August 9 – 10, 2019
On August 9th we went to Charlottetown to take care of a few household business items, and then stopped in the PEI Brewery for a late lunch and a beer. The next day (August 10), we went to Summerside, another one of the larger cities on PEI. We went to a Staples office supply store to overnight a package to our builder in Wilmington, NC. We were going to go to a few other places but discovered that many businesses in PEI are closed on the weekends. No big deal…….we drove back to the docks in Rustico and picked up a couple lobsters for dinner. While we were there, I asked how PEI oysters compare to oysters from the Chesapeake Bay or Florida. Of course, he said a PEI oyster is better. He grabbed a shucking tool, opened one up and had me taste it. Of course, I was polite and told him it was tasty. The truth is, in my opinion, it was not nearly as good as a Chesapeake Bay or a Florida oyster. The PEI oyster was too salty…..and at $2 a piece, they were also pretty expensive. So I bought 4 to eat later with dinner (Nancy doesn’t like them) and we headed home. Later that evening, we had another great lobster feast!
Another Lighthouse…
…..and another lobster feast!
Driving along the inland water bays, we noticed a lot of what looks like tires laying flat in the water and lined up in perfect, long rows. In some of the bays, especially on the north side of the island, there were areas with hundreds of them lined up. There were also areas with rows and rows of what looked like round, gourd-like floats in the water. I asked about all of this and learned that they are mussel farms. Like so many other seafoods (for example, shrimp and some kinds of fish) PEI mussels are being grown on large “farming” operations. While I didn’t care too much for the oysters, the mussels we have been enjoying since we got here are absolutely outstanding!
Its not a good picture but you can at least see the rows of “tire-like” containers that are used to farm/grow mussels. There were lots of these in the bays around the island.
Here is a short description I found on the internet about PEI mussels, which are considered some of the best mussels in the world.
“Cultured mussels differ from wild or partially cultured mussels because they spend their entire life span suspended in the water column never touching the bottom or having the opportunity to pick up sand or grit and allowing for better access to the suspended particles mussels filter from the water for food. The result is a fuller mussel with a clean and attractive, shiny bluish-black shell. Before processing, shellfish are put through a flushing process that removes any impurities they may have ingested prior to arriving at the plant, ensuring they meet the highest standards for quality and freshness.”
That’s it for now….