One thing the North Fork has no shortage of: farm stands! This agriculturally rich region is at its juicy peak in July. We’ve curated a list of some of our favorites, from cheesemakers to breeders to fruit and vegetable growers. Visit these spots right now, while the season is ripe.
Sep’s Farms (7395 Main Road, East Marion, 631-477-1583)
North Forkers come for the local vegetables, including some of the area’s sweetest corn, watermelon and sugar snap peas, but Sep’s also sells other items in addition to produce, such as preserves made in-house, New York State grass-fed beef, dairy, eggs, pantry items and even prepared foods like potato lentil soup, pistachio-basil pesto and applesauce. They also collaborate with North Fork stalwart Magic Fountain for a series of ice creams featuring their own local produce, like sweet corn, mixed berry and strawberry.
Lavender by the Bay (7540 Main Road, East Marion, 631-477-1019)
East Marion’s Lavender by the Bay, a seasonal lavender farm, is the place to go for a walk through the fields — and for anything and everything lavender-related — in the summer months. The store itself remains open until the end of the season, though those wishing for a true burst of summer’s finest aromas should make it a point to visit while the herb is still in full bloom. The store sells both culinary and non-culinary varieties of this herb, in every available form: bunches, essential oils, soaps, sachets and more.
8 Hands Farm (4735 Cox Lane, Cutchogue, 631-494-6155)
Now over a decade old, 8 Hands Farm, the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Tom Geppel and Carol Festa, is a 28-acre project in Cutchogue dedicated to pasture-raised meats, organic produce and sheep. 8 Hands is driven by the tenets of sustainability and the desire to move away from industrial farming. Those visiting the farm can find everything from ready-made foods to cured meats to fiber, yarn and soap. The farm boasts both a butcher shop — lamb, chicken and pork are for sale — as well as a farm store, stocked with vegetables, prepared foods and non-food items.
Sang Lee Farms (25180 Route 48, Peconic, 631-734-7001)
Run by the Lee family, this certified organic farm is known not only for its beautiful produce, but also for its unique varieties. Produce enthusiasts can find asparagus, lettuce and berries, as well as heritage tomatoes, young garlic, rare types of melon, gai lan (Chinese broccoli), ong choy (water spinach), Hakurei turnips, daikon, Korean moo (radish) and more. Prepared foods range in scope from soups to salad dressings to pesto and cooking sauces, as well as herbs, vegetables and plants for your garden.
Wickham’s Fruit Farm (28700 Main Road, Cutchogue, 631-734-6441)
If you’re looking for sour cherries on the North Fork, there’s really only one person you need to talk to, and that’s Tom Wickham of Cutchogue’s Wickham’s Fruit Farm. He remains the last grower of this popular and hyper-seasonal fruit, which is around for about two weeks in the end of June through the Fourth of July. Wickham’s is also known for sweet cherries, as well as peaches, plums, apples, raspberries, blueberries, nectarines and even tomatoes and peas. But plenty come for the hot apple cider donuts, made on-premises daily.
Goodale Farms (250 Main Road, Riverhead, 631-901-5975)
Cheese curds. Fresh milk. Beef. Local duck. Jellies and jams. Seafood. Handmade pierogies. Whole turkeys. Yogurt. Hal Goodale’s comprehensive Riverhead farm offers a bit of everything. If you can dream it, you can find it at Goodale. Goodale’s meal subscription boxes are just another reason to appreciate this North Fork gem.
Browder’s Birds (4050 Soundview Ave., Mattituck, 631-477-6523)
This Mattituck farm began as a chicken-raising project for Chris and Holly Browder, who left jobs in New York City to fulfill a different kind of dream life. Their farm, however, has since expanded to include other types of livestock, too, like turkeys, sheep, ducks and even bees. They also run a spring egg CSA, host regular events at the farm, and sell skeins of their yarn and homemade pantry items, like barbecue sauce, rubs and turkey brine. The Cornish Cross and Red Broiler birds are certified-organic and pasture-raised.
Catapano Dairy Farm (33705 Route 48, Peconic, 631-765-8042)
In 2003, Karen and Michael Catapano launched Catapano Dairy Farm, offering goat cheese and other goat milk products — and was perhaps an early trendsetter when it came to goat yoga. Although the Catapano name remains, the farm changed ownership in 2020. Connor Burke, a former oyster farmer, and wife Erin Argo Burke now own and operate the farm. Still, Catapano feels much the same. Baby goat yoga is still available on Saturday mornings for $25, and visitors to the farm can also purchase fresh goat cheese, aged goat cheese, hand and body soaps, moisturizers, lip balms and more.
Hallock’s Cider Mill (1960 Main Road, Laurel, 631-298-1140)
Wayne Hallock is the man behind the stand at Hallock’s Cider Mill in Laurel, where North Forkers flock from all over for the pies: peanut butter pie, coconut custard, apple crumb and, of course, the sinful. The so-called sinful pie is made with toasted coconut, caramel, pecan and nougat and is, in fact, a good encapsulation of its titular description. Hallock has been making these—and plenty of other items, like his much-lauded clam chowder—since he opened in the late 1970s. The farm stand has other homemade items, too: fresh mozzarella and, naturally, plenty of apple cider in season.
Wesnofske Farms (36020-36226 Middle Road, Southold, 631-875-2855)
Gene Wesnofske opened Wesnofske Farms in Peconic in 1967, and the 50-acre farm remains one of the most pedigreed on the North Fork. The petite farm stand is a go-to for anyone looking for high-quality fruits and vegetables that come right from the North Fork’s own soil.
KK’s the Farm (59945 Main Road, Southold, 631-765-2075)
Ira and KK Haspel began their biodynamic business in 1999, and it is now known for its incredible heirloom tomatoes, greens, select berries, nightshades and other vegetables. Their practices have yielded delicious results — they supply produce to many area restaurants and offer locals the opportunity to participate in a unique, biodynamic CSA share.
Briermere Farms (4414 Sound Ave., Riverhead, 631-722-3931)
If you’ve ever driven past Briermere and witnessed the line snaking through the door and out toward the parking lot, you probably have a sense of the love and affection that North Forkers hold for this farm stand — and its attendant pies. Although all the pies are delightful, it’s the cream pies that make waves. Order them in advance to save yourself the headache, or gamble with fate and see what may or may not be available when you stop by. Raspberry cream, cherry cream and peach cream are perennial favorites, although the chocolate cream has its own band of merry followers, too. And there’s also a host of fruit, vegetables, bread and more on offer.
Latham Farms (20055 Main Road, Orient, 631-323-8075)
Farming on the North Fork since the mid-17th century, the Latham family is deeply ingrained in the Orient soil. It’s run currently by Danny Latham, and come late June and early July, his labors will be your joys. Strawberries from the farm stand are just about the best summer treat around, with piles of sweet corn coming in hot behind them. But aside from the abundant fruits and veggies plucked from the family’s 117 acres overlooking Hallocks Bay, the Lathams are also known known for their stunning dahlias (you can even buy the tubers from them and plant yourself) and other flowers cultivated by Danny’s wife, Patti, that are sold here too.
