Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Michaela Muntean, the seller of this pastoral Shelter Island farmhouse, sent me pages from her gardener's diary below, as well as a fabulous pesto recipe.

Details on this listing are at: www.45BurnsRoad.com



March 2015—Dreaming of Spring on 45 Burns Road



Let the countdown begin…

…Only a few days from now I will take a quiet stroll down Burns Road, toward Coecles Harbor, where I will spot my first osprey of the season. It will be a male, of course—they set off from South America to make the 3,000-mile flight north about a week before the females. He will swoop in to see how their nest along the causeway to Little Ram Island has weathered the winter. Perhaps he will make some repairs before the missus arrives. After a few days, he will begin to scan the skies, searching for her and making his distinctive kew-kew-kew cry. For me, that is first true sign of spring.

Burns Road to Coecles Harbor, Shelter Island
By the time the females arrive, we should be past the chance of frost, so I will lift the burlap from the herb garden and see which plants have made it. The gardens at 45 Burns are long established, and their rich soil gives our plants deep and nuanced flavor. It is the same soil the Walther family depended on for farming in the 1920s and ‘30s; the same soil the Margiottas relied on to grow vegetables for the restaurant they ran on this property from 1947 to 1961. For the past 30 years, I’m the one who’s tended that soil. It’s a job I look forward to; a job I love.


Shelter Island Osprey

Our rosemary will survive a mild winter, but harsh winters are hard on all herbs. Thyme will oftentimes pull through, as will chives and parsley. Sage will usually return; mint always will. It’s always welcome, too, for it will be used throughout the spring and summer, snipped fresh from the garden, to add to tall glasses of ice tea, which we will sip while sitting on the patio.

The patio under wisteria vines

In truth, I’m not much of a gardener. When I first moved to Shelter Island from Manhattan, my goal was to have an herb garden. I love to cook and imagined myself with a basket on my arm, picking fresh herbs to add to recipes. Our kitchen is a true country kitchen with its own breakfast nook that looks out onto a canopy of lindens and maples in the front yard. It also has an L-shaped bookshelf above the kitchen table made especially for cookbooks, which range from various Shelter Island Church recipe collections to Yotam Ootolenghi’s latest. Everything is designed to be within easy reach, including the cabinet where I store the herbs I’ve picked and dried from last year’s garden.



My stalwarts are rosemary, parsley, chives, thyme and sage. But my favorite of all is basil. I plant at least eight seedlings every May, pinching back leaves and tending to them so that by August I have basil bushes—plenty to scatter over tomatoes and mozzarella; plenty to make into pesto, for by mid-September my kitchen will become a pesto factory.

Check out my pesto recipe below...



I make it from a recipe in a 1960’s Italian cookbook, found at a Shelter Island yard sale many years ago. It is truly the best pesto recipe, for it combines basil and parsley and freezes brilliantly. Throughout the winter months, I will take a container from the freezer and let it thaw. As I open it, I think back to the summer before, the heady smell of basil still there, ready to use with pasta or spread on crackers.



A true gardener would now be getting flats ready to sow seeds inside—early peas, lettuce, all kinds of things. But I’ve given up growing all of them years ago. I have a section of my garden reserved for rhubarb and strawberries—two reliable perennials that produce enough for several strawberry-rhubarb pies every June. I have my herb beds, and the rest of the garden is devoted to tomatoes.

Oh, I used to plant other things, but in the end, I never seemed to get it right. Take zucchini, for example, a truly crazy plant. I never seemed to be able to corral it. The same is true for melons. My carrots were always woody, my potatoes mealy. Let others who know what they’re doing grow them, I thought, and I will buy from them. Occasionally I will try planting something new, lured by a luscious photo on a seed packet. I’ll toss them into a spare section of the garden, wish them luck, and see what happens. I save all my gardening energy for basil and tomatoes. Along with pesto, I fill my freezer with tomato sauce (I swear by Julia Child’s recipe, from Volume I of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.)

Wisteria outside 45 Burns Rd

In six weeks I’ll get out the seeds harvested from last year’s crops and gently nestle them into flats of growing medium. I have a grow light and I mist them daily, eagerly watching for the tiny green sprouts to emerge. As the days grow warmer, I’ll put the flats outside for a few hours every day. By the end of May, the young seedlings are strong enough to plant in the garden.



