We carry local shrimp, flash frozen at Seal the Seasons in Hillsborough. Buying the whole harvest from fisherman and working with Seal the Seasons to freeze the shrimp keeps costs down without the unsustainable practices that normally produce cheap shrimp. A one-pound bag of NC shrimp costs only $12.99. The shrimp are on sale this weekend only (August 18-20, 2017) for $7.99!
Seal the Seasons has been freezing local harvests of berries and vegetables since they began in 2015. They partner with North Carolina farmers and donate 20 percent of profits to fight food insecurity. They work at the Piedmont Food and Ag Processing Center (PFAP) in Hillsborough, where they’ve invested in Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) equipment that allows them to freeze foods at their peak, preserving the best flavor and quality. Foods can be frozen at their freshest, when the supply is fullest, within days or even hours of harvest.
During the harvest seasons, Seal the Seasons staff work around the clock. Between seasons, however, the work would slow. Founder Patrick Mateer and Bryan Cohn, the Director of Operations, brainstormed how to keep staff employed between seasons. They hit on the idea of freezing local seafood, and asked Weaver Street Market to partner with them to sell the product.
Thus was born our new Weaver Street Market line of IQF North Carolina wild-caught shrimp! We teamed up with fishermen Eddie and Alison Willis of Mr. Big Seafood on Harker’s Island to source great quality shrimp at peak season, and our friends at Seal the Seasons to freeze the shrimp in their quick-freezing “tunnel”. The result: great quality frozen shrimp at great prices year round, without the environmental, health, and labor concerns of farm-raised shrimp.
Look for bags in the freezer case, and remember: they’re on sale this weekend for only $7.99.