Clams Stuffed with Bacon and Herbed Breadcrumbs
Roast Chicken with Lemon and Garlic Jus
Warm Farro Salad with Walnuts and Kale
October on the island holds its own appeal. It’s the one month of the year allocated for recreational scalloping (commercial harvesting of Nantucket bay scallops begins November 1), and it’s the month the leaves begin to turn, lending an entirely different look to historic downtown as well as to the roads that lead out to the ends of the island. The hard squashes—butternut, Hubbard, acorn, and pumpkins—are ready to be picked at the local farms, complementing meals that call for richer wines and heavier beers. Entertaining moves indoors. It’s the perfect time for cozying up as the days get shorter and the light gets softer.
October is also the month of Nantucket’s cranberry harvest and festival. Cranberries, grown on Nantucket since 1857, were an important part of the local economy until the 1940s. Now, the Nantucket Conservation Foundation owns the last two remaining bogs under cultivation: Milestone Bog (195 acres and one of the oldest continually operated farms on Nantucket) and Windswept Bog (thirty-seven acres and one of the few certified organic cranberry bogs in the United States). Combined, the two sites produce nearly two million pounds of cranberries a year.
If you’re looking for an activity to anchor your stay, plan your visit to include the second weekend in October when the Nantucket Conservation Foundation hosts the annual Cranberry Festival. You can see how cranberries are farmed and harvested and tour the bogs, where two cranberry experts answer questions and share interesting facts about cranberry farming. There’s live music and a petting “zoo” of goats and other animals (always a hit with young children). There’s a barbecue and lots of opportunities for participating in activities. Or you can simply enjoy the spectacular autumn scenery.
Whether or not you visit during the Cranberry Festival, you’ll find October to be a wonderful month on Nantucket: the island is noticeably less crowded, it’s easier to get restaurant reservations, and all the shops are still open. Beach strolling is still fun (it just calls for a sweater and jacket now), and it’s an excellent month to take advantage of Nantucket’s miles and miles of bicycle paths and hiking trails.
Fall on Nantucket is a welcome season at CRU; Chef Erin enjoys changing the menu to satisfy cool-weather appetites and highlight the best flavors of the season. It is also the month CRU guests savor the last two weeks of our summer season, although the restaurant does reopen in December for the annual Nantucket Christmas Stroll (see the next chapter for more information).
The recipes in this chapter are fall favorites at CRU and we think they will be for your own guests as well.
