For many passersby, the idyllic fields that encompass Golden Acres Organic Farm in Jamesport may go unnoticed. Its humble nature is deceiving, the entrance marked by a rustic welcome sign leading to an unpaved path swaddled in a sweep of London plane trees. In season, the farm’s 37 acres set along Peconic Bay Boulevard are lush with vegetation, the greenhouse and outbuildings a flurry of activity.
It’s here that Kelly Brennan and her family hold fast to a way of life on the East End that’s become harder and harder to dig deeply into, as modern real estate demands grind against the pastoral past. Brennan took on the mantle only eight short years ago. It was a gamble to be sure, but it’s a vestige of the past that she’s happy to steward into the future.
Storied roots run deep
Brennan never considered herself a farmer; she leaned more into the administrative side of things. A Riverhead native and mother of three, she’d worked at Goodale Farms for a few seasons handling paperwork and, through that, became familiar with the inner workings of farm management.
Oddly enough, she was really only one generation away from making a living on the land.
“My great-grandfather, Adam Cierach, farmed out in Peconic with horses — no equipment,” Brennan says. “In the early 1950s, my grandfather, Stanley Cierach, was an independent farmer, and grew potatoes, sprouts and strawberries on his farmland in Peconic.”
With little money, the Cierachs lived off the land they farmed. If they wanted chicken for dinner, Brennan’s mom and siblings would go get a chicken from the coop. Her father, although not a farmer, had worked for Hill’s Grocery store, leading him to a position at Hunt’s Point Terminal Market for 30 years buying produce worldwide.
In 2018, that farm-adjacent history would find its way to the fore with a job offer that would forever change the row she chose to hoe.
From desk to dirt
Situated in Jamesport, Golden Earthworm was the first certified organic vegetable farm on the North Fork, with owners Matt Kurek and Maggie Wood growing their crops for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) model and deeply committed to sustainable farming practices.
They leased the land in 1996, then eight acres known as Smallholdings Farm. It took shape in the early 1980s when Dr. Garrison “Mack” Brown, a beloved local veterinarian, and his wife, Betty, established a family farm where they raised cows and chickens and sold fresh eggs, milk and produce (organically farmed, although not certified) to the public through an honor system. A Smallholdings pamphlet featured the sentiment, “We believe our farm, and our countryside, have much to show about areas past … and much to give to future generations.”
Its charm compelled a local author, Kay Chorao, to write an illustrated children’s book called The Little Farm by the Sea, so inspired because it “dawned on her that was a precious piece of Americana that was fast disappearing,” as quoted in a 1998 article in the Riverhead News-Review.
Up until the early 20th century the terrain that predated Smallholdings had an open expanse to Great Peconic Bay. Over the years, though, newly built homes and summer cottages slowly formed a barrier to the shoreline, and the Browns decided to move on to greener pastures, relocating to rural Virginia, leasing the land to Kurek and Wood.
They redubbed it Golden Earthworm Organic Farm, and it thrived for over two decades. When working both the land and keeping up with paperwork became too much, Kurek and Wood decided they needed help on the administrative end. Enter Brennan. Though she knew nothing about the nuts and bolts of organic farming per se, she was game to use her acquired farming knowledge and apply it to Golden Earthworm.
In 2023, Kurek and Wood decided to move their farming operation to Vermont soil, where they would once again grow produce organically, but they wanted to keep their CSA on Long Island going. It was important to them that the Jamesport land continue to be used for farming, and they looked first to Brennan to pass the torch.
For Brennan, the idea of taking over operations was an intimidating proposition, but her husband, Sean, was intrigued and encouraged her to think about it. She did, and the idea grew on her.
“It was a very informal conversation with Kelly, asking her if she had any interest in doing something with the farm after we left,” says Wood. “We wanted it to stay in vegetable production for the local community. She said she would think about it and decided that as long as the employees who would do the farming stayed on, she and Sean would be interested in running it.”
Indeed, Brennan knew she needed full support from the current staff, which had been working the land for over 16 years and was well-versed in organic farming practices.
“I told the crew, I can only do this if you’re all on board,” she says. The answer was a unanimous and resounding yes.
Kurek assisted with the transition, offering his guidance and watchful eye to ensure things went smoothly. The only thing that changed was the name — and Golden Acres Organic Farm became the next chapter in the long-lasting narrative of the Jamesport property.
“Kelly has so many great skills,” says Wood. “She is more on the business side of things and has a terrific aesthetic as far as setting up a market and farm stand. She’s learning — and she likes getting her hands dirty. They are growing beautiful things.”
Cultivating community
With a spirit marked by tenacity and optimism, Brennan now spends her days “solving problems,” she says.
“I try to start every day with a plan and meeting with my amazing crew. But challenges arise. What I think we’re going to plant or harvest that day changes on the fly for various reasons — weather, water, irrigation issues, equipment breakdowns,” she says. “Sometimes I feel that farming is just going around and fixing things. There are a lot of moving parts, especially with organic farming. I feel it’s us against the beetles, birds or small animals who love veggies … But it all eventually gets done, and there is a great satisfaction at the end of the day.”
Although Brennan sits in the driver’s seat, her family is fully on board and Golden Acres has evolved into a family affair. Around Christmas, when the market is shuttered, the fields go dormant and the staff rests their weary selves for the winter, the Brennans are already planning for the year ahead. The family — including the kids, Connor, 22; Caitlin, 20; and Courtney, 13 — brainstorms about the upcoming season and what new crops they want to introduce. This year’s updated harvest includes the addition of purple peppers, white raspberries, gin fizz tomatoes, and rhubarb to their ever-growing list of bounty.
Brennan is deeply passionate about connecting with the surrounding community, inviting locals and visitors alike to enjoy the property and feel at home.
“That’s what this is all about,” says Brennan. “This is for all of us, the whole community. I’ve found a woman sitting and reading her book at a bistro table in the early morning hours, kids playing on the grassy areas during the day. I encourage people to come and spend time here at the farm.”
As a market farm, what she grows onsite is what is sold at the farm stand. Sometimes they run out of certain things, the freshly picked produce sold out for the day. That’s when Brennan’s super-accommodating self takes over. One day last year a customer came by and needed basil, but the bin was bare.
“Apparently basil was an important part of a recipe he was preparing for that evening,” says Brennan. “So I told him to follow me out by the field and wait.” The man watched as she wandered down the rows of herbs, plucked a fragrant bunch and handed it to him, roots and all. The man was forever grateful.
Brennan is generous in other ways, too. She donates surplus produce to Food Rescue-North Fork weekly, which distributes her vegetables to local food pantries and other in-need agencies. She admittedly grows “a little extra” to ensure she has enough to contribute. She also collaborates with Slow Food East End, hosting events throughout the year and winning their Snail of Approval as a “shining example of organic farming excellence.”
On the horizon
Golden Acres continues to offer CSA boxes for pickup, and their onsite market is filled with organic produce, freshly cut flowers, local meats/dairy, award-winning honey and more. They also have a presence at several farmer’s markets across Suffolk County.
Each year, their yield includes over 40 varieties of vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers. And they are swelling at the invisible seams, so much so that they extended their reach and leased an additional 29 acres on an adjacent property, bringing the total acreage to 37.
Brennan also hopes to expand her repertoire and add some new experiences to Golden Acres, including farm-to-table dinners, workshops, bee keeping classes, and other special events. But it’s her energy, ideas and enthusiasm that are the true secret to the fertile farm she oversees.
“I enjoy it immensely. It’s something I was given the privilege to carry on at this farm location,” she says. “Nothing I ever dreamed I would be able to do.”
