Charnews Farm to open stand in early May
The Peconic Land Trust plans to open a new farm stand at Charnews Farm on Youngs Avenue in Southold this spring. Not just any farm stand, it’s the first one on the North Fork specifically providing a new retail venue for the incubator farmers in the Farms for the Future program.
This one-of-a-kind venture, set to open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in early May, will feature items from eight different farms. Customers will soon be able to buy a variety of vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs, oysters, honey and value-added medicinal herbal and elderberry products directly from the producers.
Painted the traditional barn red, the 12-by-26-foot stand has a 10-foot lean-to in the front and cost about $75,000 to build, funded by a private donor. Two sets of white sliding barn doors will let customers and light into the interior.
“It was built by the Amish from a kit. It’s a standard building that we tweaked by adding the loft and the lean-to,” said Dan Heston, director of agricultural programs for PLT.
Constructed in Pennsylvania and then disassembled for the tractor trailer trip to Long Island, it arrived in Southold in the middle of the night, amid flashing lights. “They left Pennsylvania after midnight and two bridges — the George Washington and the Whitestone — had to be shut down! Four guys worked from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. to put it together on the foundation in 18-degree weather,” Mr. Heston said.
Before the stand became a reality, the Charnews farmers relied on a temporary self-serve tent to sell their products. “It was a test, an experiment. But over the past two summers, the elements, the wind and rain, showed us we needed a better setup,” said Mr. Heston.
Added Jacqueline Wilson, senior manager of agricultural programs: “The deer and raccoons were also coming by helping themselves!”
Two positive developments that emerged from the pilot experience were a QR code attached to Venmo and a cash box, “which some of the older folk like to use,” Ms. Wilson said.
The tent cost about $5,000 to run each summer; again, the support came from an anonymous donor. “And this person wants to keep farms productive; she’s one of our enthusiastic funders,” Mr. Heston noted.
From inside the stand, with its fresh pine and oak scent, Kim Marsinko, president of Coastal Logistic & Supply, and Rachel Stephens, owner of Sweet Woodland Farm — both part of PLT’s Farms for the Future Incubator Program — emphasized that the new space gives them another outlet to sell their produce and products.
“This will help me diversify my business. Now customers can purchase directly from us farmers,” said Ms. Marsinko. She plans to grow vegetables and flowers this year.
Ms. Stephens, who sells medicinal herbs, teas and syrup from her elderberry bush farm, said, “People are always asking me if they can come to the farm to visit. Now, they can come to the farm stand on our property. They’re now purchasing directly from us.”
Ms. Stephens also plans to sell raspberries, blackberries and garlic, which will be cured in the stand’s upstairs loft, an eaved attic that provides farmers with much-needed storage space. Ms. Wilson pointed out that while the farmers want their goods to be sold at the new farm stand, they also need to be working in their fields.
Mr. Heston envisions having PLT volunteers work a few shifts. “It is always better to have someone talk up each farmer and give out samples,” he said.
He added that there will be more interaction between farmers and their customers now that there’s a farm stand just yards from where they work. “It’s more personable and they can see our farms right there,” he said.
The farm stand will be WIFI enabled and may have refrigeration. “It will help market our farmers. It’s challenging for them to lug all their stuff to farmers markets. Our stand is right here, and it’ll be open seven days [a week],” said Ms. Wilson.
Work is beginning on a small parking lot adjacent to the farm stand that can accommodate seven cars.
