Kitchen Gadgets

Jar Opener

Sybil’s thrift shop find comes in handy when that jam jar just won’t open.

Juicer

Carrie’s kitchen tool for a fresh-juiced start to the morning.

Frosting Knife

Elizabeth’s favorite gadget to achieve a professional looking dessert.

Peace Peeler

Ali’s kitchen favorite for spreading the peace and love.

Whale Peeler

Sydney’s reminded of the fish in the sea when peeling potatoes, carrots or zucchini.

Wooden Spoon

Mollie’s favorite is a classic staple for any kitchen.

Potato Masher

Cecil’s favorite for homemade, hand-mashed potatoes.

Timer

Sam’s helpful reminder when cooking many dishes at once.

Asparagus Peeler

Ali’s kitchen helper, used to peel away the tough outer layer of the spears.

Mortar & Pestle

Sybil’s go-to when crushing or blending fresh herbs and whole spices.

Cheese Grater

Sybil’s tool when adding the final touches of Parmesan to soup or pasta.

Cheese Knife

A friendly face painted on the knife’s handle adds personality to the cheese plate Sybil serves her guests.

The Mellon Baller

A necessary kitchen accessory for Sydney. How else will you make that fruit cup look so good?

Chesca’s

Snowballs in the summertime! Vanilla bean ice cream coated with sponge cake crumbs, caramel sauce, and Chilmark Chocolates almond-butter crunch crumbles can be found on Chesca’s dessert menu. 38 N. Water Street, Edgartown, $11.

Farm Neck

This profiterole is a must-try after a hard day on links. Off County Road, Oak Bluffs, $6.

Le Grenier

End your meal on a high note with this frozen key lime souffle. Served with fresh mango, kiwi and pineapple coulis. 96 Main Street, Vineyard Haven, $13.

Chilmark Tavern

Oreo crumbs, fudge swirls, caramel sauce, and a caramelized banana make up this Peanut Butter and Banana Ice Cream Cake. Time to celebrate! 9 State Road, Aquinnah, $9.

Lattanzi’s Café

Stracciatella gelato, made from scratch. Old Post Office Square, Edgartown, $3.46.

Home Port

Sunset trips to Menemsha just got that much better. Head to the Home Port and try one of their frozen chocolate covered bananas. Available with or without nuts (try them both). 512 North Road, Menemsha, $2.

Tisberry

Fresh fruit plus frozen yogurt equals a cool way to start your day. With toppings that range from trail mix to sweetened coconut, there is always something new to try. Between Midnight Farm and Main Street, Vineyard Haven, $3.25-$5.

State Road Restaurant

Blueberry and strawberry gelato with mascarpone sorbet give a whole new meaning to red, white and purple. Made in-house and served with State Road Cookies. 688 State Road, West Tisbury, $10.

Ice Cream & Candy Bazaar

Perhaps the best accessory for a walk about the Edgartown harbor. Get this Cookiewich made to order. 5 Dock Street, Edgartown, $4.66.

Mad Martha’s

Go mad for these ice cream sandwiches. Pick a flavor and leave it up to the counter help to sandwich it between two soft cookies. Visit one of their three locations: 7 North Water Street, Edgartown; 8 Union Street, Vineyard Haven; 117 Circuit Avenue, Oak Bluffs, $5.85.

Breakfast Cups

Chintz and calico—refined yet definitely un-dainty. Big enough for a man’s hand (like Wallace Stevens’) for “late coffee and oranges in a sunny chair.” Bramhall and Dunn, 19 Main Street, Vineyard Haven and 9 Winter Street, Edgartown, $48 for cup and saucer.

Blue-Eyed Scallop

These little babies are serious water purifiers. Yet it’s their powerful, tasty little adductor muscle we love to eat. Clap on for the blue-eyed bivalve.

Jellied Elderberry

Reduce with butter and red wine to make a sauce and use with chicken. Or use to flavor gravies and sauces, $7.50-$21.50.

www.realwildfoods.com →

Wild Rose Petal Syrup

Beach rose petals are the key to this sweet syrup. Use it in baking or drizzle it on yogurt or ice cream. Ummm… yum! $9-$24.

Spruce Tips

Tender new shoots of the Eastern White Spruce can be used like capers or used sparingly in salads or dressings. The lemon-y flavor also pairs nicely with fresh water fish, like trout, $7.50-$11.50.

