oyster culture

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“Tomales Bay is one of my favorite places on earth, and Oyster Culture—with its beautiful photography, fascinating historical notes, and recipes from great local cooks—makes me love it even more.”

Margo True
Editor, Sunset magazine

“Oyster Culture begins with a history of the Tomales Bay area, spoons on the handful of companies that farm it, then bakes the whole thing with dozens of gorgeous photographs.”

Michael Leaverton,
SF Weekly

“Oyster Culture documents the history and evolution of oyster farming in West Marin. Apart from casting an anthropological eye on the industry and its importance to the area’s social and economic fabric, the second half of the book includes a host of recipes from local oyster farms and restaurants”

Danielle Tsi
Beyond The Plate

This tastefully (pardon the pun) presented soft cover book discusses West Marin’s thriving oyster industry. All you need to know about oysters in Marin is here: the history, biology, current conditions and favorite recipes. Intriguing photographs stretch from the mid-1800s to the present. The book mentions how the entire world loves oysters — and explains why. Great read.

Jim Wood
SFGate

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FROM THE BOOK:

Oysters are coveted and cultivated for many reasons: their taste, texture, and proverbial amatory reputation. They swim in salinity, which reflects our own corporeal composition. Add to their allure the fact that they sometimes harbor a hidden treasure—the pearl. Oyster Culture is about the pleasures of oysters, as well as the way that they have shaped the social and physical landscape of Northern California’s West Marin. Food, farming and conservation have deeply influenced the communities surrounding Tomales Bay and Drakes Estero. People, place and politics here are deeply entwined with oyster consumption and cultivation, which has been long been part of the area’s cultural and culinary history.

Text + photographs by Gwendolyn Meyer, edited by Doreen Schmid.
Published by cameron + company
Available  from