Welcome to my favorite week of the entire year: the opening days of Nantucket recreational scalloping season. Who’s ready for a legendary – and delicious – sea to table edible adventure?
Is there anything more heavenly – and healthy – than spending a few sunshine-filled hours literally soaking in nature? Standing and strolling along in our beautiful turquoise historic harbor? This is truly the ultimate day on Nantucket.
Community scalloping – to me – is a deeply religious experience. It is a practice of meditation. Slowly, methodically pushing the rake through the sparkling harbor in long, smooth runs.
Lifting the rake up to balance on the floating basket tied around your waist. A final sorting-through to find your scallop shells – which are often adorably mad – and clapping open-close, open-close – over and over.
They are so darn cute. It’s hard for me to think of eating them. They seem to be talking as they clap, clap, clap in your hands.
My father taught me to scallop, spending precious days together in Madaket Harbor each fall. In turn we then taught our kids to scallop at Jackson Point.
A multi-generation family scallop date is everything we need more of: fun, blue skies, spending time in the great outdoors, a nice workout and all while connecting to nature, friends and family.
But did you know, scalloping is also deeply rooted in our island’s identity?
Nantucket scalloping continues a centuries-old connection of our community to the sea celebrated for generations.
The practice of harvesting bay scallops on Nantucket – or Natockete as the Wampanoags called it – dates back almost 12,000 years.
Scallops were used for sustenance long before the Europeans settled here in 1659. How incredible is it that today we continue to cherish the tradition from the 85th century BC?
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