because we need space on the farm,” Opton-
Himmel says. “It’s either that or dumping
them on the bottom of the ocean.” When
the oysters aren’t harvested at their optimal
size, they start to get too big, and the oyster
farm only has so many cages, leaving nowhere
to put the new seed if they don’t clear
the bivalves that are ready for the raw bar.
Despite all the challenges he’s faced during
COVID-19, Opton-Himmel remains
optimistic about the new Walrus and Carpenter
Oyster Bar and Farmstand, which
is getting a lot of attention on social media.
He was also able to get the Payment Protection
Program for his employees’ payroll,
and he re-hired the four additional people
he had planned to bring on for the summer.
He’s ready to tackle whatever challenges
come their way, especially since he’s already
been through so much turmoil with the
Jamestown farm over the years. This farm
is located on coastal waters right off the
Jamestown Bridge, in front of several large
mansions on the water.
Opton-Himmel and crew had installed
400 floating cages here that immerse the
oysters at the top of the water column, where
the most nutrient-rich food flows, leading to
bigger oysters that grow much faster than
FAR LEFT: Ester and Joel
Bishop of Gnarly Vines
Farm with their children at
Coggeshall Farm in Bristol.
LEFT: The Bishop family.
when they are submerged at the bottom of the pond. But the
visual impact of these floating cages on the surface of the water
caused conflict with the neighbors who did not appreciate the
view from their waterfront properties.
Opton-Himmel spent so much on legal issues, he nearly lost
the business. Ultimately, he found the Young Farmer Network
and discovered that the Center for Remediation and Collaboration
in Rhode Island was willing to help farmers and landowners
in dispute. The center set up a mediation session for the oyster
farmer with the families that neighbor the Jamestown farm,
and they were able to listen to each other and come up with
mutual solutions.
Opton-Himmel learned from the experience and has agreed
to move his Jamestown site and apply for a new lease. The move
is currently on hold due to COVID-19 delays, but will happen
in the future.
In the meantime, he’s focusing on restaurant and grocery
sales and finishing up at the dockside oyster bar and farmstand,
run by sales manager Kevin Cummings and his wife, Cara.
People can order both shucked oysters and drinks to be enjoyed
outdoors as well as oysters to take home. “We had always wanted
to do something like this and it happened to land right on my
lap,” Opton-Himmel says.
The oyster bar has a relaxed atmosphere by the water, families
have been bringing their kids and their dogs and it’s outdoors,
so it feels safe. It will close for the season in early October.
“We get to see the product enjoyed firsthand, and we don’t
always get that opportunity. It’s getting sustainable seafood
directly to the community,” Opton-Himmel says. “It’s also an educational
opportunity because when people eat food right where it is grown, it inspires
them to take action to protect the estuary and the environment.”
WCO Bar and Farmstand, 252 Narragansett Ave., Jamestown, walrusand
carpenteroysters.com
ESTER AND JOEL BISHOP
Gnarly Vines Farm, Tiverton
It was a rough start for the bishop family to pack up everything
from their former life in Woburn, Massachusetts, and buy a rural farm in
Tiverton. There was a lot of time and labor that went into getting the huge
greenhouse ready and clearing the property of invasives and then deciding
on what type of farm they wanted to be.
Ultimately, they steered Gnarly Vines Farm in the direction of providing locally
raised meat, poultry and eggs. It turned out to be a great decision. As grocery
stores continue to sell out of pork and chicken products, the coronavirus pandemic
created a huge demand for locally raised meat from area farms.
“Yes, it’s true,” says Ester Bishop, co-owner of Gnarly Vines Farm with her
husband, Joel Bishop. “We had been wholesaling to local restaurants. When
they closed, I didn’t know what was going to happen. I had a bunch of animals
ready for processing and nobody to buy them. Thank goodness Farm Fresh
Rhode Island’s Market Mobile opened up for retail sales to the public. The community
came to rescue us. We are selling lots of meat and eggs. We are struggling
to find a place to process our large animals because they are packed.”
The family is working on increasing production while figuring out how to
complete processing faster as systems are backed up.
“In New England, there are not a lot of slaughterhouses, and they certainly have
not been able to keep up with the demand that happened | | CONTINUED ON PAGE 115
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l OCTOBER 2020 47