Oysters are safe to eat year-round, but are still best in the early fall.
Oysters, once considered a strictly seasonal food, have become safe and available year-round thanks to the global range of modern aquaculture. The historical folk adage that oysters should only be eaten in months containing the letter 'r' (i.e., September through April, but not May through August) is no longer strictly true. Most oyster harvesting still takes place in the early fall, however,so many oyster restaurants have their freshest oysters then.
History
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, the annual oyster harvest traditionally began in September and October, in part due to seasonal demand at that time. The cooler weather of the fall, winter and early spring also made oysters safer to preserve and longer-lasting in the days before modern refrigeration. Before modern shipping and storage technology, oysters harvested in the summer suffered a high degree of spoilage due to the heat.
End of the 'R' Myth
Government studies from the 1960s on have shown that oysters are not inherently dangerous in the summer months; in fact, oysters are often richest and largest in May and June, right before the spawning season begins. However, in part due to tradition (the "New York Times" reports that oyster harvesting was historically illegal before September 1st) and the high level of demand for oysters in the early fall, most harvests still take place in September and October.
Present Day
After years of declining yields from wild oyster beds, farmed oysters have become increasingly prevalent worldwide, allowing greater control over oyster stocks. The ability to safely ship these oysters worldwide has made oysters readily available and safe all year long. Thus, there is no longer a strict oyster season; gourmet restaurants sell live oysters, farmed and wild, from all over the world in any month of the year.
Caveats
Although oysters are now safe and available worldwide, there is in one sense, still an oyster season. Oysters spawn in the summer and thus are smaller, less meaty, and more watery in the warm months. They may also carry higher levels of certain generally innocuous bacteria. The largest, freshest and most delicious oysters are thus still most available in their traditional season, September through April.
Tags: early fall, have become, made oysters, oyster harvesting, oyster season, safe available, September October
