Restoration Farm

Restoration Farm An organic farm CSA and farmstand on Long Island.
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06/02/2026

The Tuesday farm stand is ready to roll.

So we dropped some hard news yesterday, but the show must go on. The 2026 harvests are gonna be delicious. Now we need Y...
06/02/2026

So we dropped some hard news yesterday, but the show must go on. The 2026 harvests are gonna be delicious. Now we need YOU to come and get ‘em.

After a 20-year marathon, I’ve made the hard decision that this will be my final season running the CSA at Restoration F...
06/01/2026

After a 20-year marathon, I’ve made the hard decision that this will be my final season running the CSA at Restoration Farm. Whether or not this is my final season at all depends on the emergence of a succession plan. Here’s why…

Dan and I launched the farm determined to build something sustainable, but our success was powered by a unique combination of factors. Back in 2007, we were welcomed by Nassau County. We were willing to put our backs on the line. Customer expectations were modest, and various volunteers pitched in. Twenty years later, much has changed. Our backs are getting creaky. Nassau County is not the partner it once was. We’ve raised the bar of customer expectations, but labor remains inconsistent. What’s more, the farm could use a big capital infusion. A young farmer might welcome these challenges as we once did, but Dan and I have arrived at a fork in the road. With two kids on the cusp of college, and retirement to prepare for, we need to make the most of our remaining years in the workforce. I wish I could stay another 20 years, but I cannot labor as hard as I once did, or pin my hopes on transient labor. That chapter is ending. It’s time for the next chapter to begin.

I spent the previous winter travelling around in the hopes of finding a successor—or a plan. There were promising leads and dead ends, leading me to the conclusion that until I step down, no one will step up. So I don’t know what comes next, but I’m ready to stand aside and see what fills the void. Whether it’s another vegetable farm, or farm-based education, I simply want farming to continue. I should note that the farm is not ours to pass on—only Nassau County can do that. But Restoration Farm is now a turn-key operation, and there’s reason to believe the County will support a qualified successor, should one step up.

Farming is the ultimate gamble—and the ultimate expression of hope. This week, as CSA members pick strawberries from beds planted last year, our crew will tend to new beds planted for next year. I don’t know who next year’s stewards will be, but as this bittersweet season unfolds, I’m propelled by the hope that if you plant it, they will come.

—Caroline

05/30/2026

The Saturday farm stand is ready to roll. Fresh greens have arrived! The plant sale is still fully stocked. The tomato plants bounced from underdog to Wonder Dog overnight. Honey is back. Johnny Breads is here, with a new cashier (go easy on him folks, or his mom will kill me). C’mon down!

Good morning from Restoration Farm
05/30/2026

Good morning from Restoration Farm

Wanna impress your friends with a homegrown bouquet? Our plant sale is loaded with all the standard cut flower varieties...
05/30/2026

Wanna impress your friends with a homegrown bouquet? Our plant sale is loaded with all the standard cut flower varieties—zinnia, statice, celosia, strawflower, snapdragon, gomphrena, and more. Most can be dried, too!

Not gonna lie, our crew is really, REALLY pumped about this season’s lettuce. We went the extra mile and invested in new...
05/29/2026

Not gonna lie, our crew is really, REALLY pumped about this season’s lettuce. We went the extra mile and invested in new insect netting to keep out the rabbits and groundhogs that have done so much damage in recent years. It’s a lot of extra work to get the nets on and off for cultivation, but totally worth it—the lettuce looks perfect! The first heads hit the farm stand this Saturday.

Farmer Sean: “How’s the farm?”Farmer Dan: “Eh, you know. Ups and downs.”Farmer Sean: “Well, it looks great on Instagram....
05/28/2026

Farmