Summer on the Vineyard

Summer on Martha's Vineyard is a gorgeous, delicious, parade of wonder and I am blessed to be here on the island again with my family.  I have been doing less cooking and more observing this year, and have a few lovely photos to share with you all, including our annual pilgrimage to Morning Glory Farm, my favorite farm stand on the island, as well as a day trip to the Farm Institute.  I have been a fan of the latter for sometime, and enjoyed their lectures and programs over the years.  But this year my daughter and I ventured out for their "Farmer for a Day" program, which was a wonderful experience, demonstrating how a modern farm should ideally be run.  Imagine seeing cows actually roaming and enjoying clover, grass, and other goodies. Or the spectacle of a heritage chickens anxiously spreading their wings all over the farm; that is something your average chicken can no longer do, and it was a pleasure to see them enjoying themselves.  Pictures are below.  Enjoy every bite :)

Beautiful morning glories flowering outside of  Morning Glory Farm

A butterfly stops to rest outside the farm.

Herbs of all varieties are grown on and available from the farm.  As the sign says, the best way to preserve them is to snip the bottoms of, and put them in a shallow glass, much like you would with flowers in a vase. 

Aren't these lettuces gorgeous?  All of them are grown on the farm.

Yummy tomatoes and peppers...love the nightshades.  Brought home some heirloom yellows for dinner.

Here we are in the friendship garden at the Farm Institute.  In the background, notice the small henhouse.  

Beautiful cherry tomatoes in bloom in the friendship garden at the Farm Institute

Full size heirloom tomatoes are coming into their own.

A few pumpkins have come up early.

Cows...roaming...eating grass.  Who knew?

Kiss my ass!

Week old chicks, still brooding.  Just lovely.

Why did the chicken cross the road?  To get away from the crazy lady with the camera.

A hen eating a fallen egg.  Happy Mother's Day.

Beautiful heritage hen roaming the farm.

Our loot, which my lovely daughter carefully deposited into an egg carton at the farm store. They were then ready to be sold.  So simple.  

Sheep in the meadow.

A very large sow, clocking in at about 400 pounds.