Forage

Foraging on Martha's Vineyard

Foraging exploration with Suzan Bellincampi, director of Mass Audubon's Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary
Seasonal Cooking with Cathy Walthers, Personal Chef and Cookbook Author
Feast with new friends.

“Eating seasonally” has a whole new meaning after our forage adventure - from wild edibles in the woods and on the shores of the Vineyard, we are excited to be able to know identify a few delicious plants and know how these foraged spring foods can bring a new dimension to our home cooking.

Breakfast.
Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary
The day started off with a lovely breakfast - meeting our new friends, hoping the dark clouds in the distance would go the other way....

Group breakfast at the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary as part of the foraging foodie adventure on Martha's Vineyard with tour and event planners Farm. Field. Sea.

Women enjoying breakfast at the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary as part of the foraging foodie adventure on Martha's Vineyard with tour and event planners Farm. Field. Sea.

opening lecture and group breakfast at the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary as part of the foraging foodie adventure on Martha's Vineyard with tour and event planners Farm. Field. Sea.

Fresh faces enjoying the breakfast at the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary as part of the foraging foodie adventure on Martha's Vineyard with tour and event planners Farm. Field. Sea.

Foraging.
Suzan Bellincampi, director of Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and president of Slow Food Martha's Vineyard
Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the most magical places on Martha's Vineyard - to get a behind the scenes tour is just heaven! Our guide, Suzan Bellincampi, director of FNWS and author of “Martha’s Vineyard: A Field Guide to Island Nature” is crazy about wild foods, and incredibly knowledgeable. After a brief introduction of our journey ahead and a quiz on the don'ts - i.e. don't stick your hand into plants without examining them first - shiny leaves? (poision ivy), snakes, bugs or prickers? Don't harvesting rare, endangered species or the last plant, and make sure to take only what you need....Then we headed out into the woods and shores, with a focus on arming us with the skills to identify wild edibles of own. We now know all about wild blue and blackberries, sassafras and more...

Group preparing to set out foraging on their foodie adventure with Suzan Bellincampi of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary on their food tour by Martha's Vineyard's Farm. Field. Sea.

Group foraging for fruits, nuts and berries on their foodie adventure with Suzan Bellincampi of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary during their food tour by Martha's Vineyard's Farm. Field. Sea.

Woman foraging for fruits, nuts and berries on their foodie adventure with Suzan Bellincampi of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary during their food tour by Martha's Vineyard's Farm. Field. Sea.

Learning about the plants in the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary their foodie adventure with Suzan Bellincampi during their food tour by Martha's Vineyard's Farm. Field. Sea.

Woman catching a fish on her foodie adventure at the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary during a food tour by Martha's Vineyard's Farm. Field. Sea.

Martha's Vineyard Nevette Previd of Farm. Field. Sea. and a participant on the foraging tour of Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary on Martha's Vineyard.

Group walking on boardwalk over boggy marsh and man eating the berries he picked on the foraging tour of Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary on Martha's Vineyard with Farm. Field. Sea.

Group looking for fruits, nuts and berries on their foodie adventure with Suzan Bellincampi of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary during their food tour by Martha's Vineyard's Farm. Field. Sea.

Members of the group show off what they foraged on their foodie adventure with Suzan Bellincampi of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary during their food tour by Martha's Vineyard's Farm. Field. Sea.

Woman picking blueberries on a foodie adventure with Suzan Bellincampi of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary during a food tour by Martha's Vineyard's Farm. Field. Sea.

Group walking alone the shoreline of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary on Martha's Vineyard during a culinary tour to forage for food by tour planner Farm. Field. Sea.

Seasonal Cooking.
Cathy Walthers, personal chef and cookbook author
Then, we headed into the kitchen with private chef and cookbook author Catherine Walthers, for a class on how to use and prepare locally grown spring foods, foraged greens, and other goodies. To start we quenched our thirst with
Cooling Thai Water, delish! and will definitely be the perfect summer cocktail. Then the feast began, with a taste of Wild Greens Spanikopita with local nettles, and a lesson on how to master rolling our own Fresh Watercress Spring Rolls. We wish we could dine with Cathy everyday.

A group on a foodie tour by Martha's Vineyard Farm. Field. Sea. at the table of private chef and cookbook author Catherine Walthers, for a class on how to use and prepare locally grown spring foods, foraged greens, and other goodies.

Women enjoying cooling Thai water during a culinary experience on seasonal cooking with private chef and cookbook author Catherine Walthers by Martha's Vineyard event planners Farm. Field. Sea.

Man and child with wild greens during a culinary experience on seasonal cooking with private chef and cookbook author Catherine Walthers by Martha's Vineyard event planners Farm. Field. Sea.

Group preparing food during a culinary experience on seasonal cooking with private chef and cookbook author Catherine Walthers by Martha's Vineyard event planners Farm. Field. Sea.

The Meal.
After cooking, we gathered together to get to know our new friends and celebrate the local bounty that we crafted into beautiful, vibrant dishes.

After cooking, the group gathers to enjoy the bounty of the seasonal feast they prepared on this foodie tour by Martha's Vineyard event planners Farm. Field. Sea.

The food prepared for this seasonal feast on this foodie tour in Martha's Vineyard by Farm. Field. Sea.

Goodie bags for all the people on the food tour with Farm. Field. Sea. of Martha's Vineyard.

The tour group enjoying the bounty of the season on this foodie tour by Martha's Vineyard event planners Farm. Field. Sea.

A colorful plate of local foods for desert during this culinary adventure on Martha's Vineyard with Farm. Field. Sea.

The table is set for a culinary adventure on Martha's Vineyard with Farm. Field. Sea.

Photos by Lisa Vanderhoop.