Island Creek Oysters — Local services in Duxbury

My Husband and I did the oystery farm tour at Island Creek Oysters in August 2023. I thought it would be a fun date night activity. We enjoyed the second hour of the tour - which was on the boat and shucking/eating oysters. But the first part of the tour was less than stellar, and we kept wishing we could escape. The hatchery/farm tour was boring. It's August and there is no activity at all in hatchery. Yet our group of 10 was brought into the small spaces and kept there for each leg of the tour. Nothing in the tanks. He told us the history of the farm/owner, the science behind oyster raising and the process. This was fine. But could they have just told us all this outside since there was nothing to see? Our guide was nice but it was boring. Showing us videos and pictures on a handheld ipad. Way too detailed about the reproduction of oysters for the common 'tour goer'. We just wanted to escape every minute of the inside tour it was super long and boring. It actually made me a little disgruntled considering what we paid for the tour $200 total for 2 people. Several people on the tour asked questions our guide could not answer. Including: why were they making algae if there were no oysters in the hatchery to feed? He said he thought maybe they were just trying to keep up with the process. But nothing was even written on the clipboard reports next to the algae, so we were convinced it was just for show and possibly food coloring in the water, not algae. It was weird. If there isn't activity in the hatchery the tour should be shortened and price reduced. Again - the boat part of the tour was great. We enjoyed the views and ate a ton of oysters. But bring your own condiments! I was grateful someone brought lemons and cocktail sauce in our group. The oysters are very salty and eating them naked like that gets kind of old. After 1-2, I needed the lemon and sauce. Again - for $200 I would have expected that to...

This is my second time ordering oysters for a holiday celebration. Absolutely totally satisfied. I love raw oysters but greatly prefer small cold water briney oysters, exactly as delivered by Island Creek. I appreciate their business model of offering access to lots of other small oyster farmers who might not have the production numbers or means to set up a marketplace. However this year I ordered the Island Creek grown oysters and think they are stellar.

It's really funny to read so many reviews by people complaining about how small the oysters are. That is the point, people! I live in North Carolina and if I want to chew on a quarter pound hunk of warm water oyster we've got plenty of those around. Honestly they are much better for stewing or frying than eating raw but if you want to gnaw on a big and tough oyster there are lots of options available. Island Creek is sending you delicate and lovingly grown morsels of fresh cold ocean water. They're absolutely delicious and anybody who is complaining about the size doesn't know what the hell they're talking about. Sorry for my little rant but I can't stand that kind of uninformed opinion pulling down the ratings of a really good company.

So back to my praise, Island Creek is completely clear and fair in their pricing, transparent in their production, open to supporting other farmers, very accurate in their delivery. My package arrived on New Year's Eve as promised by 9:00 a.m. packed in insulation and ice packs that probably would have kept it refrigerator temperature for 3 or 4 days. In fact two days after New Year's when I was cleaning up the box left open on the porch the ice packs were still frozen solid. Everything about this operation is great. I can only tell you that if you like cold water oysters, delivered responsibly by what seems to be a really good...

I ordered 100 Riptides on Monday that were delivered by Fedex yesterday (Thursday)!!! If I was already impressed by the service, I was more than pleasantly surprised by the packaging, the freshness, and the quality of the oysters! The packaging consisted of the cardboard box with inside a plastic bag that contained thick layers of a recyclable beige styrofoam to protect and maintain the oysters bag temperature. The four ice packs plsced on the bottom of the box and top of the oysters were still hard as hell. Contrarily with my past experiences when ordering oysters, these ones are clean and there is no odor of mud! Special bravo too for the caliber/size of the oysters which is pretty consistent (equivalent to number 3 in France). The quality is fantastic! We had a few yesterday for lunch and for aperitif in the evening: absolutely delicious with a dry white wine! Moreover, these osters are easy to open. A brochure with instructions about how to proceed and how/ how long to conserve them is included in the parcel. The Riptides are saltier than many others that I had here in the US or Canada. If French people are reading this review, saltier does not mean they are as salty as a Marenne Oleron or Arcachon, but remember that “When in Rome, eat as the Romans eat”;-) The riptides Farm Crassostrea Virginica are actually delicious and so fresh!!! Served with simple halves of lemon or a shallot/ bloody Mary or Asiatic style mignonette they are to die for! According to the site, the oysters come Westport, MA(USA), they are farmed from 18 to 24 months, AND the good news is that they are available all year round! Maximum respect for the passionate ostreicultors who work all day long and 365 day in very hard conditions: the fruit of your labor is so delicious that I definitively order...