Faces of Long Island celebrates the uniqueness of everyday Long Islanders. In their own words, they tell us about their life experiences, challenges and triumphs. Newsday launched this social media journey into the human experience to shine a light on the diverse people of this wonderful place we call home.

‘We hope to continue feeding anyone who comes to the farm stand.’

Sea Cliff

“During COVID, we opened our farm stand, and all vegetables were free. We did it in order to help support our neighbors who may have lost work during that time period. Some older folks looked like they were having a hard time, and we loaded them up with vegetables, too. It was also done to spread some cheer during a very difficult time. We are neighbors feeding neighbors.

The farm started when we moved to Sea Cliff in 1989, but it was only a vegetable garden. We both worked, so there was only so much we could do. The garden slowly expanded over the years. We began to plant fruit — dwarf apple, cherry and berry trees — and cultivated a big herb garden. As the internet began to offer more information on intensive gardening, we started growing our own food.

We share our food and our knowledge on how to grow with anyone interested.

“One summer, about 12 years ago, we had a garage sale. We were leaving the next day on vacation and decided to sell the rest of the vegetables, which would only go bad while we were away. All the produce was purchased immediately and the farm stand was born!

“We sell organic vegetables and herbs. We do not sell any of our berries, as we share these with the birds. One of our goals is to help others grow their own food in their yards.

“Any contribution of fresh organic vegetables and herbs generated by individuals will be the beginning of their journey toward growing their own food and becoming just a little more self-sufficient. Food is becoming increasingly more expensive and of poor quality due to the fertilizers and insecticides that are used.

“I believe health begins with the conditions we grow our food in, which includes good, uncontaminated soil, and with an organic methodology to try and control pests and fungus.

“Currently, we are expanding the edible sections as we think food is going to get really expensive. All money generated from the farm stand is plowed back into the micro-farm, and that helps to offset the cost. One year, we actually broke even!

“We hope to continue feeding anyone who comes to the farm stand. If conditions surface again that require it, we will go back to feeding our neighbors for free. We share our food and our knowledge on how to grow with anyone interested. We are happy to help the community!”

Interviewed by Saul Schachter

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