Last Wednesday I woke anxious to check the weather report, as a winter storm was predicted to hit the very day we were doing a special harvest and delivery to Seattle for Valentine’s.
I was nervous about icy conditions that would work to complicate (or cancel) the plan and shared my worries with Van. My concerns ranged from just getting into Seattle with the clams and oysters to getting the butters and mignonettes for the Valentine’s special – and, perhaps most concerning, if we would have to totally cancel on everyone. He listened patiently, and responded simply, “It’ll snow, or it won’t. We’ll just deal with what happens.”
It was the reminder I needed. Like is always the case with oyster farming, the elements were out of my control – so there was no use worrying.
Working with the elements
With oyster farming, the main job is really working with natural processes and forces – there’s only so many factors that can be influenced by human hand. This is one of the very reasons why we find oyster farming to be so awesome and special. So, it’s up to us to figure out how to work in tandem with nature.
For example, winter low tides (when we have to do most of our prep work to get to our oysters later in the week) are literally in the middle of the night. Thus, we must plan our work well enough for these rather inconvenient low tide windows, otherwise we won’t have enough oysters. Or, as another example, how the heavy surf brought by wind works to break down our farm. If we neglect maintenance after wind storms the oysters will become ruined or lost.
But these complicating factors are the exact same ones that make oyster farming worthwhile – inasmuch as they are what makes oysters even happen.
- The snow, as unpleasant as it may be work in and how it complicates delivery, eventually delivers minerals down to the farm from the neighboring Olympic Mountains. These minerals give the oysters their unique flavor, help them grow, and make them a nutrient rich food.
- The reason that the tides happen at night in the winter has to do with the Earth’s tilt, which also causes the seasons. Seasonality is key to the oyster’s life cycle, controlling everything from feeding patterns to when they go into dormant periods.
- Waves, while hard on farm equipment, are also what helps bring food to the oysters, along with tidal current. Waves also help to jostle the oysters, which nudges them into growing a deeper, and more delicious, shape.
While perhaps not as obvious and tangible as the natural processes I’m working with on my farm, I know every job has their own elements that they work with themselves. In the end, however, it seems these factors deserve credit for what makes a particular product unique and worthwhile.
Celebrate What Makes an Oyster an Oyster
I got lots of phone calls and texts Saturday morning inquiring if we’d still be there that afternoon. Yep, we would still be there – we front loaded all the work that we could do on Friday and made it into the city. We were happy to see that the vast majority of folks who had pre-ordered were able to make it too; we genuinely hope you had fun cooking and shucking at home.
Admittedly, in the cold and slippery conditions on the boat, it wasn’t the most fun oyster selling day – but with the snow falling it was certainly beautiful, and the whole rigamarole of making it happen despite the conditions quite memorable. That and watching all the cross-country skiers pass by on the Lake Union trail right above the boat!
With precipitation and cold weather being a key component of growing oysters it’s worth celebrating that this is part of what makes an oyster an oyster – even if it did cause some jaw clenching last week!
Your Oyster Farmer,
Alice