Fish....Brain Food!

   I was reading not too long ago where there are folks in Canada doing research on seafood and its effect on the brain.  The tests are mainly concerning whether seagulls eating garbage (and French fries from handouts) in the large cities are as smart as their counterparts along the coastal areas with their seafood diets.  On "intelligence" tests involving several methods of retrieving food, the coastal seagulls scored immensely higher than their citified cousins.  These studies are, of course, limited with sketchy results but could be compared (at least in theory) to the of studies of healthier diets in humans.  I guess the old sayings of "You are what you eat." and "Fish is brain food."  Seafood, barring that high in mercury, really helps in the long run.  Most cognitive tests run on humans are suggesting that diet has a lot to do with our brainpower.

  I was pondering that while on the pier the other morning.  A beautiful, healthy-looking seagull came to visit.  Here, it has been duly noted that the seagulls are cunning and can survive under the most dire situations.  They are a resilient sort and can outwit most of the other critters here.  They, along with the other fish-eating birds, have sharp minds.  It does not take any of these birds long to figure out how to open closed bait buckets or work together to attain a free meal from even would be predators.  

  After watching the seagulls and studying their habits, I figure the next time someone refers to me as a "birdbrain", I shall take it as a compliment, especially if my mental abilities are compared to those of a seagull.  So...folks...eat more seafood and fewer French fries!  

Tedious but fun

   Although both of our huge deep freezers are filled to capacity, I still could not resist purchasing 40lbs of shrimp from our usual shrimper.  Mr. Ricky always has the prettiest shrimp for the best prices around.  Once Mark headed to the dock to pick up the purchase, I proceeded to "make room" in the freezers.  It took a bit of ingenuity and a lot of luck but I finally managed to maneuver things around just enough to place the filled bags.  Of course, I now have some pumpkin thawing in the refrigerator to be used in muffins come morning.  Still!  Shrimp!

  Since Mark was to be on his way to work, he would not be here for the task of preparing the seafood.  He dropped the shrimp off here and headed out immediately leaving the heading, peeling, cleaning and bagging up to Son and me.  It was all good since 40lbs is a "drop in the bucket" for us. (Next month, another 60 or so pounds will be bought.)  We are used to doing 100lbs at a time so this was a breeze!   Yes, we do go through this process each time we get shrimp because, if we fully head and peel the shrimp, it is better all around.  One, there are no spines to prick holes in the bags.  Leaky shrimp bags can mess up a freezer fast!  Two, heading and peeling saves a ton of space!  I would never be able to get 40lbs of shrimp to fit in my freezers, otherwise. They stay far too full.  Three, by heading and peeling before freezing, mealtime is a breeze!  Simply thaw the shrimp and you are good to start cooking.  

  As odd as it seems, the hours spent preparing the shrimp is sort of a "bonding" time between the two of us.  Son and I talk and laugh the whole time we are working.  He removes the heads and I peel....we both banter back and forth the entire time.  It makes the chore go a lot faster.  As tedious as the task is, it is almost enjoyable....and those shrimp will make some mighty fine dishes!  A little work...vast rewards.  Nothing better.

Time for a break

  Ok, so it is time to take a break from all of this canning.  The pantry shelves are stocked and three deep freezers are jammed packed.  Tomatoes have been sauced, plums have been jammed, blueberries canned and some made into syrup and figs have been candied.  Butter beans, field peas, corn, okra and shrimp have been added to the freezers to top off what was already there.  Now is time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor...at least, until fall when pears will need to be preserved.

  A lot of people have been asking just why I do all of this. "It is easier to just go to the grocery store and buy beans (tomato sauce, peas..whatever)."  That is true for folks who like to shop.  I do not.  I will zip in to buy milk or eggs but it is not my nature to spend an hour in a store...any store.  Plus, it is nice to be able to pull together a meal without worrying what I have on hand.  Son said we could eat well for about a year with what we have stocked.  Now, add in the promise of knowing just what is in those jars and in that freezer, makes it worthwhile.  Too many "foods" lately have been recalled for whatever reason.  I do not have to fret over that situation.

  Then, there is another reason for the stockpiling of home-canned goods.  Duh!  We live where hurricanes and tropical storms visit occasionally and knock out power.  With a ready supply of foodstuffs, it is easy to fire up the grill and whip out a meal. So, I will continue to do what I grew up doing.  We always "set aside" foodstuffs back on the farm.  When times were lean (money wise), we still ate good!  Same here...nuff said.