Wild Mustard

Wild Canadian mustard seed is collected and ground to create this earthy and bold prepared mustard. For a twist, try the Wild Mushroom Mustard, featuring the flavors of over 12 wild mushrooms, $7.50-$11.

Mushrooms

Flavor soups, sauces, and stews with a wide selection of dried North American mushrooms, including Chanterelles, Black Trumpets, Cepes (Porcinis), Matsutake, and the Wild Forest Mix, $13-$17

Green Hornet

A muddle of lime juice, fresh mint, Midori melon liqueur, and white rum. A fruity minty treat fit for the rum runners running from the dry towns to Oak Bluffs. $9 at the Park Corner Bistro, 20 Kennebec St., Oak Bluffs, (508) 696-9922.

West Tisbury Farmers’ Market

Opens June 23 and runs through the season on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 9 a.m.– 12 p.m. at the Grange Hall in West Tisbury. It’s a local food parade of eggs, bread, honey, jams, spring rolls, meat and produce. Ample free parking. Bring your cooler.

IGI Cotton Bag

Island Grown Initiative’s all-purpose carry-all, painted for EV by (and with) Loving Kindness. When you buy an IGI bag, you support programs that support local ag. When you paint one, you support your creative self. Available at Cronig’s, $12, unpainted.

Zen Green Tea

Tazo steams up aromas of lemon and mint. Good hot or cold with honey, it’s gentle and cleansing. According to an Old Chinese proverb: ‘better to be deprived of food for three days instead of tea for one.’

Chuck Berry

You Never Can Tell what you’ll find at Above Ground Records @ the Triangle, Edgartown, (508) 627-4678.

Dried Goji Berries

Get your goji-on. Mighty high in vitamin C, this super fruit will get you through shingling the roof tops. 8 oz., about $7 at Healthy Additions, Tisbury, (508) 693-7097.

Favorite Brand’s Blueberry Ice Cream

Churned on MV by Karen Colombo. Available at grocers who support local artisan food makers. About $7 for a pint.

Blueberry Ale

Yes, there are berries floating in this beer. Seasonally brewed by Offshore Ale Co. $3.00–$5.50, Kennebec Ave., Oak Bluffs, (508) 693-2626.

“Blueberry”

Elizabeth Cecil’s archival pigment ink print is 20” x 24.” Buy it direct: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), $450.00.

Strawberry Apron

Berry stains are no problem when you’re wearing a berry-print apron from Alley’s General Store in West Tisbury, (508) 693-0088. From $19.99–$29.99.

Strawberry Jam

Made in-house at State Road Restaurant, $8/jar, 688 State Road, West Tisbury, (508) 693-8582.

The Month of June in eV’s 2010 Calendar

Features l’etoile chef Michael Brisson’s strawberry tart with mascarpone and chocolate sauce. 2010 Calendars at Cronig’s, Bunch of Grapes, Alley’s General Store, Tony’s Market, $11.95.

Mimoso Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie

For a tart tangy yogurt hit, find this brand tucked away in the Vineyard Grocer’s coolers. $1.99–$3.99, Vineyard Grocer, State Road, Tisbury.

Strawberry Huller

Tops off your berries with one simple squeeze. LeRoux at Home on Main Street, Vineyard Haven, $3.39.

Strawberry Bag

Small, convenient carry-all to carry home your pick-your-own. Alley’s General Store, West Tisbury $3.99.

Blueberry-Blackberry Jam

On Toast with butter for $3.50 at State Road Restaurant (during seasonal brunch hours). Coffee and newsprint extra.

Liberte Blackberry Yogurt

Thick, not too sweet, dessert for breakfast. About $1.50 for 6 oz., find it in grocery stores.

Fresh Blackberries

Find them at the Down Island Farmers’ Market, located at the Tisbury Wharf on Tuesdays, from 9am–1pm, starting June 29 and running through September 28th.

Raspberry Hard Candies

Les Framboises bonbons by La Vie. Keep a little ooh là là tucked away for when you want it. About $2.50 at discerning retailers.

Blueberry Coulis

Borage blossom sits atop of blueberry coulis drizzled over vanilla ice cream. How’s that for a rhapsody in blue? For edible flowers like borage, call Down-Island Farm. For ‘wild blueberries in a bottle’ (aka blueberry coulis) it’s $7.95 at Fiddlehead Farm, 632 State Road, West Tisbury.

