Nature & Science
Bird watchers the world over experience the frustration of “the one that got away.” It isn’t that we don’t spot the bird, it is that we did not see enough of it or have the bird in sight long enough to make a final call (identify it).
Though I would never admit to being a cheerleader, I somehow find myself surrounded by pom-poms.
These pom-poms won’t cheer for the team (although they may cheer you), and they come in many colors besides Vineyardpurple. Look for pink, white or blue pom-pom-like poufs all around town: after all, summer in Edgartown means hydrangeas.
Lisa Fisher is protective of the word organic. She guards it like one of her precious artichokes, pays close attention to the term as she tends her string beans, and cares for it like the tomatoes that are just beginning to ripen.
There are nearly 90 certified organic farms across Massachusetts. Ms. Fisher’s Stannard Farms in West Tisbury is the only one on the Vineyard.
It’s been a long time coming for Morning Glory Farm to expand its farm stand. The farm has been overwhelmed in recent summers by the demand for the local produce they sell. This summer that problem may be averted. The new building has been open since Memorial Day weekend, and a formal grand opening was held on Saturday in the post and beam structure that looks like a miniature version of the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury.
The Farm Institute in Katama has named Jonathan Previant as its new executive director. He brings to the institute a strong business background combined with a lifelong interest in agriculture.
Mr. Previant, 63, spoke to the Gazette over the weekend as he was driving north from Miami, Vineyard-bound for a fresh start on the farm. “I’m pretty excited about the opportunity and anxious to get to the Vineyard and get started,” he said.
He begins work on July 1.
Gilded Age Gardener
Landscape historian, author and Vineyard gardener Judith Tankard offers a look at the life and work of Beatrix Farrand, one of the foremost landscape designers of the early 1900s, at the Polly Hill Arboretum on Wednesday, June 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Born into a prominent New York family, Ms. Farrand eschewed the social life of the gilded age to pursue her passion for landscape and plants.
Almanac
A comprehensive guide to weather and tides on the Island.
Vineyard Gardener
I guess this past week weather-wise is called a January thaw. We did not really experience it the last several years as December was unseasonably warm.
Farm & Field
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.