Another Tempest

  With the way things look at the moment, the Gulf of Mexico has received another slap in the face.  Just nine years ago, we had to endure the oil spill that, not only killed off so many marine creatures, it also killed off so many lifelines of the Coastal families.  We are a seafood based industry down here.  Fishing is a way life.  The shrimpers, oystermen, fishermen, crabbers, seafood factories, charterboat captains...you name it...were all out of jobs.  Their boats and gear lay idle while the oil killed most everything within its reach.  Many lost their boats.  Others lost their homes.  All lost their way of life.  It was a hard time for the Coast.  It was years before things began to return to any semblance of normality.  Finally, the seafood returned and was deemed fit to eat.   It took years after that for the industry to return to its profitable self but many folks had already moved on to be able to support their families.

  Now, the Gulf of Mexico faces another tempest.  While all Coastians are ready and eager to help those in the flooded zones of the country, opening the spillways has, once again, created a mess for the fishermen. The marine creatures are dying at a great rate.  Countless dead dolphins, sea turtles and fish are washing ashore.  Entire oyster reefs have died.  Crabs have literally suffocated.  Shorebirds are not to be found. Schools of fish and shrimp have moved further out in an attempt to escape the water pouring into the Gulf. Many folks do not seem to see the harm in what has been done.  "It is just fresh river water so it cannot be doing any harm." is said over and over again.  Sorry, that fresh river water wreaks havoc on saltwater marine life.  They do not have time to acclimate before it kills them.  That "fresh" river water is also polluted from runoff.  Whatever has been flooded up north of us has now spilled into the Gulf.  Fertilizer, sewage, any number of chemicals and...yes...oil is making a mess down here.  

  Don't get me wrong.  We are not blaming anyone.  We are not pointing fingers.  We are not begrudging those who are trying to save their places and livelihoods that are flooded.  We understand THAT whole scenario as we are subjected to hurricanes that flood our area and we are sympathetic to those that are suffering.  We understand that something had to be done to provide some relief.  However, there has to be another answer.  Opening the spillways has done nothing but spread the devastation to another area.  

  All of that said, the fishermen down here are working frenetically to catch what they can before the waters get any worse.  The boats are going out further to make catches of "clean" shrimp and fish.  (The crabbers and oystermen do not have that option.)  This plan is working as far as catches but puts a new strain on the fishermen.  Fuel prices, boat upkeep and extra time spent are making it a struggle to "stay afloat".  The fact stands that the wages they earn has not kept up with the current state of affairs.   Many cannot afford to keep running as their expense outweigh their profits.  It is a sad situation.  

  Mark and I were able to get shrimp today from one of our longtime suppliers.  This shrimper had to go outside of the "dirty" zone to get a good catch.  The shrimp are beautiful and we are thankful he made the decision to keep trying.  It is our plan to buy as many pounds of shrimp as we can to help those struggling.  We have been there and done that ourselves.  It is also our plan to stock up on the seafood so that, if worse comes to worse, we will have a good supply on hand to ride us over until the Gulf cleanses itself.  Our freezers will be filled to capacity within the next few weeks.  To those in the flooded zones and to those struggling with the situation in the Gulf, we hope and pray that this is soon over for all of us.  To those with the ability to help any in need, please do.  There are so many out there that have been affected that need help.  We are all in this together.

 

The Empty Net

 Not only do I view the Bayou as my home, my peaceful place and my paradise, I see it as a source of sustenance.  More oft than naught, we can at least catch a few fish to supply our table. Shrimp, crabs and fish are staples to our diet since they are, not only free(!), but definitely fresh.  Seafood is still something that I can eat since I cut meats from the diet (I am semi-vegetarian).  We depend on the Bay and Bayou and it rarely fails to supply.  This evening, however, things were different.  No fish, no shrimp, nor crabs were to be found.  The net came up empty even though Mark tried.

  This lack of critters in the Bay, Bayou and surrounding area is due to the deluge of rain we have received over the past few days.  The torrential downpours dumped so much fresh water into the Bay that the salt-loving fish fled to other areas.   Most have moved off to deeper waters and will return later once the salinity rises back to an acceptable level.  

  The lack of fish also led to a lack of waterfowl.  Fish-eating birds follow fish...makes sense.  Early this morning, I noticed that nary a seabird was in the area.  Overnight, they, too, made haste to follow their food source.  No herons, egrets, ducks, seagulls nor pelicans dotted the area.  It seemed mighty strange to not hear the constant splashing of the pelicans dive-bombing the mullet.  

  It will take a few days of no rain and tide changes before the salinity is back to normal.  Then, the fish will return with the seabirds hot on their trail.  Perhaps then, I can have a nice redfish for supper!

Supper from the Bayou!

