This is the time of year when I take a few moments to contemplate the holiday season and what my holiday giving will be. The Red Stocking Fund is an annual giving avenue for me and will continue to be because they are so active on a local level.

I have found another great opportunity to give to a very great organization this year.  It was brought to my attention by some really great travel bloggers who have organized a fundraiser called Passports with Purpose.  It is a raffle with many great prizes and you can participate too!  Raffle tickets are $10 each and you can choose which gift(s) you would like to take a chance on.  I have contributed a $100 gift card for Amazon.com.

All of the proceeds will go to Heifer International.  This organization focuses on ending world hunger and believes that they can accomplish their goal and has been successful to date based on the following Cornerstones:

• Passing on the Gift
• Accountability
• Sharing and Caring
• Sustainability and Self-Reliance
• Improved Animal Management
• Nutrition and Income
• Gender and Family focus

ON THE

• Genuine Need and Justice
• Improving the Environment
• Full Participation
• Training and Education
• Spirituality

“PASSING ON THE GIFTS”

The holidays can be stressful but I find making these kinds of contributions brings me back to the core and resets my outlook on what the holidays mean to me.

Rental home bookings continue through the fall and right up until the beginning of the season.  Critical things to consider when trying to decide when to book your vacation home:

• Most owners know whether their repeat tenants are coming back by the end of September.  If you are a new tenant or looking to change houses it may be difficult to get a commitment prior to that.
• Steamship Authority (vehicle ferry) opens up ticket sales for the summer months around mid January.  Tickets sell out quickly for the weekend turnover days during the season.
• January is a strong booking month because of the ferry ticket sales and many popular houses will book up quickly.
• Rental homes are listed through out the season, to a certain degree, making last minutes bookings a strong possibility.

All in all, you should consider booking your Martha’s Vineyard vacation home ahead of time, especially, if you have specific criteria, price and dates in mind.  If you can be somewhat flexible, any time is a good time!  We have a house for you with over 500 listings in our inventory.

Being the last house prior to the hotel gives the guest of this house the versitillity of enjoying their own private vacation rental with the ability to utilize the restaurant amenities right next door.

Enjoy summer days on the front porch admiring the view of Edgartown Harbor with the Edgartown Lighthouse and beach just steps away.  Don’t like to lounge out front with an open view from the street?  No problem.  Lovely den on the upper level in the back of the house.  Can be used as office or just a quiet reading nook.

This property brings you back to what old Vineyard summers must have felt like (only with upgraded amenities for today’s comforts).  Perfect house for multi-generational family with separate guest accommodations off the back of the house.

Love this property, let me know what you think!

Christmas in Edgartown weekend is my favorite way to get into the holiday spirit.  This is the 26th year we have been celebrating the weekend event.  It will be held on December 11-14, 2008.  There are so many activities for everyone!  The weekend is packed to entertain and enthrall adults and children alike.

My favorite event is the Evening of Enchantment at Donaroma’s Nursery just outside Edgartown center.  It is a stunning display that families big and small can enjoy at no charge.  They also offer boxwood tree and wreath decorating session throughout the weekend with a charge for supplies.

The streets of town are decorated, the shop owners welcome visitors with holiday cheer and you can even find some unique and special gifts to tick off your holiday shopping lists.

The mini singer concert is offered on Friday evening and Sunday afternoon at the Old Whaling Church right downtown.  It will truly warm even the grichiest of hearts.   Visit the Edgartown Board of Trade website to see a full schedule for the weekend.

Love Jamie Oliver’s recipe.  Cooking in the shells feels like I’m getting the fullest flavor possible from our sea treasures.

BAKED IN THE SHELLS - Jamie Oliver, COOK withJAMIE

Scatter a good layer of salt or rice over the bottom of a roasting pan and flatten down.  This is going to keep the shells upright and prevent them moving around on the pan.

FLAVORED BUTTER - mix together using clean hands, add pinch of salt and pepper

• 4 Cloves Garlic, grated
• handful chopped flat-leaf parsley
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter

Put a little chopped spinach in the deep side of each shell and lay 2 scallops on top.  Smear a little of the garlic butter on top of the scallops and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Place the the other half of the shell on top and bake in 325 degree oven for 12 minutes.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Mayhew family favorites:

BROILED BAY SCALLOPS

Dip scallops in melted butter, roll in Ritz cracker crumb and pop under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes, turn them and broil for another few minutes, just until no longer translucent.  Serve immediately with tarter sauce and lemon wedges.

SPINACH SCALLOP SOUP - bon appetit

I have substituted bay scallops for sea scallops but both work great!

Yield: 2 main course servings

• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups (packed) thinly sliced spinach leaves (about 2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 10 ounces sea scallops, halved horizontally, or use Bay Scallops
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add bell pepper and onion and sauté until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Add broth, spinach, cream and crushed red pepper. Cover pan and simmer until spinach is tender, about 3 minutes. Add scallops and simmer uncovered until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Mix in basil. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and serve.

These are just a few ways to enjoy the gift of bay scallops from our precious seas.  I have found that the bay scallop can be substituted for sea scallops in most recipes but have so much more to offer on their own.  They also freeze very well so we can enjoy them for months to come.

One of the best taste treats you will ever have!  The Bay Scallops that are harvested in the late fall and through the winter are some of the sweetest, tastiest and most versitale harvests we have.  The season in most towns on the island begins around the 1st of October for family catch.  Each family is allowed to harvest 1/2 bushel per week as long as you have a shellfish permit.

Our family has enjoyed wading in the pond during low tide and scooping up the scallops with a rake.  I would recommend waders at this time of the year!  The commercial season opens November 1 and they are allowed to catch 2-3 bushels a day depending on the town you fish in, with Saturday and Sundays closed.  The commercial boats tend to use a drag on the bottom and then hoist their catch onto the boat.  Whether you are using a family permit or commercial, it is the shucking that can take the most time to complete.

