Category Archives: Oak Bluffs

Aquinnah, Chappaquiddick, Chilmark, Edgartown, Families, Martha's Vineyard, MV Rentals, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Beaches, Vineyard Haven, West Tisbury

When Should You Book Your Vineyard Vacation?

November 25, 2008 3 Comments

On Martha’s Vineyard, we begin booking rental homes for the following season before the current one ends! Many families decide they like coming to the island every year for a least one week. If they like the rental property they are staying in, and know they will be back, it makes sense for them to commit to the same house while they are here.

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.

Food, Martha's Vineyard, Oak Bluffs

My Favorite Bay Scallop Recipes

November 14, 2008 5 Comments

The following Bay Scallop recipes are some of my favorite, as mentioned in my previous post Martha’s Vineyard Bay Scallops. Sometimes simplicity works best and sometimes we add a bit more to it.

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.

Activities, Edgartown, Food, Kids, Martha's Vineyard, Oak Bluffs, Quiet Getaways, West Tisbury

Biking, Kayaking and Hiking on Martha’s Vineyard

August 25, 2008 Leave a comment

While everyone knows the Vineyard is beautiful, the beaches get most of the attention. However, the island has miles of bike trails, inlets, ponds & bays and acres of forests and meadows to discover. Unlike most areas of land the size of our island, the topography, climate and environment change often and dramatically as you move across Martha’s Vineyard. To really experience all the island has to offer, I suggest that you bike, kayak and hike whenever you can.

Biking. Some visitors are surprised at how big the island actually is (100 square miles) so unless you’re a super experienced biker, you may not want to try to bike the whole island in one day. While cars are very kind to bikers throughout the island, we also have a wonderful bike path that goes through the towns of Vineyard Haven, West Tisbury, Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, including the State Forest.

Kayaking. Getting around in kayaks can be a little tricky but there are some great kayak tours that will get you to the places you wouldn’t be able to go otherwise. The Trustees of the Reservation offer both walking and kayaking adventures on several different parts of the island.

Hiking. Walking, perhaps, lends the most in depth view of the island. You can determine your own pace and you can get as close to the land and its wildlife as possible. The Vineyard has some amazing places for hikes such as Felix Neck Wildlife Sacutary in Edgartown, Cedar Tree Neck in West Tisbury, spots managed by The Trustees of the Reservation and the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.