Mussels are tasty and healthy

Mussels are rich in protein and packed with minerals and vitamins. You can enjoy them at an outdoor café or cook them yourself. Cooking mussels isn’t difficult at all. The most important things are timing and, above all, keeping the recipe simple. Check out the Mussel Board’s website for a wide variety of recipes.

Different types of mussels

Mussels are available in various types and sizes. The name of the mussel type refers to the size of the shell, not the amount of meat inside. A larger shell does not necessarily mean a larger mussel. From largest to smallest, the mussels are classified as follows: Goudmerk, Jumbo, Imperial, Super, and Extra.

See where the mussel boat comes from

There are mussel farms in five towns in Zeeland: Yerseke, Zierikzee, Bruinisse, Hontenisse, and Tholen. The mussel boats from these towns can be identified by the letters on their bows: YE, ZZ, BRU, HON, and TH. Almost all of the companies that process mussels are located in Yerseke.

Ground cultivation and hanging cultivation

There are two ways to farm mussels: bottom culture and suspended culture. In bottom culture, mussel farmers transport the mussel larvae to the plots by boat. They release them there to grow. After two years, these mussels are ready to eat. In the meantime, they are moved to different plots several times to ensure optimal growth.

In suspended culture, mussel farmers attach the mussel spat to ropes wrapped in a sock. This sock dissolves once the mussels have attached themselves to the ropes. The mussel farmers thin out the mussels a few times, so that the best mussels have enough space to grow. These mussels are ready to eat sooner. This is because they get more sunlight, which makes them grow faster. These mussels are therefore often sold in early spring. The bottom-cultured mussels are not yet of good quality at that time. They need more time.