Page 6 The Shoreline January 2008
Hats Off to Culinary School
r-
On Dec. 12, the Red Hat Ladies of Pine Knoll Shores attended a Southwestern/
Northern California luncheon put on by the Culinary School of Carteret Community
College. They dinned on pork and duck and fish tacos and homemade bread and
homemade cake from their bakery. It was a delightful luncheon. Any woman over
50 years of age living in pine Knoll Shores is invited to join the Red Hats. Call Pauly
Brown, 247-2959.
Slavery Subject of First
2008 BHA History Program
Shoreline Fishing
For Early Risers and Low Tide Activists
By Richard Seale
Beaufort Historical Association will kick
off its 2008 Living History Program with
a special presentation titled: " Slavery in
Carteret County: Fact & Fiction." The
presentation will be given by Barbara
Milhaven and Alice Copes to honor
Black History month a remembrance of
important people and events in African
American history celebrated annually in
February.
This program will take place from 2-3:00
p.m. March 1 in the Carteret Courthouse
of 1796 located on the Beaufort Historic
Site, 130 Turner Street. Using many of the
BHA archives, the program will attempt to
document as many facts as possible about
slavery in Carteret County. The emphasis
and focus will be on information collected
about slavery in Beaufort.
Jean M. Auel, a noted author acclaimed
for her research and authenticity, describes
inher Earth's Children series man's attempt
to conquer, dominate and enslave.
While this was certainly true of slavery,
Barbara and Alice hope to dismiss the
fictional notion that slavery in America
was only practiced in the south and that
slaveholders were kindly masters taking
care of their "people." Also, many believe
that slavery was just part of early America,
but it actually had been perpetuated
since the time of the ice age and perhaps
before that.
Barbara and Alice hope to bring alive
this part of the county's history for young
and old to remember, understand, and
work to make sure that this never happens
again any where in America For more
information on this enlightening program,
stop by the Safrit Historical Center at the
historic site or call 252-728-5225, or visit
www.beauforthistoricsite.org.
The big fishing action these days starts
at 4 a.m. at the docks and marinas close
to Beaufort Inlet. The commercial blue fin
tuna season is open and to fish for these
monsters usually means being 12 miles
out to sea as dawn starts to rosy up the
eastern horizon.
As I walked down to the dock to water
test some new waders, I noted that George
Brown was keeping watch over "his
sound" from McNeil Park. I called out
"George, Merry Christmas, to you and
Joan." George
waved back a
friendly reply
and went on
to say that his
son just called
him to say that
10 blue fins
were boated
that morning
Dec. 7. A 10
fish day is a
very good
day in this
dangerous
and high cost,
high revenue
commercial
fishery.
During
December the
Japanese pay
big money
for these fish
which are air
freighted to
Japan and sold at weekly auctions. Some
fish can yield up to $50 a pound in the
Japanese wholesale market. As sashimi
or sushi at retail, well over $100 a pound
is on the low side. Of course the price to
stateside commercial fisherman is more
like $ 15 to $25 a pound. But for a 400-pound
fish that is still a good Christmas present.
So if you want to feel the excitement of this
fishing fleet get up and go to Morehead
waterfront or one of the nearby marinas
and wander the docks at 4 to 5 a.m.
As far as less dangerous pursuits for
inshore adventurers, low tides give
clammers, oysterers and mussel harvesters
a chance to rake up some goodies this time
of year using simple boots or even wading
shoes. The water in the sound is in the 50's,
so it is cold but not lethally so.
There seems to be a good crop of
oysters for the taking this year along the
shorelines. If you venture out to do this,
it is essential that you wear sturdy gloves
and good foot protection. The oyster
shells are razor blades in disguise. Oysters
usually grow in small clumps, so you will
need a hammer to knock the less than legal
size ones off the clumps and throw them
back into the water. Minimum shell size
for legal oysters is three inches. It is easier
to eat oysters if the legal ones are knocked
off the clumps into singles and doubles.
Steamed oysters, dipped in hot melted
real butter or horseradish spicy cocktail
sauce are a wonderful treat.
Our Beaufort
County "wife
and knife"
parties were
cold weather
events we all
relished. In
the "good ole
days"wecould
buy a bushel
of Rose Bay
oysters for $5
to $7 on several
street corners
in "Little"
Washington,
N.C. We
would use pig
cookers (really
big grills used
to barbeque
whole pigs)
so we could
steam four or
five bushels
of oysters at a
time on metal trays under water-soaked
tobacco burlaps. After the oysters were
steamed open they were dumped in piles
on plywood sheets which were set atop
sawhorses.
With breaths steaming in the cold air,
wives, knives, oysters (and the guys too)
descended on these piles. Gloved hands
and twisting oyster knives pried the
oysters open and meats were dipped in
butter or sauce with lots of chatter and
laughter as we "pigged out." Gosh, life is
good. Some of the parties went through 60
bushels of oysters! So don't be bashful, get
yourself some local oysters, steam them up
in the oven in a two inch deep pan with a
half inch of water in it and, under an old
wet dish towel over the oysters, melt some
butter and mix up some spicy cocktail
sauce and enjoy. At350 degrees the oysters
should steam open and be ready to eat in
15 to 20 minutes. Don't overcook them as
they get dried out and chewy.
BIueFin Tuna - Harborseale Catch - 2006