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How this nonprofit farm blends agriculture, art, and community — focusing on impact, not income.
Flip-flops and farm pastures don’t usually go hand in hand. But at Slough Farm, they sort of do.
Neat garden beds with clearly marked paths leave little question about where you can and can’t step. Lettuce heads, peas, and trellised tomatoes grow in orderly rows. Even the half-mile trudge out to the herd of cows and flock of sheep — or the “flerd” as executive director Julie Scott calls it — is surprisingly manageable. I made it just fine in my faded pink Olukais, save for a few unavoidable brushes with dung along the way. I’m not saying this is the best footwear for farm visits. I’m just saying that at Slough Farm, it’s doable.
That’s partly because everything here is especially well tended. Not just the vegetables and pastures, but the presentation. The main farmhouse feels more like a boutique retreat center than a barnyard hub, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, cedar walls, vaulted ceilings, and four bedrooms and four baths. There’s a stunning kitchen, an open-concept living space, a long communal table, and a 1970s mahogany grand piano. People come here to cook, to weave, to garden, to learn. Some are artists. Some are kindergarteners (who might also be artists).
Funded by private donors and nestled within a landowners’ association in Katama, Slough Farm doesn’t operate for profit. Instead, it runs as a working educational farm and nonprofit — growing food not to sell, but to give away, and offering artist residencies, wellness programs, and cooking classes on the same campus where chickens are processed and compost piles cook.
Slough Farm is a place of overlap. It’s part working farm, part arts center, part classroom. And while it’s not open to the general public, its impact ripples through the Island community — in donated produce and meat, workshops and garden collaborations, grants, and support for other farmers. “We’re not trying to grow bigger and bigger,” Julie says. “We’re just trying to get better and better at what we’re doing.”
That means rotating animals daily, both to improve soil health and to provide the “flerd” with “a new salad bar every day,” Julie says. It means cultivating dye gardens and native plants, and washing hundreds of eggs a week in a humming prep room downstairs (which “takes a lot of focus,” culinary director Charlie Granquist jokes). It’s a place where a five-year-old might be felting wool while a visiting chef prepares an elegant tasting menu.
That intentional blending of production and hospitality, grit and grace, is what makes Slough Farm so interesting.
Farming for the community
Slough Farm spans several growing and pasture properties across Katama: the main campus and 25 acres at the town-owned Katama Farm, also known as the FARM Institute, which Slough manages in partnership with the Trustees of Reservations. Altogether, the farm stewards about 80 acres, most of it devoted to pasture-based livestock. Everything Slough produces — meat, eggs, and vegetables — is donated through partnership with food equity organizations including Island Grown Initiative (IGI), the Island Food Pantry, local senior centers, schools, and libraries.
In two gardens on its main campus, the farm cultivates about 1.25 acres of vegetables using no-till, regenerative methods. The garden crew — a small team of three — adds heavy compost once or twice a year and tailors granular and liquid amendments to the specific needs of the soil and plants. To prevent soil depletion, they rotate crops at least every three years.
“We also do a number of things to promote insect populations in and around the garden,” says garden manager Carla Walkis. “We use beneficial nematodes in the spring to target specific pests, and we participate in ‘No Mow May’ to help pollinators get established for the season.”
They don’t use any insecticides, even those certified organic. Instead, pollinator patches and insectary beds are intentionally integrated throughout the gardens to support biodiversity.
In terms of method, “I usually describe what we do as a market garden approach,” Carla says, “meaning, we are growing a full seasonal range of vegetables on a small portion of land.”
“We grow pretty much everything,” Julie adds. “Our soil is so sandy that the root crops really love it. Our onions, carrots, and garlic are so happy here.”
Last year, the farm harvested just under 14,000 pounds of food. About 8,000 pounds were donated, and the remaining 6,000 were used on site for cooking classes, dinners, and other programs. The main donation outlets include the West Tisbury Library “freedge,” the Island Food Pantry, the Edgartown Council on Aging, and the Boys and Girls Club. They also regularly donate to the MV Center for Living, Island Health Care, and the Martha’s Vineyard Ocean Academy.
“Over my time running the garden, we have narrowed our impact to focus on supporting prepared food [programs] for seniors and children, keeping highly trafficked ‘mini pantries’ stocked, and filling in gaps at the food pantry,” Carla says. That includes growing specialty crops — things that grow well in the Vineyard’s climate and resonate with the diverse communities served by the food pantry. One example is callaloo, a nutrient-rich amaranth green popular in Caribbean cuisine, grown specifically for the pantry.
