The Farm Stand is open! Locally grown, friendly people, good food, family business, picturesque setting. How much more Vineyard can you get than Morning Glory Farm???

Morning Glory is a working family farm in Edgartown with a ‘farm stand’ – which is really an incredible farm store full of just picked produce (and some shipped in), homemade baked goods, a superb salad bar and steaming soup from their kitchen.

You can grab some food and sit outside on picnic tables looking out at the beautiful fields, letting the kids run around and play in the trees, talking to other picnicers…it’s true Vineyard style!

Morning Glory has a new, gorgeous book as well – so you can take a piece of the Vineyard home with you, recipes, images and all. The photos were taken by world-renowned photog, Alison Shaw and the book is:

…an evocative look at how a once-worthless piece of scrub land became Morning Glory Farm. This book captures in pictures and words the work, the family, and the food of this best known Martha’s Vineyard farm.

The farm is right on the bike trail…perfect for an Edgartown vacation rental…or even West Tisbury – the whole family can ride down through the State Forest and stop for lunch on the way to South Beach. Call me and we’ll find you the perfect Martha’s Vineyard summer rental!

Image courtesy of asterix611

Before Martha’s Vineyard was an extraordinary summer vacation destination, it was a whaling industry mecca. And, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Edgartown was the whaling hub.

Built around the whaling trade, hundreds of whaling captains constructed beautiful, stately homes in the center of town – along with the picturesque Whaling Church – and today they provide the refined and historical look of the town.

Mainstreet and the close-knit downtown area is full of boutiques, cafes, restaurants, movie theater – along old brick sidewalks. True to the Vineyard, you won’t find any box stores or chains – this is shopping at its one-of-a kind best.

Make sure you make your way down to the harbor…full of beautiful boats and one of the most gorgeous lighthouses I’ve ever seen, the Edgartown Lighthouse, of course.

But, on those sunny days, I suggest you hightail it out of town and head to the beach. You have a few to choose from, but my top picks are:

• South Beach (surf side) for great waves out in Katama (pronounced Kuh-TAY-muh). Katama is part of Edgartown and it features its own bay and a super beachy feel.
• State Beach (sound side) is a great kids beach because you can wade right in without worrying about big waves. Also, the trip from car to towel is pretty short which I know is important when you’ve got little ones.

The bike path goes right through town, out to the beach or lets you explore miles of the island through towns and the state forest. Oh, and if you head up-island on the bike trail, make sure to stop at Morning Glory Farm – a wonderful local farm filled with just picked produce, salads, soups and luscious baked goods.

Edgartown is also home to some huge fundraising galas every summer – a great place to really get to know the community and give back to this special island. The most famous, perhaps, is the Possible Dreams Auction where incredible dreams are donated and auctioned off to the highest bidder – all to benefit Martha’s Vineyard Community Services.

Edgartown has the best of both worlds – the hustle and bustle of town and the soulful quiet of the waterfront…

This is a great home away from home in Edgartown. It has all of the classic amenities, but, unless you live somewhere like Hawaii, it’s in a much grander location than your own house!

About a mile outside of Edgartown center, this colonial is a short walk to an island favorite, the Morning Glory Farmstand – filled with local produce, a just picked salad bar, specialty items and incredible baked goods. You can also hop on the bike trail and head into the nearby State Forest or zip downtown or out to Katama and South Beach.

The house has a huge porch and a very private backyard, three bedrooms and two full baths. High speed internet was installed in 2008. Rental costs range from $1000-2100 weekly, depending on the time of the year.