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It almost October already, and if tha dang hurrikins ever stop rollin’ ’cross the Atlantic we can get on with our usual fine South Flarda livin.’

Folks who think the season never changes in South Flarda just don’t know what they’re talkin’ ’bout.

Take September, for example. It marks the beginnin’ of oyster-eatin’ season. I know, I know, you can find oysters on the menu of most seafood restaurants just about any time of the year. But a real Floridian ain’t gonna eat any oysters except during months in which one finds the letter, “r.” (And to tell you the truth, we ain’t so settled about that includin’ September.)

The reason has to do with water temperature. You sure don’t want to be eatin’ oysters hauled outa really hot water. Pullin’ up shrimp half-cooked from 89-degree Gulf water is one thing but it’s just not wise to eat hot oysters.

Jonathan Swift once suggested it was a brave man who first ate an oyster. He was kiddin’ you, of course. All it took was hunger.

Oysters always make a great meal. In that respect, Floridians have much in common with the good folks of France where oyster-eating during the holidays is a particularly wide-spread tradition.

An oyster expert from Bordeaux recently told the Associated Press the holiday oyster trade accounts for nearly 80 percent of the annual oyster sales from his region.

That may not necessarily be true of Apalachicola but it doesn’t matter because Flarda’s oyster harvesters work hard and, in some years, do pretty well.

Accordin’ to French lore, oysters came to the Marennes region quite by accident.

In 1868, the story goes, a ship was wrecked in the Gironde Basin and spilled its cargo of Portuguese oysters that became the region’s first oyster bed. As a result, an entire industry grew from the shipwreck.

The French like to eat their oysters with hot sausages on the side or perhaps with lemon or vinegar and shallots. While Floridians like crackers and beer with our oysters, maybe a little hot sauce, the French prefer butter and good, brown bread.

Those marvelous French chefs have even come up with a favorite recipe that Floridians can use, as well.

The dish is called oysters with citrus fruit and this particular recipe will serve six people.

Begin with 30 oysters, three oranges, three lemons, one tablespoon of olive oil, several grains of ground coriander and about two handfuls of edible algae or seaweed. If you can’t handle algae or seaweed try any favorite type of greens.

• Peel, seed and quarter the oranges while saving as much juice as possible. You need about a half-cup of orange juice.

• About a half-hour before serving the meal, shuck the oysters, save the oyster juice and lay out the oyster on the seaweed or green on a baking dish.

• Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

• Mix the oyster juice with the orange juice and simmer over medium heat. Add olive oil and coriander to taste, stirring briskly.

• Place a quarter lemon and orange in each oyster, grind on some pepper and place oysters in the oven long enough to warm — about two minutes.

• Before serving, top the oysters with the warmed orange juice.

Bon appetite!

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Steve Hart is a sailor, angler, explorer, raconteur, amateur citrus-grower and semi-professional theologian who masqueraded as a Florida journalist and pundit for the last 25 years. His book, “Tales from Down Yonder, Florida,” is available in local bookstores and on the Web at www.downyonderflorida.com.