[This essay was put together after Emerson's death from a number of commencement and similar addresses he had made. It appears in The Complete Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, edited by Edward Emerson].
Freshly shucked oysters can be immersed in water and placed in shallow, air-tight containers in the freezer. Freezer temperatures should be below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Oysters can be frozen for up to three months.
Keeping oysters alive for months seemed preposterous to me, so I looked for validation on the web. Most sites recommend storing them for no more than seven daysâ Linton Seafood was willing to go up to two weeks. Only British sites like Martins Seafresh mentioned the cupped-side trick. Readers of the UK Guardian inquired about the same long-term storage rumor that I heard, and they're still waiting for an answer.