The Remarkable Oyster - A Bit Of Background

In the early 20th century, 11 or so fossilized families of Oyster were discovered on the continent. Today, two of these families still have a vibrant life in the waters of North America.

One indigenous family was Osteria Lurida, commonly known as the Olympia Oyster of the Pacific Northwest.

The other historical North American-watered Oyster was the Crassostrea Virginica, a family seen from The Gulf of Mexico up the eastern coast of the United States, to its northern most range in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and to the waters of St. Peter’s Island.

Let's concentrate, as ROD does, on the Crassostrea Virginica and its famous grow out and brands such as The Chesapeake Bay's Chincotinque, The Gulf of Mexico's Texas Gulf Oysters, the Apalachacola Oysters of Florida's Panhandle, and legendary names like Blue Point, Cotuit, Caraquets, and of course, the famous Malpeque Oyster out of Malpeque Bay, P.E.I.

Like most Oysters, the ROD Oyster is a fantastic, remarkable specimen. It grows anywhere from 1/32nd of an inch to half an inch a year. It jumps sex and reproduces millions of young Oysters during the warmest months of the year. And right to the lips, it is alive. Pretty amazing, eh?

To learn more about the history and lore of the Oyster, please refer to the Links section of our website that will guide you to books and other sites for your pleasure and continuing knowledge of the Oyster.

The ROD Oyster

At Rodney's Oyster Depot, we strive for a high quality, consistent Oyster shell that will provide not only ease of shucking, but one that will arrive on the plate with an expectation of quality. This is a shell that will enhance its meat and its life away from its habitat and impart the subtle flavours of the sweet sea.

For the consumer, this quality of shell size will enhance the meat to shell ratio, and allow a consistent count that translates to value to cost. At ROD, we strive for consistency not only in the Oyster shell, but also in the way we do business. At the depot, you can count on a defined harvest schedule and know exactly what Oysters we have available.