The holidays are upon us, and it’s show time for Chesapeake oysters. Those scrumptious bivalves deliver seasonal cheer, especially when they’re accompanied by local craft beer. If you want to treat out-of-town guests to our unique Bay delicacies or give your yuletide cook a break from the kitchen, then visit these 12 places to sample […]

Can New Aqua Farms Rescue the Bay’s Savory Treasure? Imagine tying up the boat on a hot August afternoon and grabbing a seat at your favorite dock bar.  With a frosty drink in hand, you think about the cool pleasure of a dozen fresh oysters.  You picture them nestled in their shells on a silver […]

I’ve always wanted a ghost.  Not a big terrifying apparition like in the movie Poltergeist.  More like a congenial companion spirit who would float about giving the house a year-round Halloween feel and raising our neck hairs from time to time to show that science can’t explain everything. On my night stand I’ve amassed a […]

If someone tried to take away your plate of fresh Chesapeake oysters, would you shoot him?  Well, you wouldn’t be the first person to react that way to an oyster thief.  For decades, the Chesapeake Bay felt like the Wild West, where deadly boat chases and gunfights were commonplace along the shores.  And this hotbed […]

Fall is the time of year when I like to dream big.  There’s something about autumn’s crisp mornings that makes me want to plan, create and renovate.  Take the change of season and mix in a pinch of guilt from spending lazy summer days on crab decks, and I’m ready to chart a productive course […]

I’m never shy about reaching for seconds of Thanksgiving turkey poised next to a mashed potato swimming pool filled with golden-brown gravy. And I don’t feel a pinch of guilt taking extra helpings of my mom’s stuffing laced with Jimmy Dean sausage, walnuts, and mushrooms. But after two days of cholesterol-friendly holiday fare and microwaved […]

Chesapeake Bay oysters were once the divas of the world’s seafood stage.  But global demand nearly decimated the bay’s oysters, so they’ve been playing second fiddle to New England and West Coast bivalves. Now they’re back on top again, ready to reclaim their place as world-class oysters. In 1929, Cole Porter wrote a song called […]