Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Today we had another morning field trip, this time to Island Creek Oyster Farm in Duxbury, MA. It was a gray day and the sky kept misting over, but the trip was still wonderful. The farm is in a giant older home on the shore and the hatchery is in a large barn behind it. We started with a tour of the latter, led by one of the workers and his adorable, friendly dog, who insisted on going everywhere we went. We were led through darkened, rambling rooms until we reached the starting point of the hatchery. It was a large-ish room with two massive plastic buckets in which the oyster seeds are initially placed. Next stop, the algae room, where the oysters’ food is grown. Clear plastic tanks around the room were meant to hold different types of algae. The owner special-orders the algae from the government, and feeds the oysters a blend of many in the hopes that it heightens the flavor of the oysters. After leaving the two giant tubs, the oyster seeds are moved into slightly smaller rounds of calcium carbonate (i.e. oyster shell), where they can attach to the side and continue to grow. The oysters spend several week in the hatchery before being transplanted out into the bay when they are only about the size of a speck of black pepper. Our guide explained that this is the most risky part of the process, as many will die off before taking to the real-life ocean environment. He brought us down to the docks to show us one spot where the oysters were boxed into place just under the surface. They were about the size of petite peas.

Finally, the class split up into two small motor boats and we were whisked through the fog and over to a different part of the bay where the final oyster-growing phase happens. All we could see were large, black plastic tubes/barrels floating on the surface. The oysters grew to full size attached to the underside of the barrels. We then motored a bit further and came to a small floating cabin where three workers were busily harvesting and packaging the oysters for sale. They were picture-perfect New England seafood workers with ruddy faces, Fair Isle sweaters, and rubber boots. When we docked alongside them, they were blasting a particularly crude Prince song on their tiny boombox. We got a quick look at the equipment used, including the 3”-diameter ring they use to determine whether or not the oysters are large enough to be harvested for use in Boston. Due to an antiquated city law that was meant to preserve dwindling wild oyster populations in the area, these farmers can only sell and serve oysters 3” or larger in diameter to local purveyors. Smaller ones are sent all over the country. The French Laundry is a one of the larger accounts Island Oyster Farm holds, and they have one menu item that uses a very specific farmed oyster—small ones with large, bulbous bottoms that yield a good-sized portion of oyster meat.

After we docked back at shore, some of the class (including myself) stopped at the nearby French Memories bakery, which is clearly a downtown Duxbury fixture. I tried a regular croissant and a sweetened almond one. They were both divine. The almond one had been split and spread with almond paste and a little almond-infused liquid. I regret nothing.

We got back to campus in time to munch on the leftover arctic char rolls and tiger prawns before we began our afternoon cooking session. Chef Jeremy Sewall came back and led us through a local-themed class using some very excellent ingredients—Great Barrington foraged chicken- and hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, clams, oysters (yes, from the farm), craft beer, and lively lobsters that had been harvested earlier in the day in MAINE by Chef’s brother (who, conveniently, is a lobster farmer and provides all the lobster Chef uses in his restaurants).

My team of two (most were three) was assigned to make the clams and mushrooms. Without the aid of recipes, Chef thought up some very basic dishes and helped us through the process of making a New England clam chowder, clams steamed in beer with chorizo, and beautifully-sauteed mushrooms. It was both challenging and meaningful to cook a dish that I associate so strongly with my grandmother. I took the advice of our TA, however, and did exactly as Chef asked, even it was antithetical to my family recipe. The outcome? A chowder more delicious than my Grandma’s, but without the happy memory attachment. For one, we used fresh, whole clams for it. The diced potatoes were also par-cooked separately and added to the pot later on. Finally, Chef squeezed some lemon juice and jalapeno Tabasco before tasting. Both gave a really excellent counterpoint to the richness of the dish. After tasting, I suggested that it needed more black pepper. Chef agreed (love when that happens!).

The other standout was the mushrooms. Even simply sautéed in canola oil and sprinkled with salt, they were absolutely delicious. Not to be a tool, but they sure did taste like chicken…but better. Or maybe it was just that I was eating something that came from Western MA? The rest of the groups made: ricotta gnocchi tossed with lobster chunks and a Long Island cheese squash sauce, baked oysters, fried oysters, and lobster ravioli. Everything came out well and tasted good. I wish that we had been using recipes because I would totally steal the lobster, gnocchi, and squash sauce one!