At a panel discussion Saturday titled A Sustainable Harvest: Past, Present, and Future, farmers, chefs and foodies spoke about the importance of biodiversity in everyday lives and culinary choices.

It seems ridiculous to state the obvious, but my memory is failing. Has it always been so hot and humid for days on end?

Beige and brown and tan and black, with horns spiraled or semicircular or in undulating waves, a legion of goats marched up the hill toward us, bleating in anticipation of fresh grass and leaves.

This week’s heat and oppressive humidity brought me back to my previous life working in a restaurant.

I was headed down Quenames Road in Chilmark, where neon pastures peak through a forest of scraggly oak and pine for a visit to Milkweed Farm, the little sandy fiefdom where Mallory Watts has recently begun to reap a yearly harvest. 

I was so happy with last week’s rain. A day or two without the hauling of hoses is a huge pleasure.