Up in the bushes....

     Sitting at my desk this morning, a local lobsterman strolls in to pick up his check. I've been in the business twenty plus years but what I was about to hear.... I didn't even understand.

Bret: " See you got a good chaaage of haaad shells"

Lobsterman: " Yuh, picked up thirty off a pair"

Bret: " You must be fishin up in the bushes"

Lobsterman: "Yuh, that's why they call em' sucka bugs. If you blow a line on yur boat yur out 4 or 5 days though"

 I'm nodding my head along with the conversation, but I'm thinking "WTF are they talking about?" After a short conversation with Bret after the lobsterman leaves I got a translation.

Bret:" I noticed you caught a lot more hard shells then normal last week."

Lobsterman:" Yes, I even caught 30 pounds in two traps in one spot"

Bret:" You must be fishing in tight against the shore"

Lobsterman:" Yes but that's why they call them sucka bugs - the lure of a good catch draws you in close to shore , but, when you're in less than 10 feet of water you run the risk of losing gear or trashing your boat."

Got it.

Glidden Points vs. ( a newcomer looking to bring it! )

    I buy a lot of oysters from a lot of different oyster farms. Every once in a while someone wants to challenge the king ( or in this case the queen ). This morning after listening to an excited oyster farmer extol the number of reasons his or her oysters were just as good if not better than the famed Glidden Points, I decided to take a look see...

    This was a little bit like the Manny Pacquiao - Floyd Mayweather fight. It didn't last long - and the winner was clear.
   As I slurped the Glidden it reminded me of that jovial moment as a kid when your mom took you to the beach for the first time. You run down the sand, splash through the waves, and dive into the first decent wave. Coming up for air, you realize you are  frigid and you've swallowed a bit of icy ocean water. Never the less, it's  glorious and the ocean water tasted like it was heaven sent. That's what I tasted this morning. The Glidden Point transported me back to a childhood memory of awesomeness.

   The challenger oyster was indeed a very good oyster and has come a long way through the years. I could eat them every day and be a happy camper.
     I often hear Glidden's glory spoke aloud from oyster connoisseurs. As a true American, I can grow skeptical when things are put too high on a pedistal. But damn.... Gliddens are one kick ass oyster.

A Big Fatty

   Oyster season is upon us. Those months with the letter "R" somewhere in the name.  For me, I like to eat oysters year round, however there is some truth to this saying. Pictured above is a big ol' fatty Whaleback from the Damariscotta river. It's nearly twice the size as it was two months ago and the meats fill the shell. 

  In the fall , oysters start packing on fat for the long winter just like bears do. The flavor profile changes along with the seasons as well. Just like kobe beef, more fat = more flavor.

Shuckapedia

Taylor Lobster Web - O - Mercial

Little Bitches...

   There's a controversy brewing in the oyster world. Should new oyster farms be named after the cove or river they are plucked from or should they be given an eye catching name that has nothing to do with the geography they are harvested near?
    For me, a bonafide #oystergeek, I love the crazy names like the Naked Cowboys, Moonstones, and even our own local New Hampshire oyster, Fat Dogs. Just recently, I found one that sets a new bar...Little Bitches. Little Bitches are put out by the Broadwater oyster company in Virginia.What was my first thought after seeing the oyster name Little Bitches? I have to try one of those.
     One of our best selling oysters is the Black Bear out of the Bagaduce river. This is a perfect example of how the name can make all the difference in the world. Both the Black Bears and Little Islands are both harvested out of the Bagaduce. They sell hand over fist. But... If you call them Bagaduce - they do not! ( Sound out the word Bag - a - duce and use your imagination )
   One of the coolest parts of my job this time of year is picking up the phone when a newly formed oyster farm calls wanting to sell us oysters. They need advice and what fun it is to collaborate on naming their farms. Recently we've entered into an agreement to distribute a new oyster out of Wells Maine. We talked for a while and he threw some names out at me. The first one was Kung - Fu Blondes! I was really surprised. At first, I thought, hmmm that may be going a bit overboard. So I quickly sent out about a dozen texts to some of the more oyster savvy chefs I deal with. Their response was unanimous. They all loved it. The next name on the list was for a different harvest site he had.  Pope's Creek Yetis. How imaginative is that. These oysters are only harvested from the icy waters of Wells Maine during the coldest months. You have to be half human and half yeti to accomplish this. The Kung - Fu Blondes have yet to be harvested, however, feast your eyes on the new Pope's Creek Yetis...

   Do you have a funky name idea for an oyster? Let's hear it!

2014 Great Bay Oyster Cheat Sheet