Two oysters were talking about the creation of their pearls and the first oyster says,”My pearl was created by an irritant that has formed into a rare and coveted gemstone naturally,” and the other replies,” Well, mine is a divine creation induced by man in a pearl farm, mine may not be rare, but I have lots of culture and have been well cultivated.” My feeble attempt at making up an oyster joke.
All jokes aside, did you know that oysters are great for the ecosystem and can naturally filter water as it feeds. From what I understand a single adult oyster depending on it’s size can filter between 5 and 50 gallons of water a day. Many states are trying to restore the conditions of their water by introducing shell fish restoration projects.
Be Oyster Aware.com is a site that you can learn about the Gulf oysters and how the Gulf Coast oyster processors are developing new ways of post-harvest treatments to help eliminate any diseases that could occur because of eating raw oysters. If you’re healthy then the risk is small, but could you be at risk? I know I checked because I love shellfish and especially oysters.
Vibrio vulnificus infection is found more often around the Gulf states and usually in warmer months, you can check the site for a list of health conditions that would put you in the at risk category. Which I am so I was happy to see all the information that was supplied about the post harvest operations, they also have some delicious recipes you can download. I found some interesting reading there.