Bay Scalloping is not only one of the tastiest harvests it is also environmentally friendly.  The Bay Scallop has a little over a two year lifespan.  They spawn in their second year, in the summer months, and die toward the end of their second year.  By harvesting the scallop in November and throughout the winter we are able to enjoy the delectable shellfish prior to it’s demise.  The seed then reaches it’s maturity the following year.

There seem to be many environmental impacts on the bay scallop and some say the amount of scallops available on any given year is cyclical.  Sometimes Oak Bluffs will have a better year over Edgartown.  Chilmark and Aquinnah tend to compare notes on the subject as well.  Vineyard Haven is certainly not out of the mix either. This year happens to be a banner year for all Martha’s Vineyard towns and I intend to make the very most of it.  You can too by contacting Edgartown Seafood Market at 508-627-3791.  They have been packaging and shipping scallops across the country since the commercial opening on November 1.  Stay tuned for some of my favorite recipes!

This unique island house located in upper West Tisbury is perfect! With beach access less than five minutes away, room for six and all of the best amenities, this is a truly ‘Vineyard’ house.

The gourmet kitchen is just right for your inner chef and those lazy, homecooked lobster dinners. And it’s complimented, of course, by a formal dining room perfect for entertaining guests, hosting a small lunch or eating dinner with the family. If your goal is to be laid back, don’t worry, the house has its own private breakfast nook separate from the dining room or a beautiful deck complete with a grill.

The fireplace located in the living room is great for the occasional chilly summer night. And the separate den is equipped with a large TV. The house also boasts a private indoor Jacuzzi and a heated in-ground pool.

But the real gem, is the property’s proximity to Makonikey Beach. Mokinikey is named after the huge boulder that rests about 20 feet off the beach and looks like a perfectly sculpted whale’s head. The waves are very mellow because Makonikey lies within Lambert’s Cove, on the north shore of the island. This is also the Vineyard Sound side, as opposed to the south shore which faces the Atlantic. Sunsets, sea glass and family adventures abound.

Wampum, that beautiful, purpley, white bead, has very significant meaning and the shells it is made from are abundant on Martha’s Vineyard.

The term Wampum comes from a word “wampumpeag”, which in Narraganset, most literally means “white string of beads”.

Wampum beads are made in two colors: white, “Wòmpi”, beads from the whelk and purple-black ,“Súki”, beads from the growth rings of the Quahog shell.

It was originally used by Indigenious Americans, Native Americans and traders as a form of currency. In the year 1637 the Massachusetts General Court officially announced that 6 beads were equal to one penny.

Wampum was also commonly used to pay taxes. But Wampum was certainly used for more than just money. It was very symbolic and often used for engagements, marriages, ceremony and condolence ceremonies. The creamy white colored shell beads of the symbolized internal energies of peace, harmony, and contentment. In fact, the traditional wedding band of the Wampanoag is made of white Wampum.

Sadly, Wampum can no longer be used to pay taxes, but on Martha’s Vineyard, the jewelry created with Wampum by the Wampanoag Tribe is a treasured resource. While Wampum is available across the island, it’s worth the ride to Aquinnah, the home of the Wampanoag and the most beautiful Wampum designs I’ve seen.

If you’re looking for a beautiful Edgartown vacation rental that has five bedroom complete with four and a half bathrooms, a pool and a patio, this is the house for you. Tucked in the woods, it’s private but still easily accessible. Brand new its equipped with just about everything you could imagine, outside shower, deck, pool, 52” TV home theater system, washer/dryer, high speed internet, air conditioning and more.

With two master bedrooms and three others all outfitted with full baths the house can easily accommodate 10 people. The fabulous cooking kitchen is decked out with a stainless steel refrigerator, microwave, stovetop and oven, full sink and plenty of counter space.

The four seasons room, with glass sliding doors to the patio and entire walls of window, is the perfect place to curl up and read a book, and the home entertainment system in the family room is great for those one or two rainy days we sometimes get in an otherwise perfectly sunny summer! There’s also a TV (with cable) in each of the master bedrooms and the kitchen.

In keeping with the woodsy, natural feel of the Vineyard, this house features hardwood floors in all the bathrooms and a beautiful wooden deck off the second floor master bedroom overlooking the grounds and pool. A patio in the back of the house with furniture and a grill is great for a family BBQ.

This house goes out of it’s way to wrap you up in the ultimate, carefree, Vineyard vacation.

The little town atop the cliffs is most commonly referred to as The Aquinnah Circle. In the summertime and fall the circle is full of little souvenir shops that sell adorable island treasures, especially Wampum bracelets, necklaces and earrings.

Also in the circle you can find the delicious Aquinnah Restaurant.  Operated and run by two Wampanoag families, the restaurant is open from mid-April to mid-October. A favorite breakfast is the Tomahawk special, which consists of two homemade fish cakes atop poached eggs, covered with salsa and melted cheddar cheese. They also serve lunch, a variety of sandwiches, burgers and delicious salads. Dinner entrees consist of a large array of island seafood including scallops, mussels, striped bass, shrimp, lobster and much more.

If you’re looking to stay in Aquinnah, try the Outermost Inn. Run by the island’s own Taylor family (yes, as in James)!  For more information visit their website.

Aquinnah is most popular in the summertime while it is busy and bustling, but even in the offseason a long walk on the beach in one of nature’s most beautiful island locations is dynamic.

If you choose to rent a house up-island in Aquinnah, we have many to choose from, like this:

Expect quiet, amazing sunsets and sweeping views.