[woman] It's like popcorn.

You just keep eating.

I can see how you could just keep eating these.

That's addictive.

[Capri] Jonathan Swift said it was a bold man who first ate the oyster.

And South Carolinians have been boldly doing so for millennia.

[man] It's just a tradition here in this area.

[Capri] Mother Nature makes you work for this one.

This ain't easy.

No, this is not very easy.

[Capri] Look at that.

Look at that!

We're exploring oyster culture in South Carolina's Lowcountry.

This is South Carolina on a plate.

[woman] Absolutely.

[Capri] And the flavors of one of the nation's most unique communities, the Gullah-Geechee.

I'm going to make a classic Lowcountry Gullah dish today with those oysters.

[Capri] Oh, wow.

I'm Capri Cafaro and I'm on a mission to uncover the incredible stories of the foods we grow... ...harvest, create... ...and celebrate.

Beautiful, amazing meal.

So, I'm traveling America's backroads to learn our cherished food traditions from those who make them possible... Look at that.

...and are helping keep them alive.

There is so, much more to learn.

[man] It's just a tradition here in this area.

[gunshot] [woman] Mmm hmm.

[Capri] On "America the Bountiful."

[announcer] America's farmers have nourished us for generations, but today they face unprecedented challenges.

American Farmland Trust works with farmers to help save the land that sustains us.

Together we can work to keep America bountiful.

[Capri] The oyster, that saltwater bivalve mollusks often still alive when eaten, accompanied by its briny liquor, is a culinary and cultural treasure in the South Carolina Lowcountry... ...with its low coastal plains and Atlantic Ocean Sea Islands.

Larry Toomer is oyster family royalty, running an oyster company in Bluffton, the first inland town from Hilton Head Island.

Robert Moss is a well-known Southern food author and historian in the state.

And tonight, they've gathered for an essential South Carolina pastime, the oyster roast.

So, this is just literally oysters that were over a fire.

Well, yeah, basically.

It's our local oysters, May River oysters, and you build a fire and then put a piece of solid plate, steel plate, and then put the oysters on top of that plate and cover them with-- you can use a towel or the old fashioned way is burlap.

You soak the burlap in water so it stays wet, and the oysters actually cook in their own juice.

So, there's no additives, no water added or anything.

And they make their own flavor, so to speak.

Mm.

That is good.

That's salty.

I was going to say, it's self seasoned.

But you know what?

The cocktail sauce always makes it a little bit-- I see the hot sauce out here.

Do you need a special occasion to have an oyster roast?

Oh, not at all.

I mean, just got somebody over or a friend coming over, or not, you know.

-Or not.

-Kids.

Family.

Our grandkids eat oysters pretty much every time they see them.

It's just a tradition here in this area.

Call your neighbors over and start a fire in the backyard and get a bushel of oysters and you're entertained for the evening.

And this is a tradition that hasn't just been happening in your family for, you know, the last couple of generations, but centuries, right?

Yeah, centuries or millennia, actually.

So, I mean, all up and down the coast here, there are shell middens or mounds of oyster shells that were left sometimes 4,000 to 8,000 years ago by the Native Americans who were here originally eating oysters.

We know they ate an awful lot of them and mounded them up.

And that carried right through to the British colonists coming, and oysters were just part of the food ways of the South colonists from their earliest days.

How have things changed over the years?

I mean, oysters are a constant, but how has it changed as far as the way that people maybe have prepared them or eaten them over the years?

Yeah, it's changed.

The oyster roast like we're having today is really a phenomenon that started really about the 1890s in South Carolina when the big oyster packing houses and the oyster industry sort of started up here, and you had more and more oysters being harvested and they became more affordable.

But people were eating oysters in Charleston back in the colonial days.

Early in the 19th century, it was more of something you would eat in the city.

And downtown Charleston was lined with oyster houses.

In the start of the 1810s, 1820s, you would see them called beefsteak and oyster houses, which were some of the very first restaurants in Charleston.

And they would have oysters of all ways.

They'd eat them raw on half shell.

They would fry them.

They would roast them.

And oyster stews were super popular.

[Capri] Yeah.

And that really was the early way.

So, really, oysters are part of the fabric.

Yes.

It's truly one of the native and longest-running foods of the Carolinas.

