A Geography of Oysters by Rowan Jacobsen

Author:Rowan Jacobsen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2010-04-09T04:00:00+00:00

William Arthur Croxton, tong-ing (or posing, perhaps?) on the Rappahannock, mid-twentieth century. (Photo courtesy Rappahannock River Oysters)

The Croxtons raise their oysters from their own broodstock in trays elevated off the river bottom. The cages keep the oysters from being buried on the bottom, and also protect them from the Chesapeake’s chief oyster predator: the stingray. Stingrays, which can slurp seed oysters without end and can even crunch up adults, are prolific in the bay. Thanks to the cages, the Croxtons are able to grow oysters that bear little resemblance to the long, skinny oysters fighting for survival amid the silt of the modern Chesapeake—but must bear great resemblance to the Rappahannock River oysters their family has been growing since 1899.

Ironically, Rappahannock River oysters can be easier to find in Hawaii or Denver than around the Chesapeake. Locals still associate Chesapeake oysters with lower-quality shucked meats. In fact, when they began their business, Travis and Ryan didn’t even bother with the local market; they went straight to the top. Before they had any accounts, they targeted three high-profile New York restaurants: Le Bernardin, Shaffer City Oyster Bar (because Jay Shaffer had been quoted in Men’s Journal saying, “I’d never serve an oyster from south of Long Island”), and Jack’s Luxury Oyster Bar. They landed all three.

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