Jan 17, 2011: Meet the Blue Pool!

We are very happy to announce that we've finally started selling our new brand of oyster, the Blue Pool. 

The name Blue Pool is inspired by a cold, quiet place on the Hamma Hamma River that our family has enjoyed for generations. While most Hama Hama oysters grow directly on the beach, Blue Pools are grown in bags that rise and fall with each tidal cycle (read more about our tumble farm here). This action rolls the oysters around, breaking off their new growth and pruning them into the perfect half-shell shape, with a flat top shell and a pronounced deep cup.  The cupped bottom shell pools the oyster liquor over a small, nugget shaped oyster body. Blue Pools are either grown from seed on the Hama Hama estuary or nursed in Puget Sound and then finished in our tumble farm, which is located far from the mouth of the river, on deep tideland that has been fallow for some time. In this location, the oysters are close enough to the river delta to retain the clean, crisp taste of a Hama Hama, but far enough from the fresh water to raise the salinity in the liquor and help balance the sweet finish. Perfectly shaped with a velvety brininess, crunchy texture and smooth vegetable finish, Blue Pools offer the definitive raw oyster experience. (Read our earlier post about oyster conformation). They're currently on the menu at the Walrus & Carpenter in Seattle, and Urban Farmer in Portland, and the Island Creek Oyster Bar in Boston, where they're already making waves. You can also buy them online or in our retail store. Let us know what you think!