[Capri] Trying to get a little bit better at this.

So, you harvest oysters really in the backyard of where we are now.

Actually in sight in the river right behind you, and as far as you can see in each direction.

[Capri] Oh, wow.

They're such majesties of nature.

The fact that like, something that is just out there can be on this table that has been happening for millennia, as you said.

Well, I really hope you have a chance to take me out there, because I'd like to see where these come from.

Sure.

I'd be glad to take you out there.

We always need more help picking oysters.

Well, good.

Sign me up.

Okay.

You're in.

All right.

[Capri] Larry, along with his wife, Tina, runs the Bluffton Oyster Company, a local institution in this town that first opened in 1899.

Larry, the oyster business is in your blood, right?

[Larry] Oh, yeah.

My grandfather, my father, uncles.

So, yeah, it's a little bit of oyster juice or saltwater in my blood, I would say.

My grandfather actually moved to Hilton Head in 1913 and opened an oyster shucking facility, such as we have now at the Bluffton Oyster Company.

And along with probably 15 other operations in the vicinity within a 20-mile range, oyster business was a prosperous way of making a living and providing employment, and it was just a cultural part of the heritage.

So, what made you decide to carry on the family legacy?

[Larry] We are the only oyster shucking facility in the state of South Carolina and have been for 25 years.

Wow.

Why is that?

Because it's a lot of work.

You have to really be dedicated and want to keep the way of life alive.

You know, when I was growing up, I just loved the peacefulness and the challenge of Mother Nature.

We're on the May River, which is absolutely beautiful.

What makes May River special as an oyster habitat?

Well, you know, it's called the May River, but it's technically not a river because we do not get freshwater infiltration from anywhere.

It's more of a tributary that's connected to the Atlantic.

[Capri] Oysters are actually a crucial part of global ocean health.

As filter feeders, they filter and clean the surrounding waters and prevent erosion, protecting tributary waters like these.

[Larry] We have the big tides here, you know, seven or eight foot.

Every 12 hours, we have a tide.

So, as the water goes out and mixes with the higher salinities, you know, from the deep water, the ocean is only eight miles from here, so we get a cleansing, a God-given natural cleansing to keep our water clean.

You know, it's just natural food that's here to utilize if you're willing to do the work that is involved to get it.

[Capri] So, tell me about the process.

[Larry] Johnnie is an independent fisherman who harvests oysters and sells them to me.

-I see.

-Okay.

[Larry] All of our oysters do come out on low tide.

So, you basically have your boots, your bucket and normally a claw hammer, you know, where you break the smaller ones off and bring in the bigger oysters and drag them back to the boat and then turn around and go get some more.

It sounds like fun.

[Johnnie] So these, I'm trying to get the biggest oysters, so I take the hammer.

[Capri] Uh huh.

Oh, wow.

-Knock the shell off.

-You make it look so easy.

[Johnnie] And we just do it day in and day out.

How long have you been doing this day in and day out?

Probably 20 years.

Twenty-five to be exact.

This regular pick.

Yeah.

But I've been in the water since I was nine.

Oh, well, you know your water.

As I do this, I can take it and throw it down, and they grow better.

So, if you take it and you throw it-- Throw it so it can catch air.

Just throw it out, then they grow bigger.

[Capri] so, how long does it take for oysters to grow?

[Johnnie] Two to three years.

[Capri] Two to three years?

[Johnnie] See, this oyster is pretty good sized, and I'll take it.

And I'll take that one.

I'll knock the shell off of it.

See, I got oyster.

[Capri] so, why are you knocking these apart?

I'm knocking the apart trying to get the smaller oyster off, and the dead shell off.

And what happens to the dead shell down here?

Well, they grow another oyster.

So, can I give this a shot?

Can I try it for myself?

Yes ma'am.

All right, we'll see here.

[Johnnie] All right.

We're going to start with this one.

Knock that off.

See?

There you go.

Thanks.

Teamwork.

See?

A little bit more.

Go ahead.

[Capri] There you go.

-You got two good oysters.

-Two there.

Okay.

Empty oyster shells are an important part of the habitat, ideal for new oysters to grow.

-Got to hit it.

-There you go.

So, you got that oyster.

So, that's what, how many there?

You got four there.

