This time of year, with most farm stands shuttered, roadside signs for any fresh comestibles, whether oysters or sacks of spuds, fill us with joy, shining like bountiful beacons through a post-harvest fog. (Tell us below where you still get farm-fresh produce.) The Halsey Farm on Deerfield in Watermill is in self-serve mode, and will be open through the New Year, with an always impressive assortment of cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, lettuce and potatoes in small (5 lb.), medium (10 lb.) and large (50 lb.) bags. Serene Green on Noyac Road has cold-season veggies as well as remnant wreaths and trees. The sign outside Ty Llywd in Aquebogue lists only a fraction of the offerings, which also includes leeks, eggs, raw milk, and–again–potatoes. Home-run shellfish stands are also stocked, including the “Scallops” sign one sees on Route 24, between Sunrise Highway and Riverhead, just past the Big Duck in Flanders; as well as the “Clams” stand on Oak Lane in Amagansett, which is offering both oysters and clams.
Back on the South Fork, the warmish weather means that Marilee Foster’s farmstand is still–improbably–open. Among other things, she is selling a new favorite: several varieties of dry, shelled beans, meticulously cleaned and packaged in Chinese takeout boxes. Beyond our home table, you’ll find these beans on menus nearby, including at Dish, Topping Rose and Almond. The beans, like the potoates and this season’s strong scallop harvest, should be around for a while.
