J.P.'s Shellfish Newsletter   03/12/10

IBSS-J'ADORE OYSTERS-WELLFLEET OYSTERS

Good Afternoon,   

              First off, don’t forget that this Sunday, Daylight Savings Time reverts to Standard time, and all of a sudden…Shazam!  2:00 AM becomes 3:00 AM.  Please plan/adjust accordingly, especially if you have obligations Sunday morning.  You know…Church…Brunch with the in-laws…The Boston Seafood Show.

              That’s right!  This Sunday (03/14) marks the commencement of the 2010 International Boston Seafood Show (http://bostonseafood.com/10/public/mainhall.aspx?ID=19189)!  We’ll be holding court at booth #1119 this year, and we look forward to seeing you there.

              The Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade is Sunday afternoon as well.  Hmmm…Between the revelers from the parade, and the show attendees; the Hub should be pretty colorful place on Sunday evening.  A Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you and yours from all of us at J.P.’s Shellfish.  Please celebrate both appropriately and responsibly.

              Now then…Our French Kiss oysters (Crassostrea virginica) continue to receive rave reviews.  This farm-raised, choice grade, Acadian peninsula (New Brunswick) oysters are packed out in 60-count wooden baskets, and are available on a daily basis.  I would strongly suggest providing us with pre-orders whenever possible.   

              We will be shamelessly promoting our Malpeque Bay (Prince Edward Island, Canada) J’adore oysters (C. virginica) as our featured flavor through March 24th.  I know that there has been a lot of collective head scratching going on with regard to what to since our choice grade Cooke’s Cove Malpeques have (temporarily) ceased to be available.  Well look no further, my friend!  The J’adores are sourced from specific leases around the Bay, and are being processed by our good friends at Howard’s Cove Shellfish (http://howardscoveshellfish.com/).  As with all of our Prince Edward Island oysters, harvesting is carried out by the entirely environmentally sustainable method of hand-tonging them from the floor of Malpeque Bay.  There are no bycatch or destruction of habitat issues associated with tonging oysters, and tonged oysters arrive to the market in much better condition than those harvested by mechanized methods.  Size wise, the J’adores are coming in at just over three inches in length; and the hinge of the shells are deeply notched, creating an easy access for rookie and veteran shuckers alike.  Meats of the J’adores are full, and they possess a high level of salinity so typically found in Malpeque Bay oysters.  The finish on the J’adores is bright, and clean…No lemon squeezer required (unless of course, you just love the lemon).  We bring our J’adore oysters direct from Prince Edward Island to our Eliot, Maine distribution facility on a daily basis, assuring you receive only the finest, freshest, product available.  Our level of vertical integration allows us to move product both swiftly and cost-effectively, while never losing custody of the product.  Ultimately, all of these factors benefit you and your valued clientele.  Our J’adore oysters are packed out in 100-count boxes, and are available every day without a pre-order.

              If you are looking for a domestic oyster with legendary quality and consistency, you might just want to bring in some of our Wellfleets (C. virginica).  Sourced through the tidal flats of Northeastern Cape Cod, Massachusetts; our Wellfleets (http://jpshellfish.com/wellfleet_oysters.php) have to many become everything a North Atlantic oyster should be.  The Wellfleets are fed by a constant stream of nutrients provided by the rich Gulf of Maine waters which ceaselessly wash over all of inner Cape Cod.  Our Wellfleets are farm-raised in a nursery consisting of a flotilla of ADPI bags located around the lease.  By utilizing ADPI bags, the farmers are able to keep a close eye on the grow-out of their wards, and manicuring turns out to be a relatively simple process.  Additionally, the Sun’s rays constantly beat down on the top-water culture, causing the oysters to thicken their shells in response.  This thickening of the shells translates to a greater ease of shucking with less chipping, cracking, and or splintering involved throughout the process.  Harvesting of the Wellfleets occurs entirely by hand, and in an ecologically sound fashion.  The bags are simply pulled from the Bay, and the contents emptied.  Our Wellfleets consistently measure three and a quarter to three and a half inches in length, and shells are clean and virtually devoid of any bio-fouling.  Flavor of the Wellfleets leads with a medium-high salinity which yields to a simple sugar finish.  Like the J’adores, our Wellfleets are brought in on a daily basis, and are generally available without a pre-order in 100-count units.