The garden crew also grows flowers — primarily donated to Hospice and Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard. In 2021, they launched a “Cut Flower Club” in late summer, where participants pick two bouquets: one to keep, and one to donate. Hospice volunteers deliver the arrangements throughout the community.
“It’s a really lovely thing,” Carla says, “to work hard at something you love and then get to turn around and give it all away.”
Pasture-based livestock
On the livestock side, Slough raises grass-fed beef and lamb, along with pasture-raised pigs and chickens. “It takes a lot of land to do that,” Julie says.
The farm raises heritage cattle breeds — four Belted Galloways and seven Randall Linebacks — along with 8 to 30 pigs per year, 350 laying hens, 500 meat chickens, 25 mama sheep, two rams, up to 60 lambs, and a small flock of turkeys.
“Our cows and sheep move together,” says farm manager Christian Walkis. “Then three days later, we follow with the laying hens — because that’s the time period that fly larva take to be born in manure. The chickens eat the larvae, which adds protein to their diet and keeps the fly pressure down. Which is great, because anytime an animal is spending trying to get flies off of its back, it’s not grazing, [and grazing] is what we want.”
So far this year, Slough Farm has donated 1,137 dozen eggs, 1,553 pounds of pork, 1,002 pounds of beef, 25 pounds of chicken, and 51 pounds of lamb. “The majority of our meat donations happen in the fall, as that is when the animals come back from the butcher, so this will go up substantially before year end,” Julie notes.
Beyond the fields
Slough has also built a workforce housing property in Edgartown to help house both their own staff and employees from other Island farms. (The Slough Farm team includes 14 year-round staff and two seasonal workers.) They use a classroom and office space, located in a horse barn on adjacent land owned by the Nature Conservancy, for staff and educational programming. During my visit, one of the stalls housed a brood of two-week-old chicks.
Across their facilities, Slough offers hands-on learning in gardening, cooking, woodworking, natural dyeing, and yoga and movement classes. Recent workshops included a bao bun cooking class using farm-grown ingredients, and a bark-weaving bracelet session for kids. Every Friday during the school year, students from the Martha’s Vineyard Charter School come for experiential learning. The farm has partnered with Island Grown Schools, Island Autism, and the Red House to offer more programming throughout the year.
Artist residencies are also a key part of the mission. Visiting creatives spend one to two weeks here throughout the year and share their work through food, music, painting, or storytelling — finding inspiration and new ways to connect community and place. Program director Emily Becker runs this side of the operation and also plans all the programming. Her favorite part? “Working with the wonderful array of rainbow personalities of people on this Island — and when I get to teach classes,” she tells me.
Quiet contributions
Much of what Slough Farm does happens behind the scenes. They offer grants to local nonprofits and farmers, including a special fund for various farm projects through the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society. Their Slough Support Fund, recently expanded to support off-Island organizations that benefit the Island, is part of that mission.
They also collaborate with Martha’s Vineyard Community Services to offer a childcare stipend for families who earn too much to qualify for state subsidies — providing $5,000 per family per school year for care at licensed facilities. And since 2020, they’ve partnered with IGI to support the Prepared Meals Program, which distributes weekly meals to Island Councils on Aging, the Island Food Pantry, MV Family Center, homeless shelters, libraries, the Visiting Nurses Association, Hospice, and individuals and families in need.
“We’ve always wanted to support other nonprofits,” Julie says, “and we always thought about donating our food. We’ve expanded with our education program, and as we’ve learned about needs, we’ve tried to meet them.”
Rooted in place
The farm’s founding story starts with a mother and son who once rented a home bordering what’s now Slough Farm. When the homeowners approached them about purchasing the property, the family asked: “What’s going on with the farm next door?”
At the time, the property was a gentlemen’s farm, and part of it was once known as Heron Creek Farm. It had a history of agriculture but hadn’t been actively farmed in years. The family saw an opportunity to create something special and purchased the property as a newly incorporated nonprofit in 2016. They were introduced to the late Sam Feldman, a philanthropist and visionary, who recommended talking to Julie, who was then working at the FARM Institute. Known for her farming expertise, she was brought on as a consultant along with her husband, Laine Scott.
