Fall. Usually it means you now have a skinned knee or a bump on your noggin, but it is also my favorite season. The air cools, the humidity dissipates, the water cools down and the redfish bite shifts into high gear. We all love hanging out with friends, sharing a few beers and enjoying the beautiful weather. Some friends and I got together recently and had ourselves a good old fashioned Cast and Blast and then roasted some oysters and made a low country boil. Mmmmmmm Son. There is nothing better than shooting some skeet, fishin for a while and then eating some of the best food there is known to man. I stopped my Jeep and stepped out at my friend Trey’s property the smells of pine needles and fresh cut grass filled my nose. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of the wind in the trees and birds chirping. The others I had driven up with arrived minutes behind me and the chorus of “Hey Brother!” and “ hey Brenda this is Chris”, and all the other introductions filled the air. We all settled down with a beer and started to get to know our new friends. The conversation quickly turned to shotguns and why the clays were still in the box. In the blink of an eye shotguns were loaded and the clays began to fly.
The sharp “ping” of the thrower cutting loose followed but the blast of a shotgun as the clay disintegrated and whoops and congratulations on a great shot were followed but the whoops and laughter as I took my turn shooting. I am pretty rusty but I soon got back into the swing and managed to hit a few. A few of our new friends had never fired a gun much less shot skeet. After a quick lesson they were off and doing great.
The shells ran low and everyone was ready for some grub. Some of us went out to fish for a while as Chef Trey and his cohorts prepared the Low Country boil. Potatoes, corn on the cob, shrimp and sausage all boiled together with the perfect blend of seasoning. We dumped this out on the table and dug in. As with most places where there is good food the conversation died until we were done eating.
As we relaxed and fished some more Chef Trey was again at the controls of the gas burner and getting it ready to steam some oysters. Once the weather starts to cool down around here everyone’s thoughts turn to oysters. One of my favorite things to do in the fall and winter is an oyster roast. I am not a big fan of raw oysters but a good steamed one is a beautiful thing, especially our local clusters.
A lot of people like the Gulf Select oysters. They are bigger and prettier to look at but I prefer the saltier, better tasting and smaller local clusters. I love the fact I can pick up a cluster and work it over to find oyster after oyster as I turn it over in my hand. Once in a while you get a bonus of a tiny crab that has been steamed that you find. As we stood around the table shucking oysters and talking about our favorite recipes for oysters, I took a moment and just stood back and soaked it all in. yeah, Fall is my favorite season. Good Friends, Good Food and Great times…
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