It's always so much fun to see the familiar through someone else's lens.
After last week's event celebrating 30 "Super Fans" of the Martha Stewart brand, many of them sent in their own photos taken from the day's events - the breakfast on my terrace parterre, the walking tour through my gardens, and the luncheon under my large pavilion. It's always interesting to know what others "see" on my farm, what captures their attention, and what inspires them to do their own projects once they return home.
Here are some of those images taken by my guests, enjoy.
This photo of my guest Tenant House was taken by Andrew Ritchie. Andrew is the creator of the “Martha Moments” blog and online community. Most of the attendees met through “Martha Moments” and have become good friends. (Photo by Andrew Ritchie)
Andrew designed and founded his “Martha Moments” blog in 2006 as a content archive written for fans and collectors of the Martha Stewart brand. It continues to delight readers 19 years later.(Photo by Andrew Ritchie)
Here’s another photo Andrew captured of my long and winding pergola. (Photo by Andrew Ritchie)
And this is my Basket House – always an interesting stop along any garden tour. (Photo by Andrew Ritchie)
Dennis Landon, another longtime devotee and “Martha Moments” follower, took this snapshot of his husband, Bernie and devotees Justin Giannunzio and Nathan Schmidt, carrying gifts for me from the group – a gorgeous and unique fern and a bucket of wonderful items from each of the attendees. (Photo by Dennis Landon)
Carey Lowe took this photo of one side of my glass greenhouse facing my expansive berry patch garden. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
Inside my perennial flower cutting garden, Carey looked down and captured the lush, green lady’s mantle, Alchemilla mollis – a perennial ground cover with large circular scallop-edged leaves and chartreuse flower clusters. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
The day’s breakfast started off with some pastries and hardboiled eggs from my chickens. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
And of course, some of my daily green juice. I make it fresh every day.(Photo by Carey Lowe)
Guests always catch the details. Here is one photo of a porch light. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
And a trough outside my stable holding two small potted sago palms. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
Dessert from the luncheon – taken from above. This flan was delicious. Not one piece was left over. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
All the fencing around my farm is made from 100-year-old white spruce railings I purchased in Canada. When the fences were built, I used new cedar uprights to support them. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
This is the south side of my stable complex which includes my carriage house turned meeting room. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
Kristina Closs took this photo of our lunch table before everyone sat down. The table was made out of an old yew tree I took down at my former East Hampton home. (Photo by Kristina Closs)
Lunch was flavorful paella made three ways – for seafood lovers, meat lovers and vegetarians. (Photo by Kristina Closs)
And although the peak of peony season was over at my farm, there were still many gorgeous blooms all around.(Photo by Kristina Closs)
Good selfie, Nathan! This one taken on my terrace outside my Winter House. (Photo by Nathan Schmidt)
Here’s a photo of Nathan and Carey at the east end of my long Boxwood Allée. (Photo by Nathan Schmidt)
Nathan took this photo also – my Tenant House with so many ostrich ferns growing in the garden. (Photo by Nathan Schmidt)
Here’s another peony just opening. (Photo by Nathan Schmidt)
Here are the staddle stones at the north end of my pool. It was hard to resist a jump in the water on this day – it was very warm and humid. (Photo by Hayden Regina)
Here are Hayden Regina and my head gardener Ryan McCallister. (Photo by Hayden Regina)
Rachel Butler took this picture as the group walked past the hosta garden under the dappled shade of my Metasequoia trees. (Photo by Rachel Butler)
And here’s the climbing hydrangea – it’s blooming so lovely this season. (Photo by Rachel Butler)
The group loved visiting the horses in my stable. My Friesians, Fell pony, and donkeys love all the attention. This is Geert.(Photo by Rachel Butler)
The group gave every member of my farm staff a gift bag. It was such a wonderful and thoughtful gesture. Everyone on the farm was thrilled. (Photo by Jennifer Zimmerman)
And for me, each guest gifted me with something handmade or specially selected from their home state. I loved every gift. (Photo by Jennifer Zimmerman)
Here’s a photo of Bernie Wong and Dennis Landon who came all the way fro Wisconsin to attend the celebration. (Photo by Jennifer Zimmerman)
Justin took lots of photos of the gardens. Right now the roses are putting on a great show. (Photo by Justin Giannunzio)
Here’s Dennis, Andrew, Bernie, and Justin – having a breakfast of a lifetime. (Photo by Justin Giannunzio)
Jordan Munn is a photographer from Quebec and brought his cameras to take his photos. This is a view looking down the center of my flower garden. (Photo by Jordan Munn)
And here is one of an allée of lindens that runs from my pergola all the way down to my chicken coops. (Photo by Carey Lowe)
And here is a shady view of the carriage road under my majestic pin oaks. What a special day. Thanks to all my devotees who attended and made the day so much fun! (Photo by Jordan Munn)
Everyone who attended this week's "Super Fans" luncheon and garden tour are still sharing photos and stories about all the fun they had.
