Publisher's Note

August is the busiest month on Nantucket, hands-down. And some would translate the numbers into superlatives equating this last real month of summer with the best month on Nantucket. We might not quite agree with that, but what we have done in August is give you our readers’ choices for The Best of Nantucket. Turn to page 32 to find out who won what.

In this issue are two stories on what some folks would certainly argue is a “Best of Nantucket:” Nantucket tomatoes, specifically Bartlett’s Farm tomatoes. Other growers’ tomatoes may be just as good, but Bartlett’s always gets the edge because of the greenhouse tomatoes they grow which makes them available for sale as early as June 1. Field tomatoes aren’t ready to be picked until early August.

Greenhouse tomatoes aren’t subject to the whims of the weather, so what you get in June and July are perfectly-formed, sweet fruit that make the best BLT’s, salsas and so on. Back in 1991, when Hurricane Bob roared through Nantucket with 100 mile an hour winds halfway through the month, Bartlett’s lost most of its summer crops. That economic disaster became part of the impetus for diversification, and their newly-opened expanded farm market, which is actually a grocery store with an excellent deli-case and the farm’s produce, was born. The Bartlett family felt it needed some insurance against bad weather and the consumer is the beneficiary of their foresight.

Also in this issue, our gardening expert, columnist Lucy Leske, talks to a number of growers to find out the secrets of raising perfect tomatoes. Her story is on page 22. I did a little research as well, talking to some of the growers and Bartlett’s Farm staff, past and present, to find out how they like to prepare and eat this icon of the summer table. Turn to page 76 for that story and those recipes.

We’ve also unveiled some of the mystery behind the big brick building at the foot of Main Street known as The Pacific Club. It was originally a counting house and in the last century a gathering place for members, who sat around a pot-belled stove, swapped stories and played hand after hand of cribbage. Today, the members no longer meet and the first floor and top floors have been rented out for some time to tenants in order to pay for building repairs. Joshua Balling takes a look at the history of the club and talks to its president, Ginger Andrews, who ponders its future.

MARIANNE R. STANTON

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER

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