One of my annual rituals is to invite a few friends to garden with me. In trade for helping me plant, I give them each a selection of seedlings. (I always plant plenty of extras with them in mind.) I also serve them lunch and every year it is the same—for I save the last container of pesto in the freezer for them, and they know it. I take it out the day before so it can thaw, then spread it on focaccia. I make chilled spring pea soup, topped with chives from my garden and asparagus with vinaigrette, sprinkled with chopped parsley. The peas and asparagus are from someone else’s garden, but the chives and parsley, of course, are from mine.



I will set everything out, buffet-style on the bar, put on some music, and open the stained-glass doors that lead from the dining room to the patio. My friends and I will take our plates outside and sit around the table to savor the fresh flavors of spring and the pleasure of each other’s company.



So come on ospreys, and warm soil and sunshine…I’m ready for you.


45 Burns Rd Pesto

by Michaela Muntean

2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh Italian or curly parsley
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup grated Romano cheese
1 Tablespoon pine nuts
12 blanched almonds
12 blanched walnut halves
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 Tablespoons butter
½ cup olive oil


Put all ingredients in food processor and blend.

A few tips I’ve learned through years of making this sauce:

I have never blanched the nuts. I don’t mind a little nut skin, nor do I think it detracts from the sauce. Also, I have never counted out “12” almonds and walnuts. I just toss in a small handful of each.

Never use freshly-grated Parmesan or Romano. It makes the sauce too gooey. Just buy the cheapest Parm/Rom grated blend from the grocery store.

I use two or three garlic cloves, depending on their size – I prefer pesto a bit garlicky.

Some people blend pesto until it’s a smooth paste. It’s a matter of taste of course, but I like a chunkier pesto, so I’m careful about how much I pulverize it. I like nubbly bits of nuts and garlic in it.

NEVER heat pesto. It destroys it. To warm it before adding to pasta (and also to thin it a bit, which it sometimes needs), add several tablespoons of hot pasta water and stir.

I loosely chop the basil leaves and parsley and then “layer” them in the food processor, putting leaves, then some liquid, nuts, more leaves, etc. I also cut the butter into chunks before adding it.

Pesto freezes great, but you have to remember to take it out with enough time to thaw since you can’t heat it. I use it not only on pasta but also as a spread on crackers, and a tablespoon or so adds a good kick to soups and stews. (I always make one batch and freeze it in a plastic ice cube tray so I can just pop out little cubes of it. I store the tray inside a zip-lock freezer bag). I freeze larger batches for pasta in plastic containers or in freezer bags.






Friday, January 30, 2015

Chronology of a Home Purchase on Shelter Island

In each market throughout the United States, home sales are dealt with differently. Indeed, the process can be different in various Towns on the East End, and Shelter Island is no exception.

40 Brander Parkway and 54 Peconic Avenue - Web #52500
Here is a step-by-step primer in how a home is purchased on Shelter Island, once price and terms have been negotiated.
·        A “Memorandum of Sale” is generated by the listing agent memorializing the parties involved, the property, contract price and contingencies.
·        Contingencies – The following are not uncommon contingencies: a satisfactory home inspection by a licensed inspector or professional engineer, satisfactory termite/wood boring insect inspection, potable water and mortgage financing.
·        Inspections – Within a day or two of the hand shake, home and termite inspections are conducted. Water test results can take over a week so contracts provide for a period of time after contracts are executed for the outcome.
·        Attorneys – There are many attorneys in the region who can do real estate closings, but depending on the property, there are times when an attorney who has a good working knowledge of the Shelter Island Building Code is particularly valuable to both Seller and Buyer when questions or complications arise that are specific to the property.
·        Contracts – Generated by the Seller’s attorney and delivered to the Buyer’s attorney. Each attorney uses their own template so not all contracts are alike, although there are basic tenets in each contract.
·        Financing – As inspections are being conducted, buyers are researching and/or finalizing how they will be financing the purchase. Once they find a program that suits them, they are guided by the banker/mortgage broker to lock in a rate at the best time, particularly since mortgage rates vary from day to day.
·        Appraisals – Usually, once the contracts have been signed by both parties, the bank orders an appraisal, selecting a NYS licensed appraiser from a pool of approved professionals. There are times, however, when an appraiser will inspect the property prior to contracts being fully executed by both parties. Guidelines have changed post recession that the banker or mortgage broker cannot select the appraiser or have contact with them. The appraiser inspects the house and does research to arrive at a valuation.
·        Surveys – Most banks require new surveys be done or that surveys done recently are re-certified to the title company. Surveys can take several weeks and this is one item that can be overlooked by some parties involved in the transaction until a closing date is scheduled, at which time a rush order is placed or a closing is delayed.
·        Title search – The Buyer’s attorney orders a title report which outlines nearly every detail about the property. “Abstracts” or reports on older homes can be very interesting as a result. The title company calls the Building Department on Shelter Island to obtain copies of Certificates of Occupancy. If the house or pool (and accompanying gates and alarms) have not been inspected recently, the Building Department will request a walk-through for safety compliance issues, including smoke and CO detectors.
·        Walk through – Prior to the closing, as close to the time of closing as possible, the buyer performs a “walk through” of the property, testing appliances, heating and cooling, and overall condition of the house.
·        Closing – When the bank has completed its due diligence, it will announce that the file is “clear to close”, at which time a date, time and location of the closing is coordinated. Generally the Buyer, Seller, both attorneys, and title closer are present, and sometimes the real estate agent(s). Years ago, closings were much more formal than they are today with a room full of people around a table; Many buyers and sellers today sign a power of attorney which obviates the need for them to attend. 

