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| “Oysters are the opening to a winter breakfast...Indeed they are almost indispensable.” |
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| - Almanach des Gourmands, 1803
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While
Jake’s has been in business for 20 years we’ve
celebrated the oyster for the last seven. You’ll
almost always find a selection of
5 – 6 species or more depending upon the time of
year & the coastal weather & fishing conditions.
We purchase our oysters from several sources, from Bob
Paquin’s beds in the Okeover Inlet, B.C. & several
local suppliers who scourer the coasts in search of the
best oysters including the legendary Rodney’s Oyster
House in Toronto. Since we serve over 150 dozen oysters
each week you can be sure we’re only shucking the
best for you! |
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| The Oyster is a bivalve mollusk
that has existed since prehistoric times. |
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| More than 100 species of
oyster live in colonies on natural sand banks that are
to be found in most parts of the world |
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| Oysters eat day & night.
They are highly prolific, and, if left undisturbed, would
undoubtedly fill the seas |
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What is an Oyster?
An oyster is a shellfish with 2 rough shells that hook
together at one end. (The narrow end.) The oyster has
strong muscles which hold the shell shut. It is very difficult
for predators (like people) to pry open the shell. An
Eastern oyster is usually 2 - 6 inches long. The inside
of the shell has a purple mark where the oyster was attached.
Be careful, the shell is sharp and can cut you! |
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How do they grow their
shells?
Oyster shells are made of calcium carbonate (lime). The
oysters must get this from the water they live in. They
also have a sort of skin, called a mantle, which spreads
to this calcium carbonate on the outside of their bodies
to form a protective shell. Oysters only grow in areas
where salt & fresh water mix together, like salt marshes.
Oysters are born as free swimming microscopic organisms.
When they grow up they find a place (on mud, coral, debris,
or other oyster shells) to attach and grow. Once they
grow their shells, they can’t move around anymore. |
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What about pearls?
The oyster’s mantle (skin) makes both an outer white
crusty shell, and a smooth inner shell. The smooth inner
part is called “narce” or “Mother of
Pearl”. Sometimes a bit of sand gets inside the
oyster’s shell. This is very irritating to the oyster,
like getting an eyelash in your eye. So the oyster covers
this bit of dirt with shiny smooth Mother of pearl. It
keeps covering the dirt and rolling it around until it
doesn’t cause any more irritation. This makes a
pearl! The oysters that people eat in North America (Eastern
& Pacific) hardly ever make pretty pearls. But there
are other kinds of oysters, clams, mussels, conchs, whelks
and even abalone that do make nice pearls. We think of
pearls as being round and white, but they are often yellow
or black, and many other colours and shapes. |
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How do oysters eat?
Oysters are filter feeders. They suck water in a filter
out the plankton and detritus to swallow. Then they spit
the water back out. Oysters have gills and get their oxygen
from the water. |
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| Jamie (Big Oyster)
eats a delicious fresh oyster right out of the water on the
west coast. |
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| Skiffs filled
with farm-raised oysters circa 1930. |
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| A Northwest shucking
house in the 1800's |
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