Sip 'em & Slurp 'em
I am a shameless hedonist when it comes to great food. Want proof? It’s that time of year when customers can catch me (along with many other Central Farm Market vendors and patrons) slurping down freshly shucked raw Chincoteague oysters on the half shell for breakfast from Toby Island Bay Oyster Farm in Virginia.As the temperature has obviously shifted from late summer to early fall with killing frosts wiping out the remaining summer field crops, this seasonal product is making a comeback at market.In the mid-Atlantic region, oyster season runs from October 1st to March 31st, as the old adage goes, months with R in them. Oysters can be procured two ways—harvested in the wild or farmed. Oysters, by nature, are a prolific, renewable food source, but between overfishing and pollution, humans have managed to decimate the fishery. NOAA estimates in 1880 there were approximately 75 million pounds of oysters harvested from the Maryland area of the Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately today that number hovers around 400,000 in annual landings by watermen. That’s why 95% of all oysters consumed today are farmed.Oyster farming is nothing new. Romans started practicing aquaculture in the first century BC in Italy, and later in Britain for export. France has successfully farmed oysters since the 1700’s. Using species native to the watershed, farmed oysters are reared to maturity in their natural habitat corralled using beds, bags, cages and racks. Kind of like raising chickens only with shells in water instead of feathers in fences on pasture.Because farmed oysters eat the same algae-rich tides and waters, they require no feeding. Just like when I have a lush pasture, I’m not feeding hay. Similar to farming on land, aquaculture is subject to the unexpected swings in nature that can impact production. Remember when Dishing the Dirt covered the difficulties of farming during a wet season? The same holds true for oyster farming. Native to brackish water, the lifecycle of oysters is directly tied to the salinity of the water for critical functions including spawning, fertilization and rates of growth. Due to decreasing salinity from increased rainfall, the Horn Point Hatchery at the University of Maryland only produced 6.5 million spat-on-shell (think oyster seeds) which is two hundred times less than 2018 and three hundred times less than 2017. Given that it takes nearly two years for a farmed oyster to reach market size, customers have this season on next before they’ll start feeling the pinch in availability.Tis also the season for oysters as the fall and winter holidays are upon us. Oyster dressing for poultry and other meats is a tradition brought to America by British colonists over three hundred years ago. Rarely have I attended a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner throughout the years that has not included oysters, with everything from oysters baked with saltine crackers, Parmesan cheese and butter to shucking fresh ones using an oven mitt and a screwdriver. For a delicious cocktail party trick certain to entertain even the pickiest localvore, try shucking a fresh oyster int a shot glass with splash of Epiphany Organic Vodka from McClintock Distilling Company and a dash of Toigo Orchards Birth of Pain Bloody Mary Mix.Speaking of dressing and oysters, there are plenty of condiments to pair with oysters on the half shell, but the very first one to slide past your tongue should be au naturel—no lemon, no hot sauce, not cocktail sauce—to enjoy what many aficionados refer to as terroir. Like wine, olive oils, teas, coffee, chocolate and such, oysters take on the characteristics of their environment based upon a myriad of factors. One of the benefits of farmed oysters is their flavor profile is more consistent than those from the wild. For instance, Chef’s Resources describes Chincoteague Bay oysters as having “a distinctive briny flavor followed by a sweet finish.” On this I would whole-heartedly agree.A versatile ingredient, oysters can also be fried, grilled, roasted, baked, and used in soups, casseroles, dips, even in pancakes! In researching this blog post I did come across a nugget of information that shocked me—oysters are considered vegan by some. Lacking a central nervous system and having no reaction to stimuli puts them in a gray area. But regardless of your dietary identification, if your oysters are, indeed, gray, don’t eat them.