Maggie's Farm

The Wellfleets look divine. We upcountry, landlocked Yankees crave nothing more highly than freshly shucked, ice cold osyters on the half shell. And an ice cold Stoli Martini, straight up with a twist of lemon, to go along with the most tasty of the bivalves.

As I haven't been to the Cape in a dog's age, I have only had the privilege of indulging in Wellfleets a couple of times and that was at The Wishing Well in Saratoga Springs NY, a 4 star Manhattan Steakhouse-In-The- Adirondacks. Usually we see Blue Points at the NY places and The Wishing Well, too, often has them on the menu.

The good restaurants in these parts- Central VT and NH- all tell me that they don't carry oysters this time of year. Are they still going by the no oysters in any month without an "R" rule ? Is that an old wives tale? I am under the impression that most of the oysters we see in restaurants today are farm raised? And in cold North Atlantic waters?

They say that the Gulf produced a lot of oysters pre- BP spill. I can enjoy Gulf shrimp but somehow the waters just don't seem cold enough for the best oysters. Or, am I wrong? It sounds like they have closed the beds anyway. Are there any Maggie's readers who can briefly enlighten me on the subject of oysters? Bird Dog, you seem to be a fellow oyster lover?