Aunt Dotty Oysters from Saquish, MA

Harvest location: Saquish Neck, MA

How they’re grown: Aunt Dottys spend their 3-year grow out in trays on the tidal flats at Saquish Neck. The farm has an extremely unique location, but the best part is that it can be easily accessed year-round, unlike some of its other Duxbury Bay neighbors. Due to long tides at the mouth of the bay, the trays will always be exposed from the water twice a day for 3-4 hours, so the crew can harvest all year-round. A bonus? The crew can also reach the farm via truck from Saquish beach.

Every December, the farm crew removes the oysters from the water to avoid freezing cold temps and exposure and stores them in relative comfort in burlap bags in the cellar of a little cottage that Skip owns just feet from the flats. In April, the oysters make the short commute back to the water to pick up growing right where they left off.

Why they’re unique: The land and marshes that host the farm have been in the Bennett family for generations. Legend has it that the deed once had to be translated from Old English! Skip plans to diversify the farm in the future, with clams and scallops, but for now, the Aunt Dottys are the inaugural offering and a sign of great things to come!

Story: So who is the person behind the name? Skip’s aunt, Dotty, was the original resident of the Bennett family cottage out at Saquish. In the 1940s, Dotty and her husband lived entirely off the grid with no running water or electricity...and their 6 children. Dotty’s husband was a lobsterman, and after he passed, Dotty kept the family business going on her own. Dotty was a hearty, tenacious, special woman and her spirit lives on through the oyster that now bears her name.

Consuming this product can expose you to chemicals including lead, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.