Blue Corn Pancakes

The Shops at Aquinnah are like a magic carpet ride over Moshup’s legendary cliffs. Try their blue corn pancakes with blueberries, on the edge of the end of the Island as we know it. Blue corn pancakes, $9.00 + $3.50 for fresh berries. Aquinnah Shop, Aquinnah Cliffs.

Blue Potatoes

Nightshades on psychedelics. Try blue potatoes roasted, tossed with olive oil and thyme. Serve them in a red bowl to make your eyes wiggle. North Tabor Farm in Chilmark grows them. So does Bob Daniels. Forage for them at Vineyard Farmers’ Markets: West Tisbury, Down-Island, and Edgartown.

Architec Prep Mixing Bowls

Good things come in threes: each bowl sits still while mixing, pours easily, and stacks prettily.

Architec prep mixing Bowls, $29.99, LeRoux at Home, 63 Main Street, Vineyard Haven.

Fishing from the shore

For info on casting from the Island’s beaches, contact the Martha’s Vineyard Surfcasters Association.

www.mvsurfcasters.org →

Zada-Cakes

Whimsically groovy. A favorite of the contractors-who-lunch. Scottish Bakehouse, State Road, Vineyard Haven, $3.50.

Kitsch Wine Opener

Don’t be left out on the beach without your souvenir kitsch wine opener. It’s survivor gear at $3.95, Alley’s General Store, West Tisbury.

Blue Paring Knife

Small knife slices small things, makes a big difference: garlic, scallions, radishes. $9.99, by Kuhn Rikon, LeRoux at Home, 63 Main Street, Vineyard Haven. (Comes in other colors too.)

“Blues” by John Hersey

This fictional work, rising from Middle Ground is an ongoing conversation between a stranger and a fisherman about bluefish. Timeless in place, water, and recipes. Vintage press, at Island libraries and, Bunch of Grapes, 44 Main Street, Vineyard Haven, $15.00.

Maynard Silva

Island Bluesman 2/20/51–7/16/08

“Play it for Maynard!” If you’re lucky you’ll catch Johnny Hoy on stage, spurring on his Bluefish. Then they’ll dig a little deeper, darker, and dirtier, and you’ll dance a little hotter—evoking that musical grit in memory of Maynard. This man means so much to so many—for his musical growl, as a father to Milo, and husband to Basia. May he RIP in the ultramarine.

The blues live on, on-Island with Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish: CDs available at Above Ground Records, Edgartown. To make a donation in Maynard’s memory, give to Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Support Group, Box 2214, Vineyard Haven.

www.johnnyhoyandthebluefish.com →

A Culinary Journey

Meander the pages of Hot Sour Salty Sweet through the villages and markets of the Mekong River Valley with cook/photographers Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. This is an extraordinary feast for the armchair anthropologist and an even better one if you’re wondering what to do with the bok choi you just picked up from the Whippoorwill CSA. Workman Press, 2000, about $45.

Junior League Locavore

Kitchen Tip of the Day: Smear a little-to-a-lot of New Lane Sundries Jalapeño Hot Pepper Jelly on cream cheese or goat cheese atop crackers or in a grilled cheese sandwich for some zoom. Jelly-mama Linda Alley says, ‘But wait, don’t stop there!’ Seek out her other brazen conserves, including Red Pepper Ginger Marmalade. Available at Cronig’s, West Tisbury Farmers’ Market, Alley’s, Fiddlehead Farm, Garcia’s Deli, and Katama General Store; about $6.

Under Wraps

EV’s office looked like Willy Wonka’s suitcase exploded after a world tour. Crumpled candy wrappers lay strewn about, fading like flowers thrown on stage. We sampled chocolate bars with add-ins like Mexican ancho and chipotle chiles, Japanese matcha green tea, wasabi, and applewood smoked bacon bits, all thanks to Vosges Haut- Chocolat. After encores with Brazilian pink peppercorns, sea salt, Guatemalan cardamom, and orange peel, our taste buds are satisfied that cocoa holds and expands flavors in uninhibited ways while romancing its way around the globe. Exotic chocolate bars available at LeRoux at Home and Nochi, both in Vineyard Haven, $2.50 to $7.

