THESE WOMEN WILL KICK-START YOUR HOLIDAY CELEBRATION

The holidays are an opportunity to spend time with loved ones and indulge in rich fare. Locally, the surrounding sea and its delicacies are often reflected in the celebratory foods, with oysters making a regular appearance.

These bivalves have unique and complex flavor compounds, influenced by their surrounding environments. And while oysters are sought after year-round, the fall is an especially demanding time for their farmers as they prepare for winter.

“The water temperatures are dropping significantly,” said Stefanie Bassett, who co-owns Little Ram Oyster Company on the North Fork with her partner Elizabeth Peeples. They are carefully handling the oysters and preparing the beds for the colder season. When the temperature drops below 40 degrees, the oysters go into hibernation until the spring. “You don’t want to bustle the oysters too much; if [the shell] cracks it can’t repair itself.”

“So, we’re racing against mother nature,” added Peeples. They are also busy cleaning all the equipment that will be stored until the spring, not to mention the ongoing harvesting.

“We harvest year-round and immediately put them on ice, but [in the colder months], we don’t do tumbling, we just shake the bags” to knock off predators, Peeples explained. Meanwhile, “the oysters are eating as much as they can right now before all the food disappears in the water because they are filter feeders. They are so plump and meaty because they’re trying to eat as much as possible.” This may be one reason these little underwater jewels are so popular during the holiday season, she added.

For their part, the women have a few special oyster dishes they like to prepare for the holidays.

“I started making an oyster dressing during Thanksgiving, obviously with lots of bacon,” said Peeples, later adding, “My parents are from the south, so we grew up saying ‘dressing’ instead of ‘stuffing.’ The oyster stuffing is prepared with homemade bread, parsley, thyme and sage, as well as shallots sauteed in bacon grease, oyster liquor and, of course, tons of oysters.

For Christmas, they put an oyster twist on the traditional linguine with clam sauce. The oysters are mixed with garlic, white wine, pepper and oyster liquor and broiled until the edges are singed. They are tossed with pasta and homemade breadcrumbs, with cheese on top.

And on New Year’s, along with champagne, they enjoy oysters on the half shell or grilled.

“Steph is the grill master, she also grills half of a lemon, which makes it a little sweeter,” said Peeples. Plus, they use compound butters, such as Chipotle bourbon, Old Bay Chesapeake style, and this year a new one, Caesar compound butter. “It’s just a little umami bomb,” said Bassett.

“We love to cook,” said Peeples, noting that it is especially rewarding for them to eat what they grow.

Peeples and Bassett are relative newcomers on the North Fork oyster farming scene, having started in 2018. And although more women are getting into the business, Little Ram stands out as a fully female team. However, it was not by design, “it’s just who’s coming to us,” said Bassett, adding, “These women are badass.”

In fact, their own introduction into oyster farming was also a little accidental.

“Elizabeth and I were working in the city for 17 years,” Bassett recounted. “I was in advertising and she was in interior design. We were kind of exploring gently what our next move was. We took a shucking class in Greenpoint and it was just a Groupon, drinking beers and learning how to shuck oysters. The owner gave us a one-on-one on oysters and that really caught our attention.”

Peeples explained what drew them in — “It’s a fast-growing protein source that has a direct positive impact on the environment. It’s a regenerative food source. They have no central nervous system. They’re such a cool animal.”

Piqued by this new career prospect, they started looking at farms, including a few in Rhode Island, but eventually, a North Fork oyster farm became available. The couple reached out and purchased the turnkey operation, never looking back.

“We had never driven a boat and we had never farmed oysters. It was just a crash course after crash course, and I don’t think we’ll ever stop learning,” said Bassett. “We’re working the hardest we’ve ever worked, and we love it.”