Shellabration Returns to Greenport
Pictured Above: Little Creek Oysters in downtown Greenport is a mainstay of Shellabration festivities | CCE marine photo
The 10th Annual Greenport Shellabration returns to real-time this December, after being a virtual event in 2020.
Shellabration is a celebration of local shellfish, local chefs and locally-produced wine and beer, and it is also a benefit for Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Marine Program, which works to restore and protect shellfisheries and habitat here.
On the afternoons of Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 4 and 5, restaurants throughout Greenport are partnering to offer small plate pairings featuring local shellfish dishes and pours of local wine and beer from noon to 4 p.m.
Wristbands to gain access to the festivities are $25 for Sunday only or $35 for a two-day pass and can be purchased online at shellabrationcce.org. The proceeds from the wristbands benefit CCE’s Marine Program.
Participating restaurants will offer those wearing official Shellabration wristbands access to $8 small plate menu items featuring local shellfish, paired with $5 tasting pours of Long Island wine, craft beer and spirits. Local shops will also be offering special promotions for Shellabration participants.
Organizers highly recommend that Shellabrants reserve wristbands in advance, as this event traditionally sells out, and capacity has been decreased this year.
Wristband packages will be available at the designated pick up locations: Little Creek Oysters, Greenport Harbor Brewery, and First & South.
Check in will open at 11 a.m. on Dec. 4. Shellabrants will be issued their wristbands and route maps, then be treated to a complimentary first pairing of oysters on the half shell and a local craft beverage tasting provided by Greenport Harbor Brewing Company and Borghese Vineyard.
The Marine Program is on a mission is to protect the local marine environment and the food economy that is built on that environment.
Based at the Suffolk Marine Education & Learning Center (SMELC) at Cedar Beach in Southold, volunteers in the Southold Project in Aquaculture Training help produce shellfish to seed the bays. SPAT volunteers and members grow baby shellfish (known as ‘spat’) in containment, away from predators, until they reach an adult size, when they release them into local creeks and bays and promote wild settlement.
More information is online at ccesuffolk.org/marine.
