An Oyster Life (Blog) — Aquaculture

East coast oysters. West coast oysters. Like Tupac and Biggie, the rivalry between the two has spanned the ages. The two varieties of oysters each sport their own merroir, shape, size, and mouth feels. Knowing the difference between the two can help you know what to expect when getting your slurp on. East Coast oysters like our White Stone Oysters are often smoother with larger cups and a briny, savory flavor. White Stone Oysters, for example, very sweet,  vegetal, and umami notes with a medium salinity. West Coast oysters tend to have a ruffled shell with a deeper cup, are...

The fabric of White Stone is sewn with the sinews of vibrant, meaningful relationships, that together, construct the functioning entity; the friends that run our hatcheries, our farmers, our truck drivers, our distributors, our chefs, our restaurant patrons, and beyond.  Each connection has a unique charge that makes up who we are, including the businesses whose visions run parallel.   Last month we hosted friends from a local White Stone, VA restaurant,  Adrift, and the conservation-minded, water-centric men's apparel brand, Fish Hippie. The day was filled with playful banter and meaningful discussion on the future of our waterways. We were joined by...

The flavor of an oyster is determined by several factors like region, water, and farming method. Knowing how these things affect an oyster’s flavor can help you detect the subtle nuances between oysters and become an oyster pro.  First, you have to learn an important term, merroir. Merroir is derived from the same concept as wine’s terroir. Basically, the flavor profile of a wine, like that of an oyster is derived from the factors that go into its growth. While wines may be affected by soil, sun, and microclimate, oysters are affected by water quality, algae, current and tide, and...

Oysters are beautiful, fascinating creatures. We may be a little biased but we think they’re one of the more incredible sea animals the Chesapeake Bay has to offer. Their storied history and the culture that’s grown around them make them something worth appreciating. Like many others– there’s always something new for us to learn about oysters. Check out these fun oyster facts:z Oysters have been around for approximately 15 million years. This makes them relatively young when you consider that crabs have been on the planet for 450 million years, predating dinosaurs. Not all oysters make pearls. While edible oysters...

Meteorologically speaking, the first day of spring is March 1st. Tell that to an oyster farmer from Virginia to Prince Edward Island and you will most likely get a good laugh.  Winters can be long and hard on the water and we farmers look forward to the early signs of spring ☀️ In Virginia, April is a month where we begin to hear early morning bird chatter, we feel the warming waters and we see some slight shell development on the new oyster stock. The warming waters give birth to the rich algae that are the cornerstone of the Chesapeake’s ecosystem...

As we enter the time of spring renewal, we know you’re itching to get outside, fire up the grill, and have your friends over for some good times in the backyard. Freshly shucked White Stone Oysters are the perfect complement to any backyard hangout. We’ve got tons of recipes on our site to help you prep the oysters in a myriad of ways but sometimes the best method is just to shuck, slurp and enjoy.  Watch the video below to get a crash course in shucking your White Stone Oysters, then head over to our website to order a beautiful...

On the Chesapeake we have been lucky the past two years to have experienced relatively mild winters. 2022 things have kicked up a notch as expected.  Exposed on the Chesapeake Bay, White Stone is subject to all of mothers nature's fury. The cold temperatures are not fun but they can be managed with a few extra layers of clothes. What gives us the real challenge managing an oyster farm over the winter are the rushing winds of Nor’easters.   Nor’easters (named from the direction of the storm's wind) are low pressure winter storms that typically form 100 miles off the US eastern coasts...