Welcome to Fall Farm Stand Crawl, 2024 (Martha’s Vineyard Version)

A little unasked for advice: do more than read about a Fall Farm Stand Crawl. Go on one of your own. You won't regret it!

Sep 22, 2024

It was one of those special early fall days, the kind that has a “first day of school” feel. The air was crisp and the sun offered that fleeting fall warmth that’s cozier and more subdued than summer heat. It was a day begging for a new adventure, a new food, a new dress, a new something.

We (a group of friends) decided to take the day to explore the local farm stand scene. We began with a map of the island’s 50 farm stands (thank you Agricultural Society!) but in the spirit of a crawl, we didn’t know where we were going or what we were going to find. We did know we were hoping to find the best of what each farm and each stand had to offer.

Lesson learned: Taking a specific shopping list on a farm crawl is an exercise in futility.

Shopping the smaller local stands is like going to an antique store: you don’t know what you will find, you just want it to be special. Maybe it will be the best tomatoes of the season! or the best corn!

We found these classic fall foods on our tour, for sure. And we found so much more.

We discovered stands with unique personalities and points of view, different kinds of products and different payment models. Yet they all had one thing in common: they are local, small-town, home grown. It feels good to buy from these farmers and proprietors who are working so hard to care for their land – and for us, their customers.

What we unearthed (pun intended!) on our Martha’s Vineyard Farm Crawl.

Tomatoes (heirloom, beefsteak, baby and big were everywhere. We also found bok choy and honey, sea salt and scones, fall lettuces, fresh lamb, jams and soups, homemade breads, wool blankets, pies and gnocchi. We found unattended stands with honor payment systems that sometime worked and sometimes didn’t. We found a tiny bakery with an outdoor stone fire pit and chimney; they are known for their pizza, if you can only figure out when the pizza is going to be made! We found farm stands with gorgeous wedding venues, wool sweaters and hats, and a funky spot with year-round spooky Halloween decorations.

As a group of adventuring women open to possibility, we also found a cool little boutique filled with on sale summer dresses.

If you go on Farm Crawl, you’ll find something different. That’s the beauty of the experience. Here’s what we found on this special little island off the coast of Massachusetts.

Welcome to Farm Crawl 2024 (Martha’s Vineyard version).

Ghost Island Farm. It’s owned by a Halloween obsessed farmer who collects creepy stuff and sells a small selection of wonderful foods.

Ghost Island Farm is eclectic, unstructured, off beat. It is run by a free spirit named Rusty who collects creepy Halloween related items.

It’s also a pretty great place to shop. It offers a different kind of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture System). You pre-pay a set of money, say $100. It’s like putting it on account. In return, you get a 10% discount on everything you buy, whenever you buy it, plus the ability to walk in the flower fields and pick your own. For free. They supply containers, clippers and water.

Ghost Island was a bonanza for us. The flowers were the best! The tomatoes were on sale. There was garlic hanging from the ceiling and sprouts growing in containers. The bread is great.

Allen Farm. This beautifully landscaped farmstead sells gorgeous wool items and a some of the best lamb you may ever eat. Oh, and it’s a wedding venue too.

We knew something was different about Allen Farm the moment we drove in. Its grounds (yes, I’d call them grounds!) are immaculate and cared for; it oozes substance and history. Its six acres include manicured lawns, a wedding venue overlooking the water, and a working farm that has been operating continuously since 1762. There’s nothing ramshackle or quirky about this place.

The farm stand label feels like a misnomer. While most of the farm stands have a ramshackle quality, this one is well attended, well organized, well cared for. The products come from the sheep raised on the land: beautiful wool skeins, sweaters, blankets, hats and fun baby clothes. Off in the corner is a small somewhat disorganized cooler, where the farm-raised lamb is sold.

Farm stands Martha's Vineyard — Allen Farm

Orange Peel. A farm stand featuring a large stone fireplace/pizza oven that sells knock-your-socks-off breads and scones and cookies.

The Wampanoag tribe were the original settlers on Martha’s Vineyard. This bakery, owned and operated by Julie Vanderhoop, builds on her tribal heritage. With an eye towards building community, Julie makes delicious breads, pies, muffins and scones. Thanks to the stone enclosed wood fired oven she commissioned, you can stop by for pizza. This bakery is on the honor system and it works! Because sometimes you really do get what you give.

Beetlebung Farm. Beetlebungs are cool trees that grow around here.

Beetlebung Farm is a small farm committed to regenerative farming. That’s worth noting because regenerative farming is a small and steadily growing movement that works to literally “heal” the land and the climate by using a fairly big box of techniques, some of which have been around a long time, while others are new and technologically driven. Beetlebung is a no-till/low-till farm, a technique which tries to increase the organic matter in the soil and reduce erosion.

Beetlebung Farm stand, Martha's Vineyard — That's a Beetlebung tree!

The farm offers both farm grown items as well as some pre-packaged items, like blue cheese stuffed gnocchi.

I really wanted the gnocchi (pan fried gnocchi is addictive) but I couldn’t figure out how much it cost or how to pay for it. I couldn’t find it listed in the self-serve pay station. So I bought some bok choy instead and moved on!

bok Choy from Beetlebung, Martha's Vineyard — Bok Choy at Beetlebung! Kinda’ fun to say!

North Tabor Farms. Another farm owned by a family who cares about keeping the land safe and healthy.

This 6 acre family owned farm is committed to the health of the land and the community! It is another unattended farm-stand where you are on your honor and have to figure out how to work a payment system that is just hard to figure out! The veggies were luscious! The pay stations are confusing but so well-intentioned you have to embrace them.