Getting to eat the oysters right next to where they were farmed was a neat experience because I could see where my food came from and how it was connected to the local economy!
At first glance, oysters are not pretty to look at. They're a milky off-white color usually sitting in liquid inside the shell. Even though I enjoy eating fish, I was hesitant to try the oysters because they looked like their texture could be anything from rubbery to gooey. At the Marine Farm, we tried the oysters with lemon juice, and they were soft with a salty taste that went nicely with the acidity from the lemon. At Get Shucked, we got salsa, horseradish and garlic sauces to try with the oysters. Those oysters were much meatier and the sauces were delicious, making that food experience my favorite by far!
Oysters used to be caught in the wild, but today they are mainly produced using "aquaculture" methods, which is like farming in the ocean! First, baby oysters, also known as "spat" are cultivated at a hatchery facility. They are then attached to shells and transferred to a marine farm to finish growing. At the marine farm, the oysters are placed in baskets suspended by pulley systems, allowing farmers to adjust their depth according to their growth needs and so they can be checked on frequently. As "filter feeders", oysters eat the microalgae and plankton around them, causing no disruption to their surrounding environment. Oysters spend six to twelve months at the marine farm before being harvested from the baskets.