So, when you do this on a typical day, how many do you bring back?

[Johnnie] Oh, probably 20 bushels.

Ten of these containers.

So, what happens to all those oysters after you bring it back?

We either put it so the ladies can shuck it the next day, or we put it in a bushel bag and they buy it by the bushel or half a bushel.

Mmm hmm.

And if the ladies shuck it, they put it in quarts, gallon, and a pint.

Right.

[Larry] And you can buy that.

[Capri] I need to meet those ladies.

To enjoy the delicate meat of an oyster, you first need to shuck it, or open it, from its sturdy, protective shell.

Thank you, Julio.

Yes.

Thanks, Julio.

Miriam and Cheryl are certified experts at oyster shucking.

You work so fast.

How long have you been doing this?

I know I've been doing this for like, 40 years.

What's the secret to your method?

Mostly good genes.

[Capri] Did your mom do this, too?

Yeah, my mom did this too and my grandma.

So, I hear that you're the baby.

Yes, I am.

I am.

How long you've been doing this?

How long?

-Ten years.

-Ten years.

I came down here just to make extra money because I had five kids.

And I started liking it because it was like an art to it.

As you see, she used a tease.

I just hit it by the navel and it comes open.

So, this is really an art because you have two totally different methods.

Yes.

Can I give it a shot?

-Yeah.

Go ahead.

-Okay.

Okay.

-You know what?

-You're going to need a knife.

-Okay.

-And a hammer.

[Capri] So, now here is where I hit?

[Miriam] Hit it right in the center.

Right there.

Okay, now?

Now, you take the knife.

[Capri] Aha!

Oh.

Look at that.

Look at that.

Well, I have good teachers.

I mean, this is seriously hard work.

[Miriam] Yes, it is.

[Capri] All these oysters have to go some place, right?

It's my understanding that the family has a restaurant, right?

Yes.

It's located in Bluffton.

Yes.

Not too far away from the factory.

So, what would you suggest I try if I'm going to head out to the restaurant?

I would try their fried oysters.

-Yeah?

-Very good.

Yes.

And try the Oyster Rockefellers.

Fried oysters.

Oyster Rockefeller.

Two really good suggestions seeing as though these are the places that they come from.

Straight from the May River.

[Capri] All right.

Thank you, ladies.

Thanks for sharing your art with me.

Now I'm going to go and try to eat them.

Okay.

[chuckles] Enjoy.

[Capri] Less than a mile away from the Bluffton Oyster Company is Toomer's Seafood Restaurant.

Larry and his wife, Tia's, family-run establishment.

This stuff looks incredible.

Tell me what I have.

[Tia] So, right here, you have the cheese grits which is like a South Carolina staple.

Of course.

And then here you have the Oyster Rockefeller, which these are our May River oysters.

We add the bacon and the parmesan cheese and spinach.

Oh, wow.

And broil it under the oven for just a few minutes.

They're delicious.

This one here is the fried oysters.

Same, just prepared differently from the May River.

Collard greens, which is South Carolina's State Vegetable.

And hushpuppies.

Which, hushpuppies have to be served with seafood.

Well, I feel like this is South Carolina on a plate.

Absolutely.

Mmm.

Aren't they delicious?

They are.

They are.

The bacon and the parmesan because they're a little bit salty, brings out that salty taste in the fresh oysters.

-Yes.

-That's fantastic.

What do you put in the grits?

Water.

Salt.

Grits.

-That's it?

-That's it.

[Tia] And then, of course, we top it with the cheese.

[Capri] Of course, yeah.

Oh.

Aren't those good?

This is so, so, good.

When people come to a seafood restaurant, they're going to ask you for the hushpuppies.

Right.

Now, how do you make these?

Those are basically just breaded with corn flour.

Well, I actually see the corn in there.

And then fry them.

Mmm.

Those have a sweetness to it.

That's a great sweet and savory.

Now, these are fried.

Those are the fried, but they are lightly breaded.

It's not real heavy.

We don't season the oysters because they already have their natural salt.

And then we deep fry them.

[Capri] You can see the oyster in here.

[Tia] You can still see the oyster.

Mmm.

It's like popcorn.

You just keep eating.

I can see how you could just keep eating these.

That's addictive.

And I really like the tartar sauce, too.

