[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.
My college teacher told me they can live a very long time (two and a half years) out of the water if in a cool, safe, dry place. I think that oysters can live for at least 3 days if not longer. I ate an oyster that I harvested from Barnstable harbor on Cape Cod three months ago. It tasted like I caught it yesterday.