May 8, 2008 - Carrabelle, Florida
Today we decided to venture beyond our campground boundaries and explore the St George Strait. The wind was up and made for a better day inside the truck then being sandblasted on the beach. We had heard from some of the campers that Apalachicola was worthy of a visit…if nothing more than to go to lunch and partake in a feast of fresh local harvested oysters.
Our outing was again, more than we had imagined. The drive northwest was pleasant and followed the gentle curves of the coastline. Occasional road construction slowed our pace and made us take notice of recent past hurricane destruction. Without proper shoring, Katrina and Wilma would certainly claim more land for the Strait and the road would surrender, isolating people from this region.
Crossing the Hwy 98 Bridge at East Bay, we passed over the Apalachicola River where it met the Gulf of Mexico. There is a huge bay aquatic preserve and a very serious effort by citizens to protect the natural environment of this delicate ecosystem.
The bridge curved around and gently placed us into the heart of the historic district. The well preserved turn of the century buildings painted images of a quaint seaside village…its back drop was the River bordered by a serious fleet of rusted and weathered fishing boats. We quickly became aware of the two major sustaining forces in the community…oysters and art!
We were unable to find a recommended restaurant and settled for one called, The Boss. We found a parking spot in the shade for our dog’s comfort, while we ventured in to scan the elaborate menu. I have never seen so many ways to fix oysters. The chef basically offered oysters on the half shell raw or baked with a topping of your choice. We decided on a half dozen to sample along with a basket of scallops, also native to the local waters. Our camping neighbors from Maryland, who were self proclaimed oyster connoisseurs, rated these “10” and we would have to agree.
Following lunch, I was off to explore the town and the local artwork. I’m not into tacky souvenirs for the sake of buying something. I like to hunt for the regional talents of fine artists…not necessarily to buy, but to enjoy for enjoyments sake.
Bruce parked himself in a tiny bookstore to scan maps and local lore. Before leaving him, I did find and buy a delightful book to share with my little nieces and nephews next month. It is a colorful book by a local author and is about Myrtle the Turtle. It’s a wonderful age appropriate book that teaches kids about the life cycle of the loggerhead turtles that inhabit the waters of Florida. At the end of the book, there is an opportunity for people to adopt a turtle and actually be able to track its movement and life online! It is our responsibility to educate our little ones to the sustainability of our natural surroundings. I found this to be a delightful, poetic story to do just that!
Our day was full as we ventured to the furthest spot, St. Joseph Peninsula State Park before returning to our little Carrabelle community. We had heard about Steiner’s Seafood and after having a teasing sample at lunch of oysters, we stopped to buy a pint for dinner…the cost, $7.00!!!
Upon our return to camp, I asked Bruce to help crush crackers. Without a mallet or my cuisinart he found great success in putting them in a zip lock and stomping on them!!!...yep, with the feet!!! The breading recipe was one that Bruce’s aunt shared from Key West…simple and good. I have to say that the cooking experience was like the fishes and loaves story!...the small oysters just kept coming out of the pint container! I told Bruce at one point that we were in serious need of some help eating them.
We sat outside to enjoy the sweet shell fish (they seemed to lack the iodine flavor of the Pacific variety), when a neighbor stopped by to chat. Upon offering, he happily sat consumed the remainder of the oysters, disappeared and returned with four pounds of fresh jumbo raw shrimp to share!!! It was a great impromptu trade and gave us something to look forward to sampling tomorrow night...and some for the freezer!
Today we decided to venture beyond our campground boundaries and explore the St George Strait. The wind was up and made for a better day inside the truck then being sandblasted on the beach. We had heard from some of the campers that Apalachicola was worthy of a visit…if nothing more than to go to lunch and partake in a feast of fresh local harvested oysters.
Our outing was again, more than we had imagined. The drive northwest was pleasant and followed the gentle curves of the coastline. Occasional road construction slowed our pace and made us take notice of recent past hurricane destruction. Without proper shoring, Katrina and Wilma would certainly claim more land for the Strait and the road would surrender, isolating people from this region.
Crossing the Hwy 98 Bridge at East Bay, we passed over the Apalachicola River where it met the Gulf of Mexico. There is a huge bay aquatic preserve and a very serious effort by citizens to protect the natural environment of this delicate ecosystem.
The bridge curved around and gently placed us into the heart of the historic district. The well preserved turn of the century buildings painted images of a quaint seaside village…its back drop was the River bordered by a serious fleet of rusted and weathered fishing boats. We quickly became aware of the two major sustaining forces in the community…oysters and art!
We were unable to find a recommended restaurant and settled for one called, The Boss. We found a parking spot in the shade for our dog’s comfort, while we ventured in to scan the elaborate menu. I have never seen so many ways to fix oysters. The chef basically offered oysters on the half shell raw or baked with a topping of your choice. We decided on a half dozen to sample along with a basket of scallops, also native to the local waters. Our camping neighbors from Maryland, who were self proclaimed oyster connoisseurs, rated these “10” and we would have to agree.
Following lunch, I was off to explore the town and the local artwork. I’m not into tacky souvenirs for the sake of buying something. I like to hunt for the regional talents of fine artists…not necessarily to buy, but to enjoy for enjoyments sake.
Bruce parked himself in a tiny bookstore to scan maps and local lore. Before leaving him, I did find and buy a delightful book to share with my little nieces and nephews next month. It is a colorful book by a local author and is about Myrtle the Turtle. It’s a wonderful age appropriate book that teaches kids about the life cycle of the loggerhead turtles that inhabit the waters of Florida. At the end of the book, there is an opportunity for people to adopt a turtle and actually be able to track its movement and life online! It is our responsibility to educate our little ones to the sustainability of our natural surroundings. I found this to be a delightful, poetic story to do just that!
Our day was full as we ventured to the furthest spot, St. Joseph Peninsula State Park before returning to our little Carrabelle community. We had heard about Steiner’s Seafood and after having a teasing sample at lunch of oysters, we stopped to buy a pint for dinner…the cost, $7.00!!!
Upon our return to camp, I asked Bruce to help crush crackers. Without a mallet or my cuisinart he found great success in putting them in a zip lock and stomping on them!!!...yep, with the feet!!! The breading recipe was one that Bruce’s aunt shared from Key West…simple and good. I have to say that the cooking experience was like the fishes and loaves story!...the small oysters just kept coming out of the pint container! I told Bruce at one point that we were in serious need of some help eating them.
We sat outside to enjoy the sweet shell fish (they seemed to lack the iodine flavor of the Pacific variety), when a neighbor stopped by to chat. Upon offering, he happily sat consumed the remainder of the oysters, disappeared and returned with four pounds of fresh jumbo raw shrimp to share!!! It was a great impromptu trade and gave us something to look forward to sampling tomorrow night...and some for the freezer!
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