We've never noticed before how colorful Olympia oyster shells are. They're full of earth tones: browns, deep purples, and mossy greens. There are places on the farm where Olympias are abundant. They live on and amongst the larger Pacific oysters. These particular Olys had the misfortune to be attached to Pacific oysters that came up to shore to be shucked. We pried about 50 of them off the Pacifics, ate a couple, and put the rest out on the beach. If you're at all interested in learning more about the history of the Olympia oyster, we highly recommend Rowan Jacobsen's newest book, The Living Shore. It's a beautifully written, meditative book about humanity's relationship with shellfish and the intertidal world. The book was released on September 1st and is available at Amazon for $14.70.
Hi! We had a great time meeting you on Labor Day, and wanted to thank you for your advice about bbq’ing oysters. Had a feast when we got home – yummy steamed clams and bbq’ed oysters with fresh corn on the cob and french bread.
We will be back soon!
Thanks Caron! Glad you enjoyed the shellfish. I’m going to really enjoy checking out your blog for decorating ideas!
[…] the wet, deep areas we found wild olympia oysters clinging to pacific […]