Oyster Blog

  • Apr 13, 2009: Less Fun than a Barrel of Monkeys

    While cleaning the seed racks Nathan stumbled upon a covey of molted (and apparently very sociable) hairy hermit crabs.  Hermit crabs have soft, curled abdomens that have specialized pads on them to keep the crab in place once inside a...

  • Apr 9, 2009: Oyster Beer in North Carolina

    Domestic oyster stout is alive and well at the Oyster House Brewing Company in Asheville! The brewery, located in The Lobster Trap restaurant, adds oysters to its signature Moonstone Stout. According to headbrewer Billy Klingel, Moonstone is characterized by "delightful...

  • Apr 3, 2009: Not an Eel.

    But it sure looks like one! When the tide goes out, juvenile gunnels take shelter from the elements by hiding beneath oyster shells, emerging only to surprise and delight beachcombers. Pictured above is a penpoint gunnel, which can grow up...

  • Apr 1, 2009: Oyster Plate Gallery

    Some people get really into oyster plates. And you can love oyster plates without loving oysters. As this site put it: In the Pacific Northwest, oysters are still a popular seafood choice; however, even if you shudder to think of...

  • Mar 31, 2009: Rain on the Parade

    Saturday was cloudy and rainy... a good day for vampires but not for the rest of us. And only a few hardy souls braved the drizzle to attend the first ever Open Farm Day. Being optimists, we consider it a...

  • Mar 26, 2009: Yellow Sea Slug

    The other day the oyster farm was crawling with Monterey dorids. Nudibranchs (pronounced nudi-branks), or sea slugs,  are gastropod molluscs and come in a crazy variety of shapes and colors. (The Monterey dorid is a rather tame looking sea slug,...

  • Mar 20, 2009: ugliest pearl contest

    The sad thing is that these both came out of the same oyster. IMHO: The pearl on the left is the most terrible, because it looks like a dental horror story.

  • Mar 19, 2009: The Long Haul

    We don't know where this drill snail is headed, but we wish him happy trails.

  • Mar 17, 2009: Misguided Container Ship

    Either the Port of Hoodsport has really amped up its shipping business, or this guy took a wrong turn coming down the Straits. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

  • Mar 16, 2009: Mussels!

    One Saturday a few weekends ago at least ten customers came into the seafood store asking for mussels. And that got us thinking: why don't we sell mussels? There are plenty out on the beach. So last Friday Nathan and...

  • Mar 13, 2009: Hama Hama Hammers

    Last night the Hama Hama Hammers, two-time defending champions in the Olympia Parks and Recreation volleyball league, took a serious digger, losing against Airborne in the semi-finals to finish 3rd. Fortunately for all involved, it's just a silly adult volleyball...

  • Mar 12, 2009: Oyster Ice Cream

    We've heard rumors and murmurings about oyster ice cream for several years. Apparently it's big in Japan, and was popular with Dolley Madison (wife of President James). But we tip our hats to Lorraine Eaton, a reporter with The Virginian-Pilot,...