MIDWEEK MUSING reflects back on our Mother's Day special field trip after lunch, where, after we docked in Slano, a bus took us to a small boat to ferry across to a small family-run farm, a very special kind of farm... a kind of farm I had never experienced.You see, Slano is known for having one of the cleanest bays in the Adriatic and is perfect for farming oysters and mussels. Ropes are hung from buoys and shellfish grow naturally in the nutrient rich water.
We were on a makeshift floating restaurant with tables and even a swing to hear about the process and taste the results.
While our host busily shucked the fresh oysters we heard about his family who have been shell fish farming for decades. His 2 boys are also in the business and explained how the oysters grew on the ropes..
In the middle of the raft was a large rectangular opening to see down into the water... Isn't the water color unbelievable?
Then the lines were raised and we could see how the shellfish grew on the ropes. Production is down 30% due to global warming with higher water temperatures. This loss really affects their income.
Simply fascinating as I had no clue this how commerical shellfish farming worked...
Candied nuts and orange rinds were our aperitifs to sweeten what would follow gastromically.
Each table was laden with foods that had never passed my lips before- a platter of oysters, a nice-sized skillet of wine-cooked mussels and anchovies (? ) Sally, always a trooper, went first...
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| Anchovies? |
And to help his visitors swallow, there were small shot glasses of grappa, an Italian grape-based brandy (35-60% alcohol )
What an experience!
Back to Slano where our yacht was docked for us to overnight.
stunning scenery ... TBC
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