Basic Profile

Origin
Katama Bay, Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA
Species
Crassostrea virginica (Eastern Oyster)
Classification
Farmed; single-producer brand
Farming Method
Boxes under a raft and cages ten feet down on the bay bottom
Producer
Sweet Neck Farm (Jack Blake, with Dan Gilkes)
Visual Signature
Eastern oyster with a tumbled, tidy shell

Jack Blake was one of 15 people who started the Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group's aquaculture program in 1995, farming oysters with gear he built himself.1 He and his wife Sue established Sweet Neck Farm on Katama Bay the following year.2

The breach in the barrier beach at Katama Bay, Martha's Vineyard, in July 2007
The breach in the barrier beach at Katama Bay, Martha's Vineyard, in July 2007. Photo: Rfgagel / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

The Raft

Blake, a former house builder from Marshfield, engineered the farm himself. A raft carries a wind turbine, cages and a winch, along with a deck sorter and a tumbler. A second platform is a tide-powered upweller that nurses the seed. Each season starts with 600,000 seed from a certified nursery in Maine, and oysters reach market size in about 15 months, against up to three years in the wild.2

The Breach

In April 2007 the sea broke through at Norton Point and opened Katama Bay to the Atlantic. The water turned colder, the growing season shortened by about three weeks, and the current ran three times faster than before.2 The bay as a whole is covered in the Katama Bay profile.

In December 2019 Dan Gilkes, an Edgartown fisherman Blake had mentored for three years, was added to the farm's license so that Blake could step back when ready.1

Flavor Breakdown

First
Salt. Katama Bay is ocean water held behind a barrier beach, and our scores put brine at four out of five.
Then
Sweetness of the same strength, which is less common. Most oysters this salty have little sugar behind the salt.

What Makes Sweet Neck Unique

Sweet Neck is among the oldest farms on the bay, and the equipment is one man's design, run on wind and tide.2

For people who want salt and sweetness in the same oyster. One of the easier Katama oysters to like on the first try.

Should You Add Lemon?

Cautiously

It has both salt and sugar already. A few drops at most.

Pairing Guide

1
Muscadet sur lie

Lean and saline, and it stays out of the way.

2
Albariño

A little fruit to meet the sweetness.

OptimalPlain
AcceptableMignonette
AvoidCocktail sauce

Who Is This For?

Will love it
  • First-time oyster eaters on the Vineyard
  • People who like to know who built the farm
Sources
  1. Dowd, B. (10 December 2019). "Sweet Neck Farm gets new farmer." The Martha's Vineyard Times. mvtimes.com
  2. Dunlop, T. (4 October 2011). "Minding Their Own Business: Oyster Farming on a Turbulent Bay." Martha's Vineyard Magazine. mvmagazine.com
Tasting notes & flavor profile in the Oysterminds app →