Looking for 2010 Village Museum Oyster Roast?
I’ll go ahead and say it. I don’t like seafood. Yes, I grew up in McClellanville, “the seafood capital of the world”, but the taste of crabs, clams, shrimp, fish, and oysters has never really been that appealing to me. I try not to open with this point, because most seafood lovers write me off as crazy, but I can’t help my taste buds.
All that aside, I’ve got to say that I love a good oyster roast. It’s such a great excuse to get bundled up, go out and see friends you haven’t seen in a while. There are also, of course, OYSTERS and if you enjoy those slimy boogers (yes, I said it) then you’ve got a lot to look forward to this weekend.
In addition to the Village Museum‘s Annual Oyster Roast, which is always a blast, Thornhill Farms will also be holding “Local Music on the Farm” benefit with oysters. No need to choose, because they’re on different days. The Village Museum Oyster Roast which is held under the Town Hall is Saturday, November 7th at 6pm and also includes great home-made deserts, soups, and chilis (which I usually consume a dozen or so bowls of). It’s free to museum members or $20 donation at the door. BYOB and BYOOK – that’s Bring Your Own Oyster Knives for those that haven’t been to many roasts.
Thornhill Farms event will be Sunday, November 8th from 12-5pm and feature live music, barbercue and oysters. Proceeds go to benefit the Adaptive Gardens of the Lowcountry and the cost is $25 for adults and $10 for children. All the details are on the images and you can click them to see a bigger picture. If I can kick this nasty cold, I’ll see you there.
For those of you that weren’t “born and raised”, oyster season couldn’t be easier to remember. The rule of thumb is that oysters are only harvested (and therefore consumed fresh) in months with an “R” in them, so starting around SeptembeR and going to ApRil oysters are typically harvested. Small batches of oysters can be cooked on a baking sheet in the oven or broiler until the pop open. The preferred local method, however, is to wait until the weather gets a little colder for a good excuse to break the cabin fever. Build a rip roarin’ fire (outside) until you’ve got a nice stock pile of coals and then place a sheet of metal (a rusted sheet of tin or slab o’ steel work well) over the coals. Shovel on the oysters and cover with a dampened burlap sack or towel and cook for around 15-20 minutes or until they’ve all popped open. Around here you don’t even have to send out invitations, people just wander from out of the woods with oyster knives in hand.
It doesn’t matter if you harvest them yourself, have them delivered, buy them at a market, or pay a professional as long as you’re getting local Bull’s Bay Oysters and enjoying them with friends, it can’t go wrong.
