Seed.
Everything for raising oysters we designed, and custom built ourselves, through trial and error. We also preach sustainability. Our farms are strategically located in the deepest waters and strongest currents of Katama bay. They are always fully submerged in the nutrient rich waters, and are feeding 24 hours a day. Every year, in early June, we buy 2 million baby oysters that are the size of a grain of sand. (Just 1MM in size!) They are placed in bins with fine mesh screens inside our tidal powered nursery. The upweller swings around a mooring block force feeding the oysters with each tide. This requires no energy to operate. Every week we split the seed into more bins with larger size mesh screens.
Grow.
By July 4th, our oysters are all roughly 1/4'' and are removed from the nursery and placed in grow out bags inside cages on our farm. The bags are cleaned weekly to promote more water flow and better growth. In November, the oysters reach up to 3" and stop growing. During the winter months, we tumble all of our oysters with our wind powered double tumbler to chip the outer edges so come springtime they will grow the deepest cups and thickest shells possible. After 2 years of hard labor, they are ready for market! It is much like having a very large garden on land, every year presents different challenges. We work 7 days a week to create the best shaped, easiest to open, and tastiest oysters to be served on the half shell.
Harvest.
We are a licensed ISSL wholesale dealer so we can sell directly to restaurants, consumers, and other wholesale dealers throughout the country. We start by picking up our cages filled with 1500 oysters. The cages are placed on our work raft that has our double tumbler––the most important tool we’ve created. Harvesting is back breaking work. Our tumbler eliminates most of that. The tumbler is always spinning. The tumbling washes and chips off the edges of the oysters so they are cleaner and easier to open. We sell oysters year round to Boston, shipped all over the country, and delivered locally to Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven and Edgartown.
visit our farm
Tour our oyster farm in Katama Bay on Martha’s Vineyard. See our farm, sample a bunch of our oysters and spend some time cruising through Edgartown harbor. BYOB.
90 minute tours are $150 per person, with 6 people maximum.