Only eat oysters in months with an 'r'? Rule of thumb is at least 4,000 years old

Eurekalert! ^ | November 20, 2019 | Florida Museum of Natural History

[SunkenCiv]

The impressed odostome, Boonea impressa, is a tiny marine snail that parasitizes oysters by perching atop and piercing their shells and sucking their insides. Because the snails have a predictable 12-month life cycle, their length can record the time of death of their oyster host, allowing researchers to date ancient oyster harvesting. [Kristen Grace/Florida Museum]

[SunkenCiv]

[ClearCase_guy]

Snails known as impressed odostomes

I find it hard to impress an odostome. I have to really work at it. Tough crowd.

[Jonty30]

So January, February, March, April, Mray, Jurne, Jurly, Aurgust, September, October, November, December?

[V_TWIN]

As I understand it the “R” month thing more and more may be becoming a moot point since a lot of oysters are from farms now. having lived in the south my whole life and eating oysters most of my adult life i can say the best I ever had were Apalachicola.

[bk1000]

As a new aficionado of Apalachicola oysters, I inquired of a local as to any truth to the myth. She said: “Nah, we eat them year round.” I figured the “month without an R” taboo was due to shipping them in summer months when they’d be more likely to spoil.

[Jewbacca]

They just project a hard shell to the public. Inside they’re just a bunch of softies.

[TexasGator]

Times change. Oysters change. Farming/harvesting has changed.

It is not a myth but now no longer a taboo.

[Bob Ireland]

Only eat oyste▁s in months with an 'r'...

[Red Badger]

The warm months, without the ‘R’, are also when the water is warm and bacterial levels are high, making the oysters possible sources of intestinal infections, so that may have been more of a concern than ‘sustainability’, which I doubt was a concern at all.

How would these native peoples even know when they spawn or how?.......................

[Red Badger]

Summer months are when the waters are warm and bacteria levels are high........................

[yarddog]

About the only ones you see around here are Apalachicola oysters. A few Choctawhatchee Bay ones too.

I would add September to those months not to eat oysters.

[gr8eman]

LOL! Best oysters I ever ate were Chesapeake Bay south of Rappahannock!

[G Larry]

Used to love oysters....until...

On one of our frequent biz trips to Florida I was seated across from my buddy who would eat 2 buckets to my 1.

About half way through I looked up and he was gagging and turning green.

He'd got into a bad oyster.

That was enough for me....I quit.

[yarddog]

Diamond Jim Brady would only eat Lynn Haven oysters from Virginia Beach.

One of the best meals I ever had was at Sam’s Oyster Bar in Ft. Walton Beach. It was a fried oysters plate. I returned maybe 20 years later and it was just so-so. Maybe I was expecting too much.

[Jewbacca]

I’ve never had any; keep kosher.

But I am glad you enjoy them.

[dainbramaged]

Puget Sound and Hood Canal oysters are harvested and eaten year round in our area - farmed or wild. The meat is a bit softer in the summer.
The Pacific oyster (can grow to 20" long) being the most common, brought in from Japan many decades ago after the native species were nearly wiped out by runoff from paper mills and other pollution.
My personal favorite on the half shell would be the Kumamoto variety, referred to as kumos. Delicate and delicious.

[Pollard]

and the best,(and big ass) shrimp are Banana Reds from the Banana River.

[Lurker]

Acme Oyster House in New Orleans. Amazing.

L

[MisterArtery]

The Acme is where I was treated to a real live “shuck and jive” demo while sitting at the bar by the front windows.