In Issue #16: Summer 2024

From oyster mushrooms to seafood oysters, it seems that Maria and I must have come up with this issue’s content while brainstorming at the bar of Dorset’s Chantecleer Restaurant, which, as of the drop date of this issue, will—after 42 years—be its last day of service.

To my friends Melanie and Michel, I wish you all the best in what’s to come. Thank you and your fabulous staff for caring for all of us over the years. We will miss you.

On a bright day in early May, to carry out our vision, Kait social (Kait Zwagerman Tyler, digital consultant), Kait seafood (Kait Provost, Earth & Sea Fish Market), Maria, and I gathered at my home with a couple dozen oysters from Earth & Sea and beer from The Alchemist, Kraemer & Kin, Lucy & Howe, Mount Holly Beer, and Two Heroes. Our goal was to create video content for future use and to snap a few photos, some of which appear in these pages. The truth is, it turned into a very large oyster-eating fest.

A few weeks later, I attended the 1846 Inn & Tavern Oyster Shucking Class & Wine Pairing in West Dover. Timid at first—but armed with gloves and a thick towel—I finally got the hang of it, as you can see from my certificate. Actually, I think Donny was just being kind, but I am proud to be a DIY oyster shucker.

Thank you to the Vermont Brewers Association and the countless number of restaurateurs, chefs, farmers, purveyors, store owners, and breweries who provided content for this issue. We had fun!

Cheers to summer!

Marcia Lissak

Kait Provost of Earth & Sea Fish Market shucking oysters for our upcoming video. Placemat and towel courtesy Vermont Kitchen Supply. PHOTO: KAITLYN ZWAGERMAN TYLER

FROM THE MANAGING EDITOR

Each Edible Vermont magazine we produce centers on a theme, and in the process of researching and gathering the content, Marcia Lissak and I go down rabbit holes. The recent spring issue took Marcia deep into the magical world of mushrooms while this summer edition allowed me to augment my oyster obsession.

During the last few months, I read, thought about, studied, photographed, and—most importantly—tasted a raft of bivalves. I learned to distinguish East Coast from West Coast oysters by the shape of their shells; I sampled a range of beverages to see how they complemented the oceanic overtones (thank you Paul Van Der Wielen, Dorset Union Store!); and I confirmed my fondness for the more saline oysters cultivated on the Massachusetts coast. And then?

I put on my big girl pants and learned how to shuck oysters.

Prior to that, I was restricted to enjoying the creamy, tender, sweet, and salty darlings arranged on crushed ice at raw bars or restaurants. When I visited seafood markets, I would always check out the oyster varieties listed on the white board and stare longingly at the primordial craggy shells tinged with littoral hues. And yet, I walked away empty-handed simply because I didn’t have the shucking skills. That made me feel pretty lame and a bit ashamed.

Then I remembered how learning to use a chainsaw gave me a new sense of empowerment. If I could run a chainsaw, why was I letting a short-bladed little knife stand in the way of my gustatory pleasure?

So on a glorious Friday in early spring, I consulted my favorite fishmonger (hi Kait!), bought the ubiquitous white-handled sturdy shucking knife and a dozen oysters, went home and watched a YouTube video, and put my nascent knowledge to the test. After I opened my sixth oyster, I felt confident enough to crack open an IPA and relax. Chainsaw and oyster shucking—two fears conquered.

And now, the world is my.…

Maria Buteux Reade

Hungry to learn more? Maria suggests reading The Essential Oyster: A Salty Appreciation of Taste and Temptation by Rowan Jacobsen; Shucked: Life on a New England Oyster Farm by Erin Byers Murray; and The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell by Mark Kurlansky.

PHOTO: MARIA BUTEUX READE