  Yesterday morning before dawn, Mark and I headed to our favorite place.  The pier is a great way to start the day.  Watching the sun rise up over the pines gives us a great time to give thanks for the new day.  Plus, there is always the added chance that we may catch our supper as we enjoy the peace.  Yesterday morning, began as such...beautiful sunrise, plenty of bait and supper in the making.

  Most of the time, we fish with menhaden.  These tiny fish make great bait and trout love them.  We tossed three lines out toward deeper water but, at my insistence, Mark put a little mullet on one line and threw it up near the marsh. "You are going to catch a red up there!" I told him.  Things went along well and we each caught a nice trout.  Well, that was a beginning of a meal but feeding three people on two fish was going to be a stretch.  On about 7am, I knew I had better get back up to the Little Bayou House and work on clue hunt stuff.  Mark was going to stay fishing for a while longer just in case one more trout decided to bite.  As I turned to go up the pier, I called his attention to the line on the shore.  Sure enough, he had a good bite.  The fish took off out from the shore.  Mark battled the fish.  Yep, it was a big one!  A redfish had taken the little mullet and  now the battle was on!  I reeled in the other lines to avoid a major tangle and got the scoop net ready.  We were going to eat good!  After fighting the large fish for a bit, that goofy thing made a beeline for the boat mooring posts.  Uh, oh!  That is never a good thing.  The barnacles on the posts are razor sharp and will cut the line in a heartbeat.  The fish knew this.  Mark knew this.  I figured our meal was gone.  Mark worked the line like a pro and soon had the fish back around that post.  Back in open water, we could tell the fish was tiring and my chance at scooping it was near.  Mark played the fish a bit more, I scooped and supper was on the pier!

  One of the perks of living on the Bayou is fresh seafood for the taking.  Fish, shrimp and crabs are abundant and keep us eating well.  Plus, the relaxation of being on the pier is a highlight of my day!  Blessings abound.

I Pass....

  Having plenty of seafood is a way of life here on the Bayou.  If we do not catch it ourselves, it is quite easy to obtain and is very reasonably priced.  Thus, it stands to reason that seafood is the mainstay of our diet.  Shrimp. fish, oysters and crabs are eaten several times a week....or throw it all in one pot and call it gumbo and you have another meal (sort of..yes, I do realize that is not gumbo.  Just joking.  Maybe!)  Anyway, you get my point.  Seafood is not a novelty nor a delicacy.  It is our "everyday" food.

  Yesterday, Mark got two sacks of oysters.  He opened them with the idea of us eating a few and giving the rest to a few of the elderly folks around here.  Back in the day, these same folks would open their own oysters and share with others.  We are carrying on a tradition that lingers on the Bayou with local folks.  Newcomers have no idea the warmth behind the idea and so it seems to be left up to those of us that have stuck close to home.  It has always been a custom to share the catch with others.  Pop always said that this assures you of a good catch on the next fishing trip and I think that holds true.  Anyway, Mark opened the two sacks and got a couple of gallons of oysters to dole out among the "old folks".  They appreciated the gesture and we got the satisfaction of helping others.

  This whole thing is leading up to the fact that these were not ordinary oysters, so to speak.  Usually, the oysters are small to medium sized things.  In comparison...bite-sized.  Not these jokers!  They were huge! Whereas it would normally take between fifteen and twenty oysters to make a nice-sized poboy, three to four of the ones today did the job.  To give you a better perspective, three shucked oysters weighed in a half pound.  THOSE are some huge oysters!

  Now comes the problem (at least for me!)  With the size of the oysters that I fried today, I could not eat a single one.  I prefer the tiny ones...those bite-sized oysters...the little tidbit types that fry up nice and crunchy.  I cannot (or at least will not) eat one that will take six or seven bites!  Nope...cannot...will not.  (Ok, ok, maybe if I had nothing else to eat but I would be hard-pressed to do so any other time.) 

  These huge oysters and my inability to eat them reminded me of a story that my sweet mother-in-law told me years ago.  She related how one day my father-in-law was shucking oysters and offered her a raw one to eat. Since she had watched him eat dozens, she felt it could do no harm to try. So, she, being the sweet lady she was, obliged and put the thing in her mouth.  Try as she might, she could not swallow the oyster.  She told me that it felt like it was growing in her mouth!  She started to gag and had to spit the oyster out.  My father-in-law burst out in a fit of laughter.  She never attempted to eat another raw oyster after that episode!  Me?  I learned from her tale and decided that raw oysters were not for me, either.  That lady taught me so much!

   Still, since Mark shucked all of these oysters he wanted to eat some. So, I fried oysters.  Mark ate oysters.  He was happy.  The folks that were given oysters were happy.  All is well.  I think tomorrow we shall eat shrimp.  I have no qualms about eating shrimp...small or huge!