Devotees came from all over for the special occasion - Wisconsin, Illinois, Massachusetts, California, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Maryland, Florida, West Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, Michigan, Quebec, Ontario, Texas, Minnesota, Indiana, North Carolina, and of course, New York. And although the day was very warm and humid with temperatures in the high 80s, it was a wonderful time for all.
Here are more photos, enjoy. And in my next blog, I'll share images taken by my guests.
I decided to serve lunch under my pavilion. It is one of the coolest spots on the farm with great shade and cross breezes.
My pavilion is just outside my large pool. I just opened the pool a couple of weeks ago – it certainly would be nice to take a swim.
Here I am putting the final touches on the long table. This table was made from an old yew tree I cut down at my former East Hampton home. It was made by master artisan Peter Billow, owner of Peter H. Billow Fine Woodworking in Brooklyn, New York.
The table settings were done with my signature green color. I used fun enamel ware plates and coordinated with bright colored pink peonies.
My guests could smell lunch from across the orchard. On the menu – paella cooked on a hardwood fire.
For paella, it’s important to use a traditional paella pan, which is round and flat with shallow sides.
Paella is a rice dish from Valencia, Spain. It is one of the most well-known dishes in Spanish cuisine and popular worldwide.
I served three different kinds – one with seafood, one with meats, and one that was vegetarian. One ingredient in all is saffron. It adds flavor and color to the iconic Spanish rice dish. And, I grow it right here at the farm.
Marquee Senior Marketing Manager Sophie Roche came up for the event. Here she is helping out. These delicious herbed toasts were devoured as soon as they hit the table.
You may recognize these two helpers – podcast producer, Heather Kirkland, and Lisa Wagner who worked with me for 25 years as a creative stylist and content creator.
Here I am with all my attending devotees at the table just before lunch. It was so nice to see everyone having such a good time.
For dessert, we all had flan. Flan is a rich baked custard dessert that is both sweet and creamy with hints of vanilla and caramel.
And here I am with Chef Pierre Schaedelin from PS Tailored Events. Pierre and I have collaborated on so many menus over the years.
After lunch, the group walked down to my carriage house for some afternoon presentations. This is my allée of pin oaks. When I planted this allée, these trees were only about five feet tall. Look how much they’ve grown. This allée has since become one of the focal points of my farm.
Devotee Carey Lowe from California wore one of my Tractor Supply outfits. I love all the pieces in this collection.
Before coming to the event, Carey embellished the Garden Chore Jacket with some embroidery…
… And I embellished it a little more.
Devotee Bernie Wong Green was instrumental in planning this event. He stopped to look at the blooming climbing hydrangeas on this giant maple.
Some also took time to walk through my stable and visit with my horses and donkeys.
