October; Ghouls, Ghosts, and Fish

It's October now and one of my favorite holidays looms in the near future.  Well, not really a holiday, more like a widely supported day of mischief and good candy.  However you celebrate Halloween, the 31st always seems to deliver some sort of intrigue and electricity that just isn't found during any of the other calendar months.  Personally I love the feeling that's in the air.  Fall is officially here, leaves are changing, and soon the streets will be filled with the laughter of wayward princesses and little ghoulish phantasms racing down the street on sugar highs, an energy only matched by the spooky feeling of the days slowly belonging more to the night.  October is also an important month in the fish industry.  It's the U.S. National Seafood Month!!  That's right, save your candy day for the 31st and spend the first 30 days of October feeding on delicious healthy seafood.  Maybe your penance of nutritious seafood will off-set the imbalance of junk food you will consume in the one day of devilish feasting.  Either way, eating seafood is a habit that could serve your skeleton well every month, not just in October.

Speaking of Jack O' Lanterns, Lantern Bay Scallops are back in production.  The true bay scallops (at least from my perspective ) the Nantucket Bays, will not be in production until November.  Right now though, Peru is producing a deliciously sweet bay scallop that is both sustainable and affordable.  (They are usually half the price of Nantucket Bay Scallops)  Peru has adopted the Japanese lantern style of harvesting bay scallops.  The scallops are suspended off of the ocean floor by lantern style cages and filter feed until they are at harvestable size.  The waters in Samanco Bay are plankton rich, creating bay scallops with a sweetness that is best suited for sushi and ceviche, though no one will think twice if you through them in the frying pan.  There is no damage done to the ocean floor, no anti-foulants used, and no by-catch.  These scallops are totally sustainable and totally kid friendly.  So this October when the majority of your children's delight comes wrapped in chocolate and causes cavities, these bite sized candies can be a beneficial alternative that provide healthy vitamins and protein.  Who says you have to tell them?  Oh, and yes, this is one candy treat that you can have for dinner!