06/2014
Angelika Since San Francisco has the Pacific Ocean right at its front door, which is why there's a great selection of fresh fish available, either for sale in selected supermarkets or readily prepared in fine dining establishments. Connoisseurs even have access to local oysters, prospering in the clean waters of the Point Reyes National Seeshore. We've mentioned Point Reyes here a couple of times already (Rundbrief 04/2006), because we often drive up for hiking and to escape the hustle and bustle of the big city for a few days. The headland wildlife sanctuary reaches far into the Pacific Ocean and is located about one and a half hours north of San Francisco. The U.S. celebrates "Memorial Day" on the last Monday in May to honor fallen American soldiers, we had the day off and took the opportunity to spend three nights at the "Olema Cottages" near Point Reyes. We've always liked the somewhat rustic charme of the former farm, which has small but free-standing wooden houses for rent. Also, you might want to know that Memorial Day is the last opportunity to get away before the summer season and the start of the summer school vacation. In San Francisco, the last school day was May, 30th this year.

But I digress, originally, I wanted to report on the exquisite oysters available in Point Reyes. There's a total of three oyster farms there: The Hog Island Oyster Company, the Tomales Bay Oyster Company (operating since 1909), and Drakes Oyster Company. Oysters love the cool clear waters of Tomales Bay, the water inlet between the "Point Reyes National Seashore" peninsula and the adjacent stretch of the California west coast with Highway One snaking north.

Drakes Oyster Company raises their oysters directly in Drakes Bay at the Point Reyes peninsula. The history of farming oysters in this area reaches back about 80 years. Oysters of all three farms are served at many restaurants in the Bay Area, but of course they're best when consumed directly at the source, which is right at the farm. Usually, you'd associate oyster dishes with white linen and shiny silverware, but the setting at the three farms in Point Reyes is rather casual. Oyster fans can purchase oysters there at a small hut and then slurp their favorite fare while sitting at picnic tables directly at the shore, and enjoy a pleasantly cool breeze in the sun.

Hard-core oyster lovers are buying them unopened, carry them over to the picnic tables, and are shucking them there with an oyster knife, however, the Drakes Bay staff will happily take care of serving the oysters on the half shell for a few dollars more. Since we had been watching Youtube videos beforehand on how to open oysters without slipping with the sharp oyster knife and cutting yourself badly, we decided to pay extra and get the work done by trained professionals. After all, rushing to the emergency room of a nearby hospital didn't sound like a good way to spend the long weekend! But I already know who's going to order an oyster knife and protective gloves on Amazon as soon as we're back, to practice shucking oysters like a professional.

Drakes Oyster Company offers three different oyster sizes, small, medium, and large. Small and medium sized oysters are best consumed raw, while the large ones can be barbequed. We prefer to eat oysters raw, because that's the only way you can detect their delicate taste. Usually, they're served with freshly cut lemon slices, used to drizzle a few drips of lemon juice onto them, or red cocktail sauce or onion vinaigrette for dipping.

Lately, there's been news that Drakes Bay Oyster Company is struggling for their existence. They're located directly on land that is owned by Point Reyes National Seashore, established in 1962, by then-president John F. Kennedy. But since Point Reyes has had farming businesses reaching back to the 19th century, the National Park administration granted the proprietors the rights to keep running their farming businesses back then, and leased them the land for a small fee.

Drakes Bay Oyster Company, called "Johnson Oyster Company" until 2004, also obtained such a lease, granting them the right to use the protected waters for farming oysters. But as the lease expired in 2012, it wasn't renewed, as the National Park administration argued that farming oysters had a negative impact on the fragile eco system in Drakes Bay. A fierce legal battle ensued, as the current owner, who purchased the oyster farm in 2005, had no intent to shut down the business. There are two sides, some say that the oyster farm has been operating since long before the area actually was declared a wildlife sanctuary, and that the business harmonizes well with nature. Others argue that it is the National Park administration's prerogative to not renew the lease and end the commercial operation. The local residents in Point Reyes seem to be leaning towards letting the oyster farm continue, which was evident by numerous "Save our Drakes Bay Oyster Farm" signs displayed in various locations. Alas, the legal battle doesn't seem to go well for the oyster company so far, as several courts have already decided against their appeal. To reach a final decision, now it's up to the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case, since National Parks are subject to federal laws, not local state laws.

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• More topics you might be interested in:

  	How To Surf
  	Surf Etiquette
  	The U.S. Tax Return
  	Nicosia Cheese Company
  	Top Products: Dryers for wetsuits and surf booties