Oysters & Chardonnay on windy bay at the Widow’s Hole Farm
I knew that a few oyster farms are located in Long Island and had a dream to go there someday. Not only to eat $1 oysters, that have a size of my hand, but also to learn about local farming.
As I have friends at VisitNYC, I asked them for the recommendation and that’s how I found out about Widow’s Hole Farm, located in Greenport (it had once been the oyster capital of New York!).
It’s a family business run by Mike Osinski, Isabel Osinski and their kids for 15 years already. Mike personally gave us a tour around the property, told a lot about farming and shucked a few meaty oysters straight from the hundred-foot-deep channel running between Greenport and Shelter Island. We felt very welcomed and inspired, I highly recommend to visit this farm.
You might have the same question about the widow. Well, the first owner of Osinski family’s house was Margaret Leverich. Her name appears on the original records back to 1848 so they assume she was the widow of Widow’s Hole. It’s a name of the pond behind Osinski’s house, and it’s a name for oysters that are cultivated here.
Getting there
Greenport is 100 miles from Manhattan, on the upper reaches of Peconic Bay.
- By LIRR from Penn Station. Train departs at 9:12am with transfer at Ronkonkoma (departs 10:37am) arriving to Greenport at 12:02pm (approx 2 hrs 50 mins). Fare: One Way Off Peak $20.50 at the station, $27 aboard.
- By car. From Queens it took us less than 2 hours to get there. It was a great day to travel by car as it wasn’t hot and sunny, we were happy to listen to Moby’s audiobook ‘Porcelain’ and look around. On our way we saw many wineries and blueberry farms (well, and many other farms as well). Also, we noticed a tractor show which we decided to visit on our way back (it was great!).
Pairing wine with ocean animals
It’s a BYOB place, so make sure you got some good wine.
Crisp, clean white wines are a classic way to bring out the subtle complexity of freshly shucked oysters. Try Chablis, Dry Champagne, Muscadet, Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.
In the United States I usually I prefer Californian wines (and especially Napa / Francis Coppola wines) but the next time I’m going to give a chance to some local Long Island winery.
Never tried but heard that Guinness and other stouts are a good match.
In Antwerp I had a pretty special treat: an oyster was served in a tequila shooter shot glass with a pinch of pepper, a parsley leaf and Copperhead Gin.
Bring your cooler if you are going to buy oysters. We got plenty and plan to cook a French onion soup if we won’t eat them all raw.
If you order oysters quiet often you know that at many places they are served when they are little. Mike likes when it’s meaty enough and fits his hand, that’s why he lets them grow up to three years and longer.
I’m a great fan of Belon oysters mainly for their impressive size and meatiness but now I know that any kind of oysters can be that big (the farmer just has to be focused on farming not on making profit ASAP).
In Greenport farmers are allowed to grow eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) only. It’s also called the Atlantic oyster or Virginia oyster.
Rack & bag cultured oysters are grown in mesh cages or bags which are generally staked about one to two feet off the bottom. Oysters raised by this method are protected from predators and do not become cramped for space as they grow. They also do not have to filter as much sand & mud in order to get nutrients, thus they grow faster. They develop a deeper cup than beach cultured oysters.
Oysters need to be cleaned carefully once in a while because they can be attacked by sponge cleona. It’s a full-time job if you have hundreds of them (!).
As it always happens in New York, you meet great people. Mike Osinski has Polish roots (he speaks polish!), lived for many years in Florida, was a successful software developer and now he’s a farmer and a contributor to The New York Times and Bloomberg.
“I have become a different man. I am no longer the Wall Street Master of the Universe, but a devout believer in the master scheme of the universe of which I am but an infinitesimal cog. How can one not become religious if your daily toil is to tend an animal which crests to perfection at Christmas, goes dormant at New Years, then returns to life at Easter when the northern oceans bloom with algae?”
Eating oysters
It’s a good sign if some fluid comes out when you start shucking oysters. That means that they are fresh. This fluid is called the liquor of the oyster. And if you consider yourself a gourmet you want this natural moisture as well as the oyster itself! It’s salty, briny, it’s a true essence of ocean.
Shucking will seem difficult at first, but with a little practice, you’ll find that you can cleanly shuck an oyster very quickly (of course, not thirty in less than three minutes as they do at the International Oyster Festival in Galway, Ireland!).
Drizzle with fresh lemon juice. They have tender, delectable meats with a medium brininess, sweet flavor and mineral finish.
The good: It’s a good source of Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Iron, Zink, Copper, Manganese and Selenium.
The bad: It’s high in Sodium and very high in Cholesterol.
The oyster season starts in Fall (many special events are held in October) but even in Summer you can come by the farm and enjoy the taste of straight out of the bay oysters.
Good to know: French coastal cities are known for outstanding oyster culture but it happens to be that China is the world’s leader in oyster farming. But if the French people enjoy eating raw shellfish, the Chinese use them mostly to make oyster sauces.
The Widow’s Hole farm ships produce to San Francisco, Las Vegas and Chicago, supplies various NYC restaurants and other customers. We’ll definitely become their customer (Mike and Isabel are often can be met in Queens as they love the authentic Chinese cuisine served here in Chinatown!). I’m truly happy that we had this perfect day out on Long Island’s Greenport harbor with a visit to their farm.
