NEWS

5th Annual Virginia Half-Shell Oyster Tasting!!
Saturday, November 1, 2014 1-4 pm
at Kelsick Market
Tickets at Kelsick are $30

Fifth Annual Virginia Half Shell Oyster Tasting – November 1 – Kelsick Gardens, Gloucester
Tidewater Oyster Gardeners Association will present its Fifth Annual Virginia Half-Shell Oyster Tasting from 1PM to 4pm on Saturday November 1, in the parking lot outside Kelsick Specialty Market, 6632 Main Street, in Gloucester.

As in previous years, there will be six local Middle Peninsula Oyster Growers providing fresh oysters from the varying waters of this area. People who attended this event in the past were surprised and pleased to find that they could identify different tastes in oysters from different waters. It is not just the saltiness that differs, but other tastes deriving from the water in which the oysters grew.

TOGA members planning this event are very dependent on volunteers to shuck oysters but also to do setup and clean up, as in every successful happening. Last year, a training session with Deborah Pratt and Clementine Boyd Macon prepared a number of members with expertise in oyster shucking.

If you have not taken part in one of these Tastings, now is the time. A relatively small event, there is time to talk with Growers and other gardeners, and even pick up a few hints on oyster growing from Master Oyster Gardeners who will be in attendance. Deborah Pratt, many times National Champion Oyster Shucker, again will be there to help you brush up on your shucking technique.

Oyster Aquaculture in Virginia has been a resounding success, with each year’s harvest showing a huge increase in oysters sold over the last year. It is believed that Oyster Aquaculture will continue to revitalize the industry in Virginia, to the good of the Chesapeake Bay as well as the economy of the region. Most of all, it provides a wonderful experience for oyster lovers all over the region.

Tickets for the Oyster Tasting may be purchased at Kelsick Specialty Market in Gloucester, or by mail to TOGA PO BOX 2463 Gloucester VA 23061 and by going online to the TOGA web site www.oystergardener.org and purchasing tickets via PayPal. Beer, wine and other beverages, and food will be available separate from the ticket purchase price.
There will be a limited number of tickets available at $30 a person. Last year’s event was sold out, so don’t delay.

Brian Wood, MOG, TOGA President