Every year, I try to spend a few weeks - give or take - at my beautiful refuge in Seal Harbor, Maine. I always have a spectacular time with family and all my dear friends who visit. This summer, Chef Pierre Schaedelin from PS Tailored Events, and I, planned so many delicious menus. We all ate very well, feasting on foods from the local fisheries, the farmers’ markets, and my own gardens.
Here are more photos from Skylands.
We arrived at Skylands on a warm, but beautiful summer afternoon after flying from Las Vegas to see my new restaurant, The Bedford by Martha Stewart in its last stages of preparation before opening. Skylands is so serene. This is the front of my home and the circular driveway with the tall hemlock and maples shading the entrance.
We always enjoy the freshest fruits up in Maine. Here, I brought up peaches grown in my Bedford farm orchard, blueberries from our bushes, and raspberries from Maine – all for this for a most delicious fruit cobbler by Chef Pierre.
On our first weekend, my niece Sophie Herbert and her family came to visit and we all enjoyed a great meal of traditional spaghetti and meatballs – it was perfect.
Here is one of our plates topped with parmesan cheese and of course a couple of sprigs of parsley from my garden.
On this day – avocado toast.
Baked sweet potatoes…
…and a cucumber salad. We had bounties of cucumbers this summer up at Skylands. They were so crisp and juicy.
On one side of my kitchen at Skylands on this large table, we keep all the utensils close at hand along with fresh tomatoes and fruits for easy snacking. My French Bulldogs Bête Noire and Crème Brûlée love to rest under this table – front seats to anything that falls their way.
Here I am with my dear friend and longtime publicist, Susan Magrino, who came up the week of my birthday. Here we are aboard Skylands II, my Hinkley picnic boat. We’re on our way to the Downeast Art & Antiques Show in Blue Hill.
This was the morning of August 3rd, my birthday. I enjoyed the best fried eggs with tomatoes and parsley from the garden – and the eggs are from my chickens, of course.
My housekeeper, Elvira, was also at Skylands this summer. She set the most gorgeous birthday table – such a lovely palette of tans and pinks with my flameless pillar candles available on QVC and white hydrangeas picked earlier in the day from my cutting garden. This table seats 20 guests – we planned a wonderful celebratory gathering with friends.
Here I am with Chef Pierre shortly before dinner. We’ve been planning delicious menus together for years – many of them right here at my beloved home in Maine.
My birthday feast included potato whipped with crème fraîche, topped with Osetra caviar and dressed with scallions from the garden. Osetra caviar is is from the Ossetra sturgeon which weighs up to 400 pounds and can live up to 50-years.
And then we had lobster tails and fresh homegrown beans and puréed carrots.
On another day, we enjoyed this peach lattice pie and peach sorbet – all homemade.
Another lunch at Skylands included this leek quiche, prepared by Chef Pierre. This was a huge favorite – not one crumb left over.
We also had tomato tart – such a great savory dish to make in summer when tomatoes are in season.
There was a fresh corn salad with green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes – all from Skylands.
And a platter of oysters casino.
Another favorite breakfast included these blueberry pancakes – fluffy and made to perfection using blueberries grown right here at Skylands.
I also served some meals outdoors – salads are always so refreshing. We served three different and flavorful salads. This is a tomato salad with onions and basil.
Here is a cucumber and tomato salad.
And here is a classic potato salad – every one devoured and enjoyed.
This is a kilo tin of osetra caviar – converted, that’s more than two pounds. My daughter, granchildren, and I shared this delicious Osetra caviar from Black Diamond.
And the next day, we went out for the best lobster rolls at Beal’s Lobster Pier in Southwest Harbor – Jude and Truman approved.
Summers at Skylands are always among my favorite vacations spent with family and friends. I hope you are enjoying many gatherings with your nearest and dearest this season.