The transactions in which all parties involved cooperate and do their respective jobs are a real gift. All too frequently there are surprises from one quarter or another that complicate the process, but with a willing seller and buyer, things always manage to work out in the end. 
Good preparation on the part of both Seller and Buyer, diligence to communicate clearly by all parties, and working toward a common goal are key, as is working with a real estate agent who can guide the process and help solve problems that may arise along the way.
Town Dock, Shelter Island

Monday, January 26, 2015

Shelter Island Homes SOLD in 2014 Under $1m

Often called the "bread and butter" category, here below are homes on Shelter Island that sold for less than $1m in 2014, the largest category of home sales on the island.

If you have any questions about these transfers and how they factor into the market today, or are interested in buying or selling on Shelter Island, please contact me at: info@penelope-moore.com


19 Brander Parkway – Sold Price: $990,000   Sold Date: 10/08/2014
4 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Mainland view with pool on 1.29 acres
originally listed on 7/10/2014 at $1,150,000, last listed at $1,150,000


19 Brander Parkway

6 Shorewood Road – Sold Price: $912,000   Sold Date: 9/29/2014
4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on .92 acres
originally listed on 7/12/2014 at $998,000, last listed at $998,000

35 South Ferry Road – Sold Price: $885,000   Sold Date: 6/04/14
3 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom 3 Half, Mainland view without pool on .37 acres
originally listed on 8/05/2008 at $879,000, last listed at $995,000

35 South Ferry Road

4 North Silver Beach Road – Sold Price: $882,000   Sold Date: 5/23/14
5 Bedrooms, 3.5 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on 1.01 acres
originally listed on 12/14/2013 at $925,000, last listed at $925,000

17 Country Club Drive – Sold Price: $835,000   Sold Date: 6/16/2014
4 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Mainland view with pool on .94 acres
originally listed on 9/04/2008 at $985,000, last listed at $845,000


17 Country Club Rear

17 Country Club Front

16 Great Circle Drive – Sold Price: $834,000   Sold Date: 9/12/2014
3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Bathrooms, Mainland view with pool on .91 acres
originally listed on 9/19/2013 at $895,000, last listed at $879,000


16 Great Circle Drive Front
16 Great Circle Drive website
16 Great Circle Drive Rear


43 Gardiner’s Bay Drive – Sold Price: $815,000   Sold Date: 5/07/2014
5 Bedrooms, 4.5 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on .92 acres
originally listed on 4/08/2013 at $895,000, last listed at $885,000

6 Wesley Avenue – Sold Price: $800,000   Sold Date: 10/20/2014
4 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on .37 acres
originally listed on 5/17/2012 at $975,000, last listed at $895,000


6 Wesley Avenue Sitting Room
6 Wesley Avenue website

6 Wesley Avenue Front

33 Country Club Drive – Sold Price: $800,000   Sold Date: 1/13/2014
4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on 1.00 acre
originally listed on 8/05/2008 at $999,000, last listed at $880,000

6 Hay Beach Road – Sold Price: $781,785   Sold Date: 4/30/2014
4 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Mainland view with pool on 1.00 acres
originally listed on 4/24/2013 at $799,000, last listed at $795,000