It's a nice balance of that creamy with the fried.

That's definitely the way to go.

So, now.

All right.

Famous collard greens.

And we prepare that with onion, ham hock, chicken broth.

Chop up the the collard greens and just cook them.

The longer you cook them, the more the ham hock flavor gets in there.

Little bit of salt.

I can definitely taste the ham hock.

Kind of that salty richness, which really balances out, I think, kind of the bitterness of the greens.

Oh yeah.

Collard greens can be bitter.

-That's really great.

-Yeah.

[Capri] Now, how would you describe this kind of food?

Would you say that this is Lowcountry, or has it been influenced by Gullah-Geechee at all?

Both.

[Capri] The Gullah-Geechee are an ethnic group of central and West African origins, living primarily in the Lowcountry sea islands and the coastal plains of South Carolina, along with Georgia, Florida and North Carolina.

Their flavors and food traditions are an essential part of the cuisine and culture in this region.

It just started way, way, way back.

And it's still going today.

It's still going today.

[Capri] The Toomer family's table is one of many that showcase the flavors of the Lowcountry and take inspiration from Gullah - Geechee food traditions.

Chef BJ Dennis is working hard to keep those food ways alive.

And he's using the same wild oysters harvested thoughtfully by the likes of Jamie Drayton, who calls Edisto Island home.

Jamie, this seems like a really special place.

Well, the Gullah-Geechee people, we've been here rooted in this island for a long, long, long time.

Oysters may be one of our staples.

[Capri] The Gullah-Geechee culture and your the food, how have you kept this tradition going for centuries and centuries and centuries?

Well, the food is so fresh.

It keeps you so healthy.

I mean, you're only as good as what goes inside your body.

You are what you eat.

[Jamie] In the day, this was always something that we could go out and get.

We loved the taste of it, and we perfected our recipes.

Well, first we've got to get them out of here.

So, what I go and do, I break it.

Break it off.

Look at there.

It's like a treat.

We break this thing up.

-Look at that.

-Wow.

-Can I give it a shot?

-Yeah, why don't you crack it.

All right.

Look at that.

[Jamie] So, see.

Look at that.

You're a pro now.

-Oh, yeah.

-You're a pro on that already.

A little practice makes perfect.

I don't want to let these go to waste.

And I know that there are some incredible chefs around here that have kept the Gullah-Geechee culinary tradition alive.

Do you have any suggestions for me on maybe who I can bring these to that might be able to whip up something good?

One guy comes to mind.

[Capri] Yeah?

A really good, chef.

BJ Dennis.

It's really great stuff.

And it's straight Geechee, straight Gullah-Geechee, straight from Charleston.

We out here.

All right.

Well, I got to get some of that straight Gullah-Geechee oyster dishes.

Chef BJ has made it his mission to continue preserving the rich culinary traditions of the Gullah-Geechee.

Through extensive travels in Africa and the Caribbean and through his studies, as well as influence of his ancestors, he's a key player in celebrating Gullah culture through food.

Nice to meet you.

Welcome.

Thank you so, much.

Thanks for having me.

Thank you for coming.

So, check out what I brought.

Oh, you brought the goodies.

Oh, I did.

I did indeed.

You know, I was out there with Jamie.

I think I can do a little something with those.

I'm going to make a classic Lowcountry Gullah dish today with those oysters that we call oyster perloo.

Perloos are what we call our rice dishes.

It's similar to pilaf.

It's basically a rice dish that has a vegetable or a meat in it.

It's my understanding that local ingredients, fresh ingredients and seasonal ingredients are part of what's really important to Gullah.

Yes, in it's truest form, Gullah culture, Gullah food is from the land and from the sea.

It's what's seasonal.

What's available.

What's in your backyard.

What's in your neighbor's backyard.

What your friend caught.

What you caught in the river, or what you went out to hunt.

People say, "farm to table."

That was a way of life.

So, what's the first step here?

Well, we have to shuck some oysters.

[Capri] That's a good piece of meat.

[Chef BJ] And voila.

There it is.

Ahh.

Yes.

And this is the Carolina gold rice.

You know, rice has a deep, deep history with us.

Some of it is very painful.

It was the reason why many of our ancestors were brought here as enslaved Africans, because of their knowledge of growing rice.

