Following delay, Krupski Farms in Peconic now open for the season
Krupski Farms in Cutchogue officially opened its doors for the season Friday after a “cold, rainy spring” and limited local produce last month led to a delay.
The multi-generational family farm, run by county Legislator Al Krupski (D–Cutchogue); his wife, Mary; and their children, Nick and Kim, doesn’t typically open until July 4, but Mr. Krupski said they made the decision to open a month later this year.
“It was definitely a cold spring,” he said in a phone interview before opening, “but we made the decision to start later this year, anyway. Normally, we would open Fourth of July, but Fourth of July, there’s not a lot of local produce around and we just didn’t feel like it paid to open without [that].”
Kim Krupski said at the farm Friday that another major reason for the delay was the passing of two close family members.
“We lost two big players in 2017 with the passing of my dad’s parents,” she said. “So we’re just reorganizing and moving into the next generation of production.”
She echoed her father’s words, saying, “It doesn’t necessarily make sense to open up that early in the season when you don’t have the crop diversity … that really draws in customers.”
The farm sells basil, eggplant, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and homegrown sweet white corn — which is now ready to be harvested. Krupski Farms’ tomatoes are ripening, and their pumpkin and gourd crops are well on their way, Mr. Krupski said.
“We also have all of the fall crops planted in the ground … It’s been a beautiful year for [pumpkins and gourds] because they like it hot, so it’s been ideal for [them],” he said.“We’ve also just recently planted broccoli and cabbage and cauliflower for the fall, so we’re gearing up.”
The watermelon crop, Mr. Krupski said, looks outstanding and should be on sale before Labor Day.
“We’re all working at it together,” he said, adding that “it’s a big collaborative effort … I think it was last Sunday night, Kim drove the tractor and Nick and I planted on the planter. Everybody pitches in when there’s work to be done.”
Though the farm continues to expand, it will still be known as Krupski’s Pumpkin Farm.
“Even though we have other produce — we have our own blueberries now that we’ll be picking for the weekend and other crops that we never had before — we still put a heavy emphasis on fall produce,” Mr. Krupski said.
In light of Friday’s opening, he said, the family expects the farm to be open for at least the next three months and will see about remaining open longer, depending on how the fall crops fare.
