Celebrating local foods on a farm near our home, I met two young men who are reviving the oyster industry in the Rappahannock River. They raise our native oyster, Crassostrea virginica, for sale to restaurants. This local oyster is delicious and is struggling to compete with new international competitors. A Japanese oyster is now being farmed around the world and a Chinese oyster is even being introduced in the Chesapeake Bay. Our native Virginia oysters are delicious and vary in taste depending on the mollusk variety and the location of the oyster bed. For example, oysters from the tidewater Rappahannock River are sweet while oysters from beds off Chincoteague island are boldly salty. Hope from the river bottom found on our hors d'oeuvre plate!
No comments:
Post a Comment