Everyone gathered in my carriage house to hear several of my friends and colleagues speak about the brand, how we were inspired over the years, what we’ve accomplished, etc. There was also time for some “Ask Martha” questions from the group.
Before leaving, guests were able to take books they were missing from their own collections.
It was a fun day. Stay tuned for my next blog. I’ll be sharing photos from my guests. It’s always fun to see the familiar through someone else’s lens.
I always enjoy entertaining at my farm, but it is even more memorable when my guests are the enthusiastic, creative and loyal devotees of the Martha Stewart brand.
Yesterday, I hosted a day celebrating 30 individuals who have not only followed this blog but have also read my magazines, watched my television and radio shows, cooked and baked my recipes, purchased my products, and shared their experiences and all they've learned with so many others - true ambassadors and influencers. The day began with a breakfast on my Winter House terrace parterre, then a walking tour through my gardens, followed by a delicious paella lunch prepared by my friend Chef Pierre Schaedelin of PS Tailored Events. In the afternoon, several longtime colleagues and friends presented their thoughts on the brand today, shared their stories, and offered more ideas and inspirations. The day's events concluded with an interesting session of "Ask Martha" and my parting advice to heed one of my own favorite sayings - "learn something new every day."
Here are the first of many photos, enjoy.
The day’s forecast called for a hot day in the high 80s, but that did not dissuade any of those who came to my farm for this “super fans” celebration. Guests came from across the country to spend a day at Cantitoe Corners.
The morning began bright and early at 9am sharp. Everyone was on time and ready for a full day of activities. Here are just some of those gathered during the start of my garden tour.
I led them behind my main greenhouse to the berry patches. This is my large strawberry patch. We’ve already picked boxes and boxes of delicious, sweet red strawberries.
Strawberries are among the easiest berries to grow. They’re cold-hardy, adaptable, and can be planted in both garden beds and containers. Do you know why it is called a “strawberry”? One theory is that woodland pickers strung them on pieces of straw to carry them to market. Others believe the surface of the fruit looks embedded with bits of straw. Still others think the name comes from the Old English word meaning “to strew,” because the plant’s runners stray in all directions as if strewn on the ground.
I showed them one of my rose gardens. This is a more formal garden I planted two years ago. It is looking so stunning this year.
I also walked the group through my perennial flower garden, which is also blooming wonderfully right now. I hope you saw my blog earlier this week.
The group proceeded up the carriage road past my long and winding pergola and this stand of stately bald cypress trees. I told the group most of the trees they see during the tour are ones I planted since moving to the farm.
I like to serve some kind of refreshments during my garden tours. On this day, I had croissants and cinnamon buns from LMNOP Bakery in Katonah, New York.
I prepare everything in my kitchen first, making sure we have all the essentials before taking them out to the terrace.
Trays of my nutritious green juice are also prepared fresh that morning. Everyone must have a glass of green juice to start the day.
The food is brought out just as guests walked up to the terrace. I also hardboiled lots of farm fresh eggs earlier in the morning.
All the beautiful eggs are from my chickens, of course. Everyone loved them.
Kevin Sharkey took this photo from the second floor of my home. Everyone was having such a good time despite the very warm weather.
The group presented me with a collection of gifts – each one personally selected or handmade. I was very touched and excited to see everything up close. I placed them all out on the kitchen counter to take photos.
The tour continued after breakfast with a walk down to my half-acre vegetable garden. Everything is growing so nicely.
Look at the kale – lush and green.
And the fava beans – already knee hight.
Along the tour, Ryan and I shared stories about how each garden was developed and what they contained. Everyone was also given a map of the farm that shares its history.
Next I had the group walk through my living maze without any assistance on how to find the way to its center. They all did very well meandering up and down the rows, looking for the right paths – there is only one correct one.
And the end is my great eagle in the middle of an open space about two thirds of the way through the maze. In my next blog, I’ll share photos from our delicious al fresco lunch, and the rest of the tour. Stay tuned.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