Chocolate Chipped

Chocolate tortilla chips–are they snack or dessert? We vote either, or, and both. These unusual, unsuspecting chips made with semi-sweet chocolate and Dutch cocoa powders and dusted with sea salt are surprisingly good dipped in guacamole or in a spicy-fruit salsa like Marvin’s Pineapple. Or use ’em to scoop peanut butter. Reese’s, be afraid. Chocolate Tortilla Chips by FoodShouldTasteGood (a Needham, Mass., company), available at Cronig’s, about $3. Marvin’s Pineapple Salsa, available at Tisbury Farm Market, about $3.

Shake It

José Can You Sea Salt—so the label warns—“could be addictive.” Yo, José, you ARE addictive – own it! We carry you around in our bag and shake you out to season our egg sandwiches, hummus, soups, popcorn…you name it, we José it. Made in Chilmark, available at Alley’s General Store as well as many fine stores and pantries across the Island. 4-ounce jar, about $4.50.

www.bytheseasalt.com →

Pepper, Poets & Pirates

Pirate Passion, EV’s hot-sour-coldsweet drink of the summer: Take one straight-up packet of sour Passion Fruit pulp and mix into two cups of cold water. Then shake as-much-as-you-dare Pirata brand Pimenta-Malagueta (a vinegar-based hot sauce) and a slight slosh of real maple syrup. Stir well, drink it down. Heave-ho + raise high the Scoville heat factor in a DIY drink that makes one Aquinnah landscaper we know break out in smooth, sweet song. Now there’s an endorsement! Polpa de Maracujá by Icefruit ($4.50) and Pirata® Pimenta-Malagueta ($3.50), available at Vineyard Grocer, Vineyard Haven.

Mother’s Little Helper

Here’s the perfect coverage for a mid-week meal: Chesca’s Kitchen Sweet & Snappy Thai Chili Glaze. Use as a glaze for baked chicken, add it to meatloaf, or put a spoonful in the pot of a slow-braising pork butt. Available at Island stores for $9.50.

Hold the Heat

Hot pink buckets make barn & boat chores brighter, hotter, lighter. As long as you’ve got the pink, how bad can it be? Available at SBS in Vineyard Haven; small ($6) holds 8 quarts; large ($11) holds 20 quarts.

The Homesteader’s Handbook

Want a recipe for pork?

Start with the chapter on keeping pigs and choosing a breed. You can skip the section about slaughter and processing if you want to and go straight to the recipe for Glazed Baked Ham with Spiced Figs and Parsley Sauce. Want to grow beets—Bold Blood or Golden Detroit? Or just cook them? Part how-to for the homesteader, part Home Ec for local, sustainable-ag gardeners and cooks, The River Cottage Cookbook, by Englishman Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, is a true earth-to-plate cookbook for wherever you live and however you want to eat.

Available at Bunch of Grapes bookstore in Vineyard Haven and Edgartown Books, 44 Main St.Edgartown, 508-627-8463 (hardcover, about $35).

Tiny Treasure

You want to touch them, these smooth, hard-glazed curves of kilned clay from master-potter Geoffrey Borr of Chilmark Pottery. They call for exotic swirls of sauces and accents for sushi, dumplings, and dim sum. Or green blobs of wasabi, finely sliced pickled radish, or a drop of miso swirled with sweet mirin, tamari, sesame oil, and chopped scallions floating on top.

These bowls will grace any dinner table, yet we keep one on our desk to hold tiny treasures—a golden slipper shell, a bead, a lucky penny. Bowls are about $16 each, chopsticks $3/pair. Chilmark Pottery, State Road, West Tisbury, 508-693-6476.

Sweet Sips

Wandering the musings of Holly Gleason’s www.theyummylist.com for food finds here on MV takes you down our dirt roads, inside our grocery stores, and into our hearts. You’ll also find yourself riding the wild ride down the highways and byways of Holly’s adventures. A rock and roll critic, country music’s dream weaver, a number one hit songwriter, she’s a girl who loves, lives, and tastes life, wherever she is—whether that’s sipping French reds with Hall-of-Famers, or meeting a friend at Sharky’s for an afternoon pomegranate margarita, or two. Sharky’s Cantina, 266 Upper Main St., Edgartown, 508-627-6565 and in Oak Bluffs, 31 Circuit Ave. 508-693-7501.