13 White Birch Road - Sold Price: $780,000  Sold Date: 5/5/14
3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Soundview without pool on .70 acres.
originally listed on 3/26/2014 at $799,000, last listed at $799,000
13 White Birch Road Front
13 White Birch Road website
13 White Birch Road re
6 Cozy Lane – Sold Price: $775,000   Sold Date: 8/11/2014
3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Mainland view with pool on .64 acres
originally listed on 10/01/2013 at $850,000, last listed at $799,000
6 Cozy Lane Front
6 Ward Road – Sold Price: $765,000   Sold Date: 4/30/2014
4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Bathroom, Mainland view without pool on .50 acres
originally listed on 11/09/2012 at $995,000, last listed at $784,000
6 Ward Road "Great Fields"
6 Ward Road website

7 Margarets Drive – Sold Price: $760,000   Sold Date: 7/07/2014
3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Mainland view with pool on .95 acres
originally listed on 7/23/2009 at $1,150,000, last listed at $765,000
7 Margarets Drive Rear

3 Hay Beach Road – Sold Price: $755,000   Sold Date: 4/07/2014
4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Bathrooms, Mainland view with pool on 1.00 acres
originally listed on 5/18/2011 at $925,000, last listed at $799,000

8 West Neck Road – Sold Price: $750,000   Sold Date: 9/25/2014
3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on .70 acres
originally listed on 4/08/2012 at $825,000, last listed at $795,000
3 West Neck Road
50 Country Club Drive – Sold Price: $715,000   Sold Date: 11/20/2014
3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on 1.00 acres
originally listed on 9/19/2014 at $800,000, last listed at $800,000

2 Quaker Path – Sold Price: $678,000   Sold Date: 10/15/2014
4 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on 1.09 acres
originally listed on 6/27/2014 at $799,000, last listed at $799,000

15 Wade Road – Sold Price: $675,000   Sold Date: 10/06/2014
3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on .58 acres
originally listed on 8/29/2014 at $695,000, last listed at $695,000

4 Gazon Road – Sold Price: $648,750   Sold Date: 10/01/2014
5 Bedrooms, 3.5 Bathrooms, Mainland on .94 acres + waterfront parcel and dock
originally listed on 8/30/2013 at $795,000, last listed at $689,000


4 Gazon Road - Dock area

4 Gazon Road - Front
35 South Midway Road – Sold Price: $645,000    Sold Date: 4/15/2014
3 Bedrooms, 1.5 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on 3.43 acres
originally listed on 4/08/2013 at $835,000, last listed at $695,000

11 South Midway Road – Sold Price: $590,000   Sold Date: 4/11/2014
3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on .75 acres
originally listed on 7/05/2013 at $725,000, last listed at $695,000

142 Orchard Road – Sold Price: $550,000   Sold Date: 8/12/2014
4 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on .32 acres
originally listed on 9/07/2013 at $575,000, last listed at $575,000

71 North Menantic Road – Sold Price: $505,000   Sold Date: 5/01/2014
4 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on .50 acres
originally listed on 9/11/2008 at $699,000, last listed at $545,000

40 Brander Parkway – Sold Price: $495,000   Sold Date: 1/28/2014
4 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on .75 acres
originally listed on 4/08/2013 at $550,000, last listed at $509,000

22 Terry Drive – Sold Price: $491,000   Sold Date: 7/01/2014
4 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on .50 acres
originally listed on 4/08/2013 at $550,000, last listed at $550,000

8 Emerson Lane - Sold Price: $475,000   Sold Date: 5/14/2014
4 Bedrooms, 1.5 Bathrooms, Mainland view with pool on 1.07 acres
originally listed on 10/08/2010 at $750,000, last listed at $545,000

14 Cozy Lane – Sold Price: $475,000   Sold Date: 1/02/2014
3 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom, Mainland view without pool on 1.00 acres
originally listed on 10/01/2012 at $510,000, last listed at $490,000
14 Cozy Lane
12 Petticoat Lane – Sold Price: $470,000   Sold Date: 1/29/2014
3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on 1.65 acres
originally listed on 4/08/2013 at $479,990, last listed at $479,990

4 Marc Street – Sold Price: $455,000   Sold Date: 9/12/2014
3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on .48 acres
originally listed on 10/01/2008 at $425,000, last listed at $489,000

