Ocean Kiss Oysters from New Meadows, ME

Harvest location: New Meadows River near Bath, Maine

How they’re grown: Seed goes into upwellers in the spring and stays there until it’s time to prepare for winter. As the frigid temperatures approach, the small oysters are put into cages on the bottom of the ocean floor where they will avoid ice and stormy weather. Come March, when a hint of warmth finally arrives, they are brought up to the surface, sorted and put back in bags to finish growing out to market size, at around 16-20 months.

Why they’re unique: Because these oysters are planted on the ocean floor, they can be harvested all winter long. Their location provides enough protection from the harsh winters that Maine is known for, but they still get tossed around in heavy winds and strong tidal currents. All this action brings in a ton of nutrients to keep these oysters plump and flavorful.

Story: Chris has been a commercial fisherman for 32 years, so he has been in the biz for a long time, and he knows people... His wife's family runs the Winterpoint oyster farm, considered to be one of the quintessential Maine oysters. Because of the relationship he gets his seed from their farm, so suffice to say, the Ocean Kiss have great genetics. Winterpoints never really leave Maine with the local obsession being very real, but think of the Ocean Kiss oyster as the second label of a fancy Bordeaux chäteau that you can actually get your hands...well, most of the time.

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.