Oysters

Oysters are in season eight months in the year, ,he four ” close ” months being
May, June, July, and August; the other months having the letter “r ” in their spelling,
accounts for the saying that oysters are in season when there is an ” r ” in the
month. The oyster (ostrea edulis) is found on almost every coast, being especially
cultivated in certain localities, and yielding enormous crops, as it is estimated that
one oyster alone produces in one year from three to four thousand young. The
system of cultivation has been brought to great perfection, and the superior kinds of
oysters are carefully preserved from contamination with inferior sorts. Of the
numerous kinds of oysters sold in our markets, it is only necessary to state that those
possessing the smallest, smoothest and cleanest looking shells, from the high class
native, down to the lowest types, are the best flavored. For serving plain, no oyster
excels the blue points, but for cooking a coarser and cheaper kind may be used with
almost as good results. Oysters must be kept alive, and as they are liable to fret and
waste in substance while in captivity, they require frequent change of water, and
occasional feeding or fattening as it is called. The following is the system usually
adopted: Take some fresh oysters, put them in a tub of water, wash or scrub them
with a birch or heather broom until they are quite clean, then lay them in an earthenware
pan with the flat shell upwards; sprinkle them with flour or oatmeal, and cover
with salted water (quite as salt as sea-water), bay salt being the best for this purpose.
Change the salt water every day and sprinkle the oysters with oatmeal or flour, and
they will fatten. Sometimes it is necessary to preserve oysters for culinary use,
especially in localities where they are scarce or the supplies insufficient. When this
is the case, the following will be found an excellent method of preparing them so that
they will keep good, although not fresh, and be always ready for use.
Clean the oysters thoroughly, put them in a large saucepan with some sea-water,
the juice of half a lemon, and some grated nutmeg. When the water is on the point
of boiling move the saucepan off the fire, and leave the oysters in the liquor till the
following day. Put them into stone or earthenware jars, pour over some clarified
butter, and when cold, cover and tie the jars down; keep them in a cool place.
Oysters should be kept in a very cold place, and should be thoroughly washed before
they are opened; they should, according to the French custom, be opened on the
deep shell so as to preserve their liquor; it is then advisable, if possible, to lay them
on a bed of finely chopped ice for an hour or so before serving; this improves the
flavor greatly, but they must not be left on the ice much longer, for after that time
they will begin to lose flavor, instead of gaining it.