Amazing Tales from CT: The World is His Oyster

We encourage you to tune in to our newest program, Amazing Tales from Off and On Connecticut's Beaten Path, which airs Sunday afternoons at 4:30 right after the Opera.

 

Amazing Tales uses a story-telling format to focus on historically significant people, places, and events from Connecticut’s past. Host Mike Allen interviews subject matter experts on a variety of historical topics.

 

He specializes in bringing local history to life, by using his journalism and story-telling skills with podcasting and public speaking. For 15 years, Mike worked as a radio journalist, both at NPR's Boston affiliate WBUR and as News Director at i-95 (WRKI-FM) in western Connecticut. He subsequently worked in government and corporate before retiring and starting his podcast. As a resident of Connecticut for more than 50 years, Mike also makes public appearances throughout the state, speaking on topics of local history.

 

When we think of the earliest crops that European settlers harvested in Connecticut, we think of corn or wheat. One of most important harvests, however, came not from the land – but from the water. The harvesting of the Eastern Oyster has been going on for centuries, with Native Americans cultivating them from Long Island Sound long before the settlers arrived. New Haven was once known as The Oyster Capital of the World. More recently, the state has pushed “aqua-culture” for shellfish in general. It’s a new way to “farm oysters” in The Sound. Mike Gilman, co-owner of Indian River Shellfish in Madison, shares insights into his incredibly interesting operation, which brings oysters on the half shell to your favorite seafood establishments.