<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1MK3Xs_0wDWucKy00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1MK3Xs_0wDWucKy00" width="1242" height="1863" ><figcaption>Äna Shellem is the owner of Shell'em Seafood, a boutique shellfishing company based in Wrightsville Beach, N.C.</figcaption></figure>October is North Carolina Oyster Month and the start of the local wild oyster season. While farmed oysters are available year-round, wild ones are those that can only be collected when the temperature drops. Äna Shellem is one of the people who works in the industry. She's the woman behind Shell'em Seafood, a boutique shellfish company that works directly with restaurants throughout the state. <h2>Can you tell me more about what you do?</h2>I started about eight, almost nine years ago. I only harvest what’s in season, and I try to focus on underutilized species, like mussels. I bring in whelks and tulip snails when they’re more abundant. And I forage in the marshes for other things like cactus and prickly pear, sea beans, seaweed and sea lettuces. I take notes about what’s available when, the texture of the soil. Everything.<h2>How did you get into this work?</h2>When I first met John, who is now my husband, that is something we did together. We would go kayaking and collect shellfish together... What was a cool date has really become everything to me. I love living on the water and watching the tide come and go, watching the moon and living with the seasons.<h2>How do you work with restaurants?</h2>Education is a big part of what I do. I want to tell a story and when I bring things in the restaurants, I talk to the staff so they can share that story, too. And that will hopefully offer a better and more elevated experience... That’s what I also try to do on social media. I want to invite people in, to tell them more about this area. I think it's been elemental to the success of my business. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=33G6vh_0wDWucKy00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=33G6vh_0wDWucKy00" width="960" height="640" ><figcaption>Äna Shellem, of Shell'em Seafood, harvests oysters and other shellfish in the waters and marshes around Wrightsville Beach, N.C.</figcaption></figure><h2>What should people know about enjoying oysters?</h2>Farming and aquaculture have really taken off in North Carolina, which is great. I love being able to enjoy oysters year-round. But farmed and wild oysters are different species... farmed oysters don’t mate, but wild oysters do.Wild oysters have to be at least three inches and because I love the salinity, I usually don’t harvest near the mouths of rivers but try to get closer to the ocean. Oyster season, which is from Oct. 15 to March 31, is really the best. It’s when everything is in season, not just oysters. I also love to harvest stone crabs this time of year. I love raw oysters, but especially when the water is really cold. This time of year, I usually steam or grill wild oysters. I wait until later in November to enjoy them raw.<h2>What’s ahead for you?</h2>It is a busy time of year, but I will be going to Slow Fish in Charleston in early November. It’s a part of Slow Food USA and is a gathering of a lot of us who have the same goal about eating sustainably and with the seasons. I’ll also be brewing an oyster beer again with Free Range Brewing in Charlotte. It’s an oyster stout and this will be the sixth year we’ve done it.STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the area’s latest food news by signing up for the Port City Foodies newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram. Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: NC Oyster Season: Get to know Ana Shellem of Shell'em Seafood</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

NC Oyster Season: Getting to know Ana Shellem, a local fisherman and oyster harvester

October is North Carolina Oyster Month and the start of the local wild oyster season. While farmed oysters are available year-round, wild ones are those that can only be collected when the temperature drops. Äna Shellem is one of the people who works in the industry. She's the woman behind Shell'em Seafood, a boutique shellfish company that works directly with restaurants throughout the state.