Oyster Farming: Growing Rocks for a Living.

Our name came out of those brutal first years: wrong equipment, bad processes, not enough help. Night sweats from stress, sore everything, one too many neck operations and a whole lot of dead oysters. These deceptive little buggers start the season so small that a million of them fit into a mesh bag the size of a cantaloupe. By Thanksgiving they will crush the spirit of any man unable to keep up with their growing call on his dwindling reserves of time and energy.

Sustainability

The oyster is sustainability in action and a keystone species in the ecology of the Chesapeake. The farmed oyster, like it’s wild counterpart, requires no outside food input, cleans the water in which it lives (filtering up to 50 gallons/oyster/day!!), and is fundamentally responsible for an explosion of diversity of aquatic life in areas where oyster reefs or oyster farms exist. Additionally, and no small matter, these farms provide sustainable jobs for the men and women who call oyster farming their profession.

Chesapeake Bay oysters. Legendary flavor.

Madhouse oysters. Cultured in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay’s legendary oystering grounds. One encounter with Madhouse will change you. If you keep a list of your favorite oysters on your smartphone, Madhouse will be at the top. If you’re the kind who always wants to try something different, you’ll suddenly become a creature of habit. And, if you are looking for an oyster with such standout flavor that the traditional lemon and cocktail sauce seem suddenly unnecessary, call us. We can help. Experience the essence of the Chesapeake Bay. Madhouse offers Crassotrea virginica, the Eastern Oyster. Excellence on the half-shell.