Johns River Oyster starts oysters in the upper Damariscotta and relays them 22 miles to Johns River near New Harbor, the only place they are grown.
Brine4/ 5
Sweetness4/ 5
Minerality4/ 5
Umami2/ 5
USA · Crassostrea virginica · finish sweet · texture lean · lemon yes · 26–31 ppt · 1–16 °C · best October to April
Basic Profile
Origin
Johns River, near New Harbor, Maine, USA
Species
Crassostrea virginica (Eastern oyster)
Classification
Farmed; single-producer brand
Farming Method
Nursery in the upper Damariscotta River; finished on a 4-acre bottom lease and a 3-acre surface site with shellfish rafts
Producer
Johns River Oyster (Dave Cheney)
Visual Signature
Eastern oyster shell
Dave Cheney first bought hatchery seed in 2007 and began selling the oysters as Johns River Oyster. He now runs a 3.5-acre nursery in the upper Damariscotta River, then relays the oysters 22 miles to Johns River, where they finish on a 4-acre bottom lease and a 3-acre surface site with four shellfish rafts.1
The upper Damariscotta River at Damariscotta Mills. Johns River oysters start in a nursery on the upper river. Photo: Crispins C. Crispian / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
One River, One Oyster
Cheney's point is simple: these are the only oysters grown in Johns River, and the relay from the Damariscotta gives them their own taste. Harvest runs all year from the rafts.1 For the nursery river, see the Damariscotta.
Flavor Breakdown
In the grower's words
"The true taste of the ocean," with "a clean finish".1
Why it differs
The oysters start in the upper Damariscotta and finish 22 miles away in Johns River, near New Harbor and the open sea.1 What you taste is the finishing water, not the nursery.
What Makes Johns River Unique
Johns River oysters are the only ones grown in that river, and they get there by a 22-mile relay from a Damariscotta nursery.1 It is one grower's bet that the last months of an oyster's life decide how it tastes.
A Damariscotta-raised oyster finished near the open sea at New Harbor. Order it next to a Damariscotta oyster to taste what the move changes.
Should You Add Lemon?
Cautiously
The grower pitches ocean flavor; taste that plain before adding lemon.
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