People either love them or hate them and no they do not all make pearls. They filter about 30 gallons of water a day making them great for the environment and they are rich in amino acids, zinc (which is where the idea they are good for your sex drive comes from) as well as iron, vitamin A and B12.

Why am I talking about Oysters today? Well, where I live we are surrounded by water. We have the ocean the Intracoastal and a river. Recently my fiancé was craving oysters so he checked out the grocery stores and local seafood markets only to be disappointed with the high prices.

Everything is more expensive today, we all know that. We love to go out on the water in our boat and have always noticed the oyster beds that line the banks of the river.

We also had heard of friends who have harvested oysters in our area. That idea fueled our weekend adventure to find our own oysters. With a little research, we found that it is permitted to harvest recreationally with certain restrictions such as location, size, and quantities. Knowing the rules was just the start, now for the supplies. Oyster beds are found along the banks of the river and creeks. To reach them one must wade through some of the muckiest mud you will find, so waders are a must. They are also extremely sharp so a good pair of heavy-duty gloves. Oysters grow in clusters and you can only harvest the ones that are 3 inches which requires a tool to break apart the clusters. My job was to stay with the boat as Trevor waded in sometimes thigh-deep mud with his bucket. By the end of the day we took home a bushel of the best oysters we ever had. Food tastes so much better when you are involved with getting it. A boat ride and a little work is so much more rewarding than a trip to the grocery store.

The native people of northeast Florida thrived off the waterways in this area. Today mounds of discarded shells called middens can still be seen along the banks we travel. There is one such mound in the Guana Nature Preserve that dates back to 1000AD.

I have plenty of friends who feed their families by fishing and shrimping in this are. It humbles me to think I can still eat the way people have since early times. Harvesting your own oysters is just one more way to use local resources to be self sufficient. What resources are there in your part of the world?