[Capri] Plantation owners in South Carolina built a highly profitable rice industry in early America off the backs of skilled enslaved rice growers from Africa.

So, before we actually cook the rice, we've got to do a few more things, right?

Yeah, we've got to add some aromatics and some seasonings to the pot.

All we need right now is onions, the thyme, and the bay leaf.

I'll do a little sioux cheffing for you.

So, we want to get these onions cooked down.

Let them do their thing.

And while that's doing that, a pinch of that garlic and a pinch that ginger that's on a plate.

Oh, yeah.

Can you throw that in there for me?

[Capri] Absolutely.

[Chef BJ] Throw a heavy pinch.

You want to give them some good color on onions.

[Capri] Yup.

I'm going to get a pinch of salt in here.

Some freshly ground white pepper.

We are going to put the rice right in here.

Let that marry a little bit.

So, I browned some sausage already, local pork sausage.

And sausage and oysters go really well together.

I'm going to get some water to throw in here.

So, I'm going to let this come up.

And our oysters is going to go in.

Well, you see a lot of the old recipes for oysters call for them being cooked in stews and soups.

And, you know, they'll still get smaller, but they'll have a really unique texture.

And I put my rice in the oven.

And now we want to make a sauce.

So, it's a little sesame oil right here.

Benne is the Mande word for sesame.

Benne seed was something that was also very big historically in our culture.

So, we got our onions, we got the celery, some bell pepper, some of the sweet onions, and some of that garlic.

And we got a little bit of tomato paste, some more thyme.

So, we're going to go right in here.

And there are some beautiful cherry tomatoes, and you can throw those right in there.

Fantastic.

I will do that.

[Chef BJ] And while you do that, I'm going to give it a pinch of salt.

[Capri] Hey.

I want the tomatoes to break down.

[Capri] Sure.

This beautiful pepper that I ground earlier.

So, we're just going to let that sit.

Let those cherry tomatoes blister and burst, and we'll add just a little bit of water to kind of help thicken it up, and we'll be good.

So, once this cooks, the rice we'll be finished.

And I got some vegetables that I cooked earlier, some seasonal broccoli, some steamed broccoli here.

Love it.

And we also have some fresh, in the season snow peas.

Oh, oh, oh.

[Chef BJ] And some carrots.

I love snow peas.

I'm already convinced I'm going to love your cooking.

The Gullah-Geechee community has managed to really retain so much of its cultural integrity, particularly in food ways.

By geographic isolation here on the sea islands, it really helped us keep a lot of our cultural heritage, cultural nuances that came from Western Central Africa.

And we're still fighting to maintain that because you can't have Lowcountry without Gullah-Geechee culture.

I mean, it's the heartbeat.

It truly is.

Our sauce is about there.

[Capri] I'm getting hungry.

Let's see what we got.

[Capri] Oh, my gosh, this smells so good.

The freshness comes through in the aroma already.

It's ready to eat.

Oh, wow.

I love how the flavors, the freshness comes together on the plate.

I can tell just how fresh these oysters are.

There are so many different layers of flavors here, but it's so simple.

When you've got good ingredients coming from good people, you don't have to do much to it.

That's true.

But I think the magic is in that feeling that you bring thinking about your ancestors and your family and your culture.

I can taste it in every bite.

The happy marriage on the plate.

How important do you feel it is that the Gullah-Geechee traditions are held on to and passed down?

It's very important.

If you don't hold on to your culture, you lose yourself as a person.

And I think we all have to work together for the bigger collective.

So, I'm just playing my role.

Food is very important to our legacy and our history.

So, I'm able to cook our food and do our food justice, it's about telling the story of our culture, our heritage, and those who came before me.

[Capri] As Gullah traditions are carried forward and family oyster operations carry on, South Carolinians continue to shuck, share and celebrate their beloved oysters like the Native people did here over 4,000 years ago.

For a food source that's been around for at least 145 million years, it doesn't seem like any of that will be changing.

But why take my word for it, when you can come see it for yourself.

America The Bountiful is waiting for you and me.

For more information visit Americathebountifulshow.com.

[announcer] America's farmers have nourished us for generations, but today they face unprecedented challenges.

American Farmland Trust works with farmers to help save the land that sustains us.

Together we can work to keep America bountiful.