July 27, 2021 โ We drop anchor and I learn the trick to the perfect shuckโgently work the knife into the back hingeโand slurp the freshest oyster Iโve ever tasted. The mollusk was harvested minutes earlier from the lineup of floating cages beside our boat in this secluded section of Maineโs Casco Bay.
โThereโs a freshwater spring off Upper Goose Island that drains out right into the farm and cuts the salinity, so our oyster is much more bright and balanced, with a light cucumber finish,โ says Cameron Barner, an oyster farm owner with an advanced degree in aquaculture, and my tour guide for the afternoon. โIf you go upriver or eat bottom-planted oysters, you get a more minerally umami flavor.โ
Oyster farm tours, like this one led by Love Point Oysters, and self-guided bi-valve trails are cropping up throughout the United States. COVID-19 stalled the trend but with travel restrictions loosening, oyster enthusiasts are once again back on track. Along the Maine Oyster Trail, which re-launched in June, tasting tourists can earn swag by โchecking inโ at various experiences and sites along the trail, including Love Point. Other trails can be found in Louisiana, Virginia, North Carolina, and Washington, the countryโs largest producer of aquaculture.