“They were interested and had passion, but didn’t know a whole lot about the Island or agriculture,” Julie says of the founders, who wish to remain anonymous. “They had some really wonderful ideas.” Together, they began to reimagine the property and rebuild. All the original buildings came down in 2016. The farm has been growing ever since.
Julie, originally from Dennis on Cape Cod, studied agriculture in college and has worked on farms out west. She brings both practical farming experience and a deep commitment to community-centered work.
“Our mission has always been intentionally broad,” she says. “To support the arts, creativity, and place-based education. To collaborate. And to keep the farm at the heart of everything we do.”
By the end of my visit, I’d wandered through the gardens, peeked into classrooms, followed the “flerd” out to pasture, and ducked into the quiet corners of a horse barn. I’d walked into one of the largest home pantries I’d ever seen and stepped into an office with a sweeping view of the farm and the ocean beyond. I’d met a group of people who care deeply — about the work they do, the land they steward, and the community they nourish. Slough Farm is the kind of place that meets you where you are — even if you show up in flip flops.
A Slough Farm Artist-in-Residence Returns Home
For artist and educator Sarah Nelson, this summer marks a homecoming, and a creative deep dive into Island aquaculture. Born and raised on Martha’s Vineyard, Sarah now lives and paints in New Orleans, but she’s returned this season as a resident artist at Slough Farm. Her project celebrates the Vineyard’s oyster farms through paintings and personal stories.
“I’m producing a collection of paintings that illustrate all oyster shells from local farms across the Island,” Sarah tells Bluedot. “Each painting will illustrate the unique shells of each farm.” Alongside her artwork, she’s gathering stories from shellfish farmers and notes on their aquaculture practices. Together, they’ll form a multidimensional exhibition that honors “not only the aesthetic beauty of the oysters themselves but also on the science and Island stories behind them,” she says.
Sarah is working with the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, local shellfish constables, and farmers from Honeysuckle, Cottage City, MV Spearpoint, Top Shell, and Signature Oyster Companies to create a comprehensive visual record of the Island’s current oyster varieties. She hopes to debut the work in a public exhibit in August (we’ll run the info in our newsletter when we get it), complete with raw bars to match the art.
During her studies at the University of New Hampshire, Sarah researched sustainable farming on the Vineyard and explored the intersection of art and science in landscape painting. Later, while living in Louisiana and working with coastal researchers, her fascination with the natural world grew. But it was during the quiet months of the Covid lockdown that her love of oysters, and the desire to paint them, truly took hold.
“I found an oyster shell I had brought back from a visit back home to the Island,” she says. “During that chaotic time, it served as a quiet beacon of calm and a reminder of home.” Painting that shell sparked a meditative practice she’s continued ever since. “As Georgia O’Keeffe had her flowers, I have my oysters,” she says.
Sarah sees her work as a way to connect art and environmental awareness. “We both observe the truth and find a way to share it with others in the hope of making the world a bit better and more informed place,” Sarah says. “I hope this project will honor the traditions of the Island community, advance the critical discussions promoting sustainability, and result in a collection of paintings illustrating one of the Island’s most beloved creatures.”
Learn more about Sarah’s work on her website.
Recipe: Zucchini Carpaccio With Basil, Soft Goat Cheese, and Toasted Buckwheat
- Yield: Serves 4
Description
Anyone who’s grown zucchini almost always winds up with too much of it. This recipe from Chef Charlie Granquist is a delicious way to put that surplus to good use. With grains, proteins, and fresh herbs, it works well as a side or stands on its own as a light summer supper.
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized zucchini or other summer squash, kept whole
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Handful of baby basil leaves
- 4 Tbsps soft goat cheese
- 1/4 cup buckwheat groats, lightly toasted
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Heat a charcoal grill over high heat. Oil and season the zucchini with salt and pepper. Place the whole zucchini on the grill and cook for 10 minutes, turning frequently to lightly char it all over. Remove the zucchini from the grill and let it cool until it’s warm enough to handle. Once it’s cooled, slice the zucchini in 1/4-inch rounds.
- In a large bowl, toss the rounds with the lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper.
- For the buckwheat groats, warm 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the groats and cook, while stirring constantly until lightly toasted and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Place one layer of the zucchini on a platter. Top the zucchini with some of the basil, goat cheese, and buckwheat. Repeat with more layers until all the zucchini is used. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Notes
Once seared/grilled, the squash can get very soft, making it difficult to slice thin. Using a serrated knife does the trick.
