Living Local & Cooking for Vitality

Planned just in time for spring to really blossom on the island, Jan Buhrman, Localvore Educator and Chef extraordinaire and John Bagnulo MPH, PHD, are offering an amazing Living Local experience called Cooking for Vitality. It’s a great opportunity to visit the island and enjoy as the crops and flowers are bursting through. The Vineyard has long been known for its vibrant health – the people, the food, the sun, the air, the water!

Their weekend workshop, COOKING for VITALITY, runs May 15, 16 and 17th, 2009. Here are the details:

• How to cook well & simply and what to eat!
• $175  •  All 3 days  •  5 lectures  •  4 cooking demos
• 1 or 2 day options available at $75 per day

Good nutrition is the foundation of good health. Learn what foods promote health and well-being.
You will learn how to prepare healthy, whole food meals, what superfoods are and their
importance in your diet, what food labels mean, easy cooking techniques on “how” cooking
foods is important, and shopping for better health and the planet. Learn what foods we should eat that are grown organically and which are okay to eat that are grown commercially.

You’ll also discover:

• Plant foods for optimal health
• Fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains
• How to incorporate foods and how best to prepare, etc.
• Animal foods that best complement the picture of our diet
• Nutritional, agricultural, ecological considerations with specific menus and who needs them the most
• How best to incorporate and prepare meals in your daily life
• Case studies from our past experiences
• Pantry Lists, Recipes and Meal Planners to take home

Contact me if you’re thinking about coming and I’ll help you find the perfect rental house – how perfect to have your own kitchen on the Vineyard to try out everything you learn!!!

Village Spotlight: Menemsha

For all of the ‘glitz’ the Vineyard offers…(and by ‘glitz’ I mean manicured, rose covered streets in old whaling villages)…the village of Menemsha offers the most charming absence of glitz this side of the Mississippi.

It starts with a long ride down Chilmark’s North Road winding by farms, up and over gently rolling hills. And then the road sort of stops…and you get to the water. The village sits right there on a thrust of land, called a bight, extending out into the ocean.

The first thing you’ll see on your left is the famous Home Port restaurant. A great place to take the family and get a homestyle, full, seafood dinner. And across the street, you’ll find great burgers at the Galley and everything else you need at the Menemsha Market.

Head down the street and you’ll find a few great boutiques and stores full of Vineyard treasures. And then, you’ll come to one of my favorite places – The Bite. Hands down the best fried clams on the island. This clam shack was also featured in the movie Jaws, much of which was filmed in Menemhsa.

Most notoriously, Menemsha is known as a fishing village. As you head down the bight, you pass a few seafood shops where the fish is the freshest you can imagine. Literally, if you look through the front door, you can see out the back – to the dock where the boats are pulling up and unloading that day’s catch.

As you pass the fish shops, stay left – and you can walk along the docks to see all of the fishing boats, their equipment and, most likely, some real live fishermen.

The end of bight features a beautiful public beach…a favorite for picnics, drum circles and the most beautiful sunsets you’ve ever seen.

Image courtesy of jlrotner

Is Obama Coming to Martha’s Vineyard or Not?

There is so much speculation surrounding President Obama’s summer plans. Will he come to Martha’s Vineyard? Will Michelle, Malia and Sasha spend a month here and will the girls go to camp? Will they stay in Edgartown or on East Chop? Is Washington saying ‘no’ because they’re trying to keep it a secret? Or because he really isn’t coming! Soooo many questions!

When President Clinton and his family visited our island there were a lot of benefits for our community:

• We saw a rise in travel to the island
• This included tourists but also the security and press that follow the Pres…
• Which led to increased sales for our local economy
• It created a wonderful rejuvenation for the Island
• By putting us ‘on the map’ and in the forefront of people’s minds.

So, will Obama hop on the ferry? That remains to be seen, but it sure would be great for Martha’s Vineyard if he decides to come see us.

The Martha’s Vineyard Vacation Rentals Market, 2009

Have you ever noticed how we all get caught up in what the news media is telling us and forget to check in with what’s actually happening?

In the case of the current vacation rental market on Martha’s Vineyard, the truth is much brighter than the fiction.
Yes, there was some fall off in rental sales last fall, immediately following the stock market’s dive. This made perfect sense as the world paused to regroup and figure things out – especially in light of the close presidential race.

But when 2009 began and the Steamship Authority, our wonderful car/passenger ferry service opened up their summer reservations, we saw a jump in activity. Dollar for dollar and rental for rental, it hasn’t been quite as busy as last year, but our year-to-date is pretty comparable. For example, if you looked at the years side by side and had no idea that there was a recession in progress, you wouldn’t say, ‘Whoah, what happened here!’

I’m predicting a lot of last minute activity and strong rental season. We’re expecting a 15% price reduction from our home owners and, you know, when the sun comes out…no one can resist a little Martha’s Vineyard sand ‘tween their toes!

Image by Clearly Ambiguous

Economic Trends for Martha’s Vineyard Vacation Rentals

While information about this recession is blaring all over the news, I wanted to give you an honest look at how our current economic situation is affecting vacation rentals on Martha’s Vineyard.

The fall of ‘08 lost booking momentum with the turn of the stock market. It coincided with the usual post-season slowdown, but, of course, because of the official ‘we are in a recession’ news, that slowdown was, well, slower than usual.

We typically have a strong January/February with bookings.  And, true to form, this year we are seeing a lot of activity, but tenants are being cautious and looking for affordable vacation homes where in the past the affordability piece was not nearly as prominent.

Owners are doing their part by offering some price adjustments on their rental fees and, it’s important to note that the higher end of the Vineyard rental market is not as active as it has been.

I anticipate a lot of last minute bookings this season.  This has been becoming a trend, and isn’t necessarily recession-induced, but I think there will be more inventory than previous years.

• For owners, this outlook calls for them to be more negotiable and competitive with what they can offer their tenants to have a great vacation.
• For renters, it’s a great time to explore new options on the island and even hop on some of these great deals.
• For vacationers in general, it’s the perfect time to try a house rental – leaving the costs associated with luxury hotels behind!