
Here's the funny part... After using that table for 5 years and taking it to many an oyster roast, it has become quite a celebrity in my circle of friends. It has conversation appeal. It is not a work of aesthetic art by any means, but it does seem to have functional and conversational appeal. That little scrap of a table has become part of the community, and now it is starting to break down. It is time to start over and see if I can improve on the original design. I will update this post with some pictures when I get going on it.
If you find yourself needing a table to get messy on with your oysters, you should comment on this post so I know that you are out there. If I know that someone needs the table plans or instructional video posted, I might really get motivated to get it done. Otherwise, you will just have to get creative and throw a sheet of plywood on some barrels or maybe even put some legs on the sheet. I hope to post more oyster table ideas soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
