Oysters & Friends

 

Want to learn more about eating seasonally from the woods and waters of the PNW? Love shellfish? Need an excuse to get together with friends? 

You should sign up for Oysters & Friends!

Oyster & Friends is a monthly subscription box filled with shellfish and other goodies - think of it like a CSA.* Boxes typically contain 1-3 dozen oysters, 2 pounds of clams, and 3 “friends.” Friends can be items we make in our production kitchen (compound butters, mignonettes with seasonal ingredients, smoked oysters), foraged items from the salt waters and forests around our farm (douglas-fir tips, nettles, sea beans, spot prawns), or products curated from other small-scale vendors around the Pacific Coast (pastas, sauces, fish). 

Every box also includes a letter that gives backstory about the items in the box and a few recipes. Some boxes function like meal kits, where most of the ingredients are intended to be used in the same dish, but most of them are set up to provide several different dishes or meals. Boxes typically follow the same general seasonal patterns (chanterelles in the fall / sea beans in the spring) but there are always a few variations. The July and August boxes are usually friend-focused, and may or may not contain any oysters at all.

We offer signup twice a year: in July and August for the Fall Subscription, which runs from August through January; and in January and February for the Spring Subscription, which runs from February through July. Boxes ship the 2nd and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. 

Subscribers pay a bit less per box than non-subscribers, and can cancel / skip boxes, or switch weeks, whenever they need. (Read below for more logistics.)

 

To get a sense of what the boxes contain, here’s what we sent in 2024: 

Spring Subscription: February through July

  • February: 1dz Blue Pool oysters, 1dz Hamamoto oysters, 2lbs Manila Clams, garlic butter, chum ikura, Taku River sockeye salmon, rose petal mignonette 

  • March: 2dz Hama Hama oysters, 2lbs Savory Clams, live geoduck, Splat hot sauce mignonette, Hall’s Breading

  • April: 2dz Pickering Passage oysters, 2lbs Manila Clams, stinging nettle butter, smoked oysters, Yodelin coconut curry broth

  • May: 2dz Lucky Penny oysters, 2lbs Savory Clams, Hood Canal spot prawns, truffle Butter, shucked yearling oysters

  • June: 2dz Summer Blue oysters, 2lbs Manila Clams, halibut cheeks, sea beans, morel  mushrooms

  • July: Paella Kit with orange cardamom salami, manila clams, savory clams, Alaskan spot prawns, Yodelin halibut saffron broth, paella rice


Fall Subscription: August through January

  • August: Seafood Boil Kit with 2lbs manila clams, 2lbs savory clams, chorizo sausage, Dungeness crab cluster, Alaskan spot prawns, Spiva Fisherman’s blend seasoning

  • September: 2dz Summerstone grillers, 2dz Blue Pool petites, 2lbs manila clams, wild berry mignonette, chanterelle and lobster mushrooms mix

  • October: 1dz Hama Hama oysters, 1dz Olympia oysters, 2lbs manila clams, fresh horseradish root, tomato butter, 2lbs mussels

  • November: 2dz Hove Cove oysters, 2dz Summer Blue oysters, 2lbs savory clams, elderberry mignonette, 1 pint shucked oysters, smoked oysters

  • December: Seafood Tower with 1dz Hamamoto oysters, 1dz Blue Pool oysters, 2lbs savory clams, ogo seaweed, spot prawns, chum ikura

  • January: Oyster Tasting Box with 1dz Lucky Penny oysters, 1dz Virginica oysters, 1dz Olympia oysters, 1dz Disco Hama oysters, 2lbs manila Clams, ‘Fir Shore’ mignonette


Enough about the friends, what about the oysters? 

We aim to send our “new and noteworthy” oysters through the CSA… think oysters at peak season, first harvests of the year, varieties that aren’t very readily available through our online store or farm store, or limited edition species. We also try to cover the bases, so that you gain an appreciation for the difference between a beach grown oysters and a tumbled oyster, or better understand the flavor differences and seasonality of Hood Canal vs the South Puget Sound. Every January, we focus on sending out an oyster tasting box, allowing you to compare and contrast different species of oyster. 


A few notes:

  • Ship dates aren’t flexible, because having predictable ship dates helps us source products we can’t otherwise sell online.

  • You’ll sign up for either the “blue team” - ships 1st Wednesday of the month, or the “red team” - ships 2nd Wednesday of the month. When space allows, you can switch between weeks if you have a scheduling conflict. 

  • For folks with dietary restrictions: We send compound butter (dairy) fairly regularly, and occasionally boxes contain wheat products (pasta or breading) or meat (chorizo or similar), in addition to other allergens. We aren't able to do substitutions at this time.

  • It's easy to skip a month if you're traveling or otherwise unable to receive a box, just email to let us know before the 1st of the month to avoid being charged.

  • Purchasing this product means we'll sign you up for our email list to receive monthly updates about box contents.

Single Boxes

If you’re not quite ready to commit to 6 months of boxes, or if you just want to test the waters you can almost always purchase a Single Box! This is also a great option if you want to have a larger get together with friends or family - have them purchase a Single Box or add one to your usual O&F order.

FAQs 

Where do you deliver?
Anywhere in the lower 48!

How many people does each box feed?
Approximately 4 people, depending on how items are prepared and how many oysters everyone prefers to eat.

What if I’m out of town and can’t receive my box?
You’ve got options! You can send a box to a friend instead, switch the week you receive your box (if you usually get your box the 2nd week you could get it the 3rd week instead or vice versa), or “skip” your box that month. Just email us to come up with a plan. 

Can I add other items from the online store to my box?
You bet! The easiest way is to email us and let us know what you’d like to add to your order and we can email you an invoice for the additional items. 

When will my credit card be charged each month?
On the 1st of each month.

How long is the subscription?
The subscription lasts 6 months (we call them “Fall” and “Spring” seasons).

*CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, which involves prepaying for a farm share and receiving a monthly box of whatever’s fresh and delicious.