Not just sustainable. Restorative

There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of St. Jerome Creek. That’s okay with us. Because that means it hasn’t been overpopulated, overdeveloped, over-anythinged.

Here our farm sits. Nestled in this picture-perfect, remote enclave of the Chesapeake in southern Maryland. It’s special. Actually, it’s beyond special when you consider what we’re doing below the surface.

Locals knew of these wondrous eco-conditions hundreds of years before we did. In the late 1800s researchers found that St. Jerome Creek—a broad but shallow lagoon—is an ideal site for oyster breeding. And boy, does that stand true today.

Wholesale Inquries
‘Oysters of excellent quality abound.’

We could go on and on about the beautifully brackish waters of St. Jerome that give our oysters their unique flavor. Or how there were no oysters when we got here seven years ago. Zero. Now, at any given time, we have more than 5,000,000 in the water - all responsibly and sustainably harvested. They provide critical habitat for the surrounding ecosystem.

Or we can put it like this: our water is damn-near perfect. Our process is meticulous. Our people take their craft seriously, but very little else. Those three things together? When it comes to oysters, that’s as good as it gets.

Want to know more about the science behind what we do? Or maybe you’d rather just pop a few Skinny Dippers or Huckleberries and experience it firsthand? Either way, come visit us. We’ll show you how amazing our farm is, and we’ll eat the best oysters on the Chesapeake. Win-win.

Beyond Sustainable

It's no secret that marine life in the Bay has been in decline for generations, with over-harvesting and habitat loss largely to blame. The challenge is to find a way to continue to enjoy delicious and nutritious seafood without pushing wild fisheries even closer to the brink. By growing our own oysters, we not only provide a premium sustainable oyster, we also support the rich ecosystem of essential marine life, playing a small role in the fight to restore the Bay's ecosystem to its former glory.
GIVING BACK
OYSTER FARMING IS MORE THAN SUSTAINABLE, IT’S RESTORATIVE.
Apparently these lanky creatures spend 90% of their waking hours looking for food. We can promise that Fred, the shaggy old Blue Heron that lives at the farm, and his girlfriend Marsha, only need about 2 minutes to find their fill when they belly up to our nursery upweller bar. As the water leaves our seed silos, minnows gather by the thousands in the nutrient rich current.
Data collected by Scientists at The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Maryland suggests the success of these beautiful sea ducks is directly tied to the abundance of oysters in the water. We need more oyster seed! Quack, quack!
The oysters on our farm attract all kinds of critters: worms, grass shrimp, crabs—a veritable buffet for all sorts of fish. Plus the clusters of oysters inside our cages provide great hiding spots for fish eggs and the little ones. Farming oysters is one way to restore critical fish habitat that has been significantly reduced from centuries of wild harvest.
Call it a toadfish, a bar dog, a Mother-In-Law fish, an oyster cracker, an oyster catcher, or just plain ugly, this fish thrives on our oyster farm. It’s an omnivore, but it’s powerful jaws make oysters (and oyster farmer’s fingers) an easy meal. To be honest, we’re not as thrilled to be feeding these fishy beasts as we are the blue crabs!
An oyster farm is a blue crab’s paradise. They feast on oysters, cling to our pods and hide under our cages. Our nursery is chock full of tiny baby crabs enjoying protection from predators and an endless buffet of oyster meat. In fact, we’d probably sell about 50% more oysters if the crabs weren’t eating them all up! But at the end of the day, we’re proud to support such an iconic Maryland creature.
Naked gobies are bottom-dwelling fish resembling lizards. Fact: female gobies lay eggs inside hollow oyster shells and leave the male to guard the nest until the eggs hatch. The male’s pelvic fins are even positioned sideways, allowing the fish to sit stationary on or in oyster shells. #dadbod
If you’re reading this now, chances are you’ve heard that oysters filter the water. That’s part of what makes them so famous! What you might not know is that there are tiny, tentacle-bearing, moss-like animals called Bryozoans that are filter feeders too! They form colonies around oyster shells, as well as our buoys, cages and lines, and filter away all day long. #unsungheros