Island Creek Oyster Tour

A fresh oyster, just minutes out of the ocean. I was lucky enough to have more than my fair share on a recent trip down to Island Creek Oyster.

Island Creek has humble beginnings that started in 1992 in Duxbury, Massachusetts.

On the tour, which consisted of getting on a dingy and touring Duxbury Bay and the oyster flats, we learned how Island Creek gets oysters as very small seeds, and they grow, grade, nurse, plant and harvest oysters over the course of 18 months. The entire growing process can be read about here.

Once the oysters are harvested, they are put through a process called dragging, which we were fortunate to witness.

Eventually the boat docked onto a small boat house in the middle of Duxbury Bay. Here, we learned about the Culling, or Quality Control step, of oyster farming. Each oyster is sorted and measured by hand. According to Island Creek, the perfect oyster is one that has a deep, round cup and is about three inches in length. A ring, which is seen in the Island Creek logo, is used to measure the length of the each oyster.

My stomach was grumbling by the time we docked, and it was time to sample the oysters. CJ, our tour guide, expertly shucked oysters faster than I thought was possible.  It's no secret that I love oysters, I order them at whenever I can, so I gratefully accepted each oyster passed my way. 

I've never had a fresher oyster. The taste was amazing, briney and sweet. Washed down with a cold beer, as we bobbed in the middle of the ocean - if only they could always be eaten like that!

It was amazing to learn so much about the oysters I love to eat. To learn, and watch how they get from the farm to the table. To meet the men and women who work tirelessly on a craft they love.

To learn even more about life on an oyster farm, I began reading Shucked, a book based on the blog about life on a New England Oyster Farm. So far, so good!

Island Creek offers tours for groups, if you want to check it out.