11 and 9 Jaspa Road – Sold Price: $390,000   Sold Date: 8/22/2014
2 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom, Mainland view without pool on .47 acres
originally listed on 4/03/2014 at $475,000, last listed at $475,000

84 West Neck Road – Sold Price: $385,000   Sold Date: 2/25/2014
4 Bedrooms, 1.5 Bathrooms, Mainland view without pool on .28 acres
originally listed on 1/20/2014 at $405,000, last listed at $405,000

4 Sunshine Road – Sold Price: $298,000   Sold Date: 2/14/2014
3 Bedrooms 1 Bathroom, Mainland view without pool on .31 acres
originally listed on 8/23/2011 at $350,000, last listed at $350,000






Saturday, January 24, 2015

Shelter Island 2014 Homes SOLD from $1m to $2m

These properties sold for between $1m and $2m on Shelter Island in 2014.  

If you have any questions about these properties and how they factor into the market today, or are interested in buying or selling on Shelter Island, please contact me at: info@penelope-moore.com

67 Gardiners Bay Drive – Sold Price: $1,975,000   Sold Date: 10/20/2014
6 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms, Bayview with pool on .92 acres
originally listed on 8/05/2014 at $1,975,000, last listed at $1,975,000

60 Westmoreland Drive – Sold Price: $1,925,000   Sold Date: 7/10/2014
4 Bedrooms, 3.5 Bathrooms, Bayfront with pool on 3.20 acres
originally listed on 4/08/13 at $3,350,000, last listed at $1,900,000

24 Rocky Point Road – Sold Price: $1,730,000   Sold Date: 1/28/2014
4 Bedrooms, 3.5 Bathrooms, Mainland view with pool on 2.00 acres
originally listed on 3/04/2013 at $2,275,000, last listed at $1,924,000


24 Rocky Point Road

37A Westmoreland Drive – Sold Price: $1,725,000   Sold Date: 9/30/2014
7 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms 2 Half, Creek/Inlet front view without pool on .70 acres
originally listed on 4/13/2010 at $2,400,000, last listed at $1,895,000

2 Irene Lane – Sold Price: $1,675,000   Sold Date: 6/09/2014
4 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms, Creek/Inletfront view with pool on .77 acres
originally listed on 9/05/2008 at $1,950,000, last listed at $1,950,000


2 Irene Lane

28 Lake Drive – Sold Price: $1,560,000   Sold Date: 12/10/2014
3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Bathrooms, Pondfront without pool on 1.19 acres
originally listed on 7/26/2014 at $1,750,000, last listed at $1,695,000


28 Lake Drive

39 Tuthill Drive – Sold Price: $1,500,000   Sold Date: 8/15/2014
3 Bedrooms, 1 Bath 1 Half, harbor view with pool with deeded water rights
originally listed on 8/15/2014 at $1,500,000, last listed at $1,500,000


39 Tuthill Drive

6 Conrad Road – Sold Price: $1,355,000   Sold Date: 4/17/2014
5 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms 1 Half, Mainland with pool on .75 acres
originally listed on 10/09/08 at $2,999,000, last listed at $1,375,000


6 Conrad Road

 47 M South Ferry Road – Sold Price: $1,290,000   Sold Date: 10/20/2014
2 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom, harborfront without pool with sandy beach on .87 acres
originally listed on 4/08/2013 at $1,390,000, last listed at $1,290,000


47M South Ferry Road

 116 North Ferry Road – Sold Price: $1,250,000   Sold Date: 8/18/2014
4 Bedrooms, 1 Bathrooms 1 Half, Creek/Inletfront without pool on 1.80 acres
originally listed on 4/08/2013 at $2,000,000, last listed at $1,600,000

20 C Ram Island Road – Sold Price: $1,155,000   Sold Date: 5/28/2014
2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Wetland view without pool on 13.40 acres
originally listed on 4/08/2013 at $1,500,000, last listed at $1,500,000

6 Woodbine Way – Sold Price: $1,150,000   Sold Date: 8/18/2014
5 Bedrooms, 3.5 Bathrooms, Mainland view with pool on 1.10 acres
originally listed on 4/08/2013 at $1,300,000, last listed at $1,250,000


6 Woodbine Way

20 S Midway Road – Sold Price: $1,075,000   Sold Date: 2/08/2013
3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Creek/Inletfront view without pool on .97 acres
originally listed on 7/18/2013 at $1,075,000, last listed at $1,075,000