It’s back! Oyster Week returns to the Seacoast: Here's what's planned for festivities
Let the slurping begin!
After a successful first year, Oyster Week returns to the Seacoast next Sunday with a week of events highlighting the state’s fastest-growing seafood industry. Half of the state’s 14 oyster farms will take part in events at local breweries and restaurants from Newmarket to Newington showcasing the state’s oyster harvest which has grown by nearly 800 percent in value since 2013.
“We really want to promote the oyster farmers and help their product,” said Kelsey Meyer, the coordinator for the New Hampshire Shellfish Initiative which organizes the event. “It’s a local and very sustainable product and this is a great way to get the community involved with the farmers.”
Building on last year’s successful event, the week will once again culminate with the second annual Seacoast Oysterfest up on the deck at Bernie’s Beach Bar on Hampton Beach on Saturday, Sept. 24. Along with live music, craft beer and cocktails, at least six different oyster farms will be on hand shucking their tasty mollusks until they run out. New this year, seafood samples from Gulf of Maine Conservas out of Rye, as well as spicy hot sauce from Pogo’s Peppers in Rye.
“We have branched out to include some other local New Hampshire businesses,” said Swell Oysters owner Russ Hilliard, who is once again helping organize the event.
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The week kicks off Sunday, Sept. 18 with the annual Stone Church Oysterfest in Newmarket which will pair oysters from Fox Point Oysters, Virgin Oyster Company and Rising Tide Oyster Co. with plenty of live music in the courtyard of the iconic music hall.
On Wednesday, Sept. 21, Stoneface Brewing will unveil two new beers that were made with oysters from all of the participating farms. Seacoast Oyster Stout, a deep dark stout with a delicate brine and pronounced minerality, as well as a unique and small batch of Seacoast Oyster IPA will both be on tap at the brewery in Newington.
“I don’t know if that has ever been done before,” said Hilliard of the uncommon pairing of oysters with the hoppy brew.
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The event will also offer beer lovers and oyster aficionados alike the chance to meet the farmers.
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Coming off its recent recognition by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services for its sustainability practices, Throwback Brewery will feature this other sustainable resource when it welcomes Fox Point Oysters on Thursday, Sept. 22 to its scenic brewery in North Hampton from 4 to 7 p.m.
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Putting on a yearly oyster festival was one of the goals when the New Hampshire Shellfish Initiative was formed in 2019, connecting oyster farmers from Great Bay to Hampton who were as varied as the flavor profiles of the crop they raised each year.
A major focus has been community outreach with events like Oyster Week to educate the public as to what a valuable role the oyster plays in ecosystems up and down the coast. Swell Oysters, the only oyster farm in Hampton, began giving tours of their farm this summer to further amplify this sustainable resource which can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day and is invaluable in filtering excess nutrients, like nitrogen, from our waters.
“Not many people know what an oyster farm looks like or how it operates,” said Hilliard. “They just see the oyster on their plate, but don’t know how it got there.”
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Oyster Week is all about fun and education
While events like Oyster Week help educate the public, Meyer, who is a PHD student in Marine Biology at UNH, has set her sights on making sure the state’s shellfish farmers are also on the radar of the state’s lawmakers and regulating bodies. Better boat access, more and faster water testing after heavy rainfalls, and better storage facilities are just some of the improvements the initiative has lobbied for with people like Congressman Chris Pappas, who recently took a boat tour of several farms and met with various farmers.
“We’re trying to connect with different stakeholders and legislators to work as a team and help the industry grow,” said Meyer. “We’re trying to wiggle our way into different legislators and talk to them about concerns that we have.”
For Hilliard and the other farmers, the event ultimately provides a chance to come together with his fellow farmers in an industry that seems to be driven more by camaraderie than competition.
“In terms of competition there seems to be enough mouths to go around for all the oysters being produced not only in New Hampshire, but throughout New England,” Hilliard said. “It’s not cutthroat by any means.”
For more information about Oyster Week and tickets log on to www.nhsfi.com.
Oyster Week NH 2022 Sept. 18-24
Sept. 18 - Stone Church Oysterfest, Newmarket, noon to 5 p.m.
Sept. 21 - Stoneface Brewing Oyster Stout Release, Newington, 5-7 p.m.
Sept. 22 - Fox Point Oysters at Throwback Brewery, North Hampton, 4-7 p.m.
Sept. 24 - Bernie's Beach Bar Oysterfest, Hampton, 1 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Oyster Week returns to Hampton Beach and the New Hampshire Seacoast
