The best holiday gift in 2024
Oysters ship well and can be stored in a fridge for up to four weeks. Stonington Farms Shellfish sells bags of oysters right from their dock on the Mystic River.
Oysters are the ultimate holiday food and the gift that keeps on giving
December 8, 2024 - This holiday season you have a unique opportunity to give a gift that is sure to leave a lasting impact — providing your holiday guests an engaging discussion while supporting an industry that will pay you dividends for generations to come.
That gift is oysters. Eaten by the Romans in 100 BC and the English in the Middle Ages, oysters’ popularity has ebbed and flowed throughout history. Now they are on the rise again. In 2022, the combined oyster and clam market was valued at US$142 billion, and by 2032, it is expected to exceed US$204 billion, according to Global Market Insights. Here’s why they are the perfect gift in 2024:
1. Oysters taste delicious and are nutritious
The recent resurgence starts with the fact that different species and appellations of oysters have a unique flavor profile that make each one a gastronomic adventure if you want it. This has led to a rise in artisanal mariculture - the term for the micro-movement that seeks to enhance the appreciation of “merroir” or the tastes, textures, environmental factors and farming practices that go into an oyster's alchemy. If you sip its liquor and chew an oyster once or twice, it can be salty, sweet, nutty, grassy, or a range of other textures and flavors.
This year, Oyster Sommelier became one of the newest professions and was featured in Fast Company, thanks to the growing community called Oyster Master Guild, which offers coursework and certifications to help oyster shuckers and industry experts guide oyster patrons.
Even if raw foods hold you back, the list of cooked oyster recipes is growing. Often oyster naysayers can be nudged with Oysters Rockefeller or fried oysters.
And if animal cruelty holds you back, oysters only have stomachs and hearts - no brains - making them closer to a mushroom than a living being. What do you think, vegans?
And lastly, they are nutritious. Six oysters contain 600% of your recommended daily zinc, so they are an optimal choice if you feel a cold coming and want an immune system boost. Packed with other vitamins and minerals like B12, iron and omega-three fatty acids, oysters are a low calorie, high-protein choice for the holidays giving you space to enjoy all the other indulgences of the season guilt-free.
2. Oysters support local jobs
A rising tide lifts all boats. The oyster industry can provide well-paying, skilled jobs to your neighbors and local economy.
As the oyster industry grows, states like Connecticut and Maine launched Oyster Trails, and tourism boards are paying increased attention to the interstate flow of dollars drawn to Oyster Tourism.
Oyster farming can be incredibly inclusive. The industry’s training and jobs are successfully incorporating neurodivergent populations and offer stable, skilled labor for the long-term.
The reality of an oyster farmer’s life isn’t always easy. Farmers are exposed to ups and downs of harvests — vulnerable to uncontrollable weather changes and subject to runoff closures with little financial protection. In addition to supporting the industry by buying more oysters direct from farmers, more is needed in terms of crop insurance, loans and small business incentives.
3. Oysters are going to save the shucking planet
Mark my words. Besides the reforestation of the Amazon, there are few nature-based solutions that can be scaled up enough to save us from climate change. Oysters may be a viable path since they bury carbon dioxide and add hydrogen ions to marsh reefs, ultimately lowering the acidity of the ocean. The National Institute of Health produced research that oyster filtration can remove nitrogen from estuarial ecosystems. Additionally, oyster beds prevent erosion and mitigate storm surges, which are on the rise due to more severe climate events, thus protecting inland infrastructure and enhancing climate adaptation efforts.
Lastly, one oyster can filter up to 50 gallons a day. This offers huge potential to clean waterways for marine life and human recreation. The more oysters we eat, the more farmers will enter the industry, and the cleaner our water is for the future.
This holiday season, how fun would it be to give a gift that gives so much to so many?
To conclude, choose joy this holiday season and choose oysters. Show up with a box and impress your friends with your knowledge of artisanal mariculture while doing something positive for local people and planet. Stonington Farms Shellfish would be happy to take your order and mail you a starter kit, complete with literature on how to achieve the Superior Slurp or find a nearby oyster farm to you and ask for the same.
About the author: Elizabeth Nicoletti Sheehy is a corporate communications manager turned oyster farmer. She is the Managing Director of the Sea Life Group, a public affairs firm committed to advancing the business case for the blue economy and oyster industry.