164 Fortieth Annual Meeting 



Fortunately the mussels are well adapted for preserva- 

 tion in such a manner as not to impair their palatable flavor, 

 nutritive qualities and digestibility, and at the same time not 

 greatly increase the price at which they may be sold to the 

 consumer. This is a property which ranks them superior 

 to all other shellfish. At the present time they are preserved 

 by one method only, that of pickling with vinegar and spices. 

 Pickled mussels may now be found on the lunch counters 

 of saloons in New York City or purchased in bottled form 

 in the downtown delicatessen stores. Prepared in this 

 manner they are quite palatable, but to get their full, rich 

 flavor they should be canned. 



Preservation by canning is a method which, to my 

 knowledge, has never been employed for the mussel in a 

 commercial way. Experiments with this process have 

 demonstrated that the mussel with its liquor can be preserved 

 without loss of color or flavor and the canned product may 

 be prepared for the table in a great variety of ways. In 

 fact it can be used in almost as many ways as the fresh 

 mollusk. The details of this method will soon be published 

 in a document of the United States Bureau of Fisheries. 

 It may be well to state here that three principles have to 

 be observed in this process : ( 1 ) the mussels must be fresh 

 and fat, (2) they must be packed in glass containers, 

 (3) they must be sterilized at not less than 220° F. for 

 one-half hour. 



I cannot recommend too highly the excellent quality of 

 the canned mussels. They may be used to make a delicious 

 soup or chowder, an excellent fry, savory fritters, cream 

 sauces and numerous other appetizing preparations. If once 

 used in a household they will ever remain in demand. They 

 make a good substitute for the oyster when it is out of 

 season. Packers of shellfish will find employment for their 

 hands in this industry when the oyster season is over, 

 March to August being the months when mussels are prime. 

 In this vicinity, Long Island Sound can furnish the winter 

 and early spring supply while the Atlantic Ocean can 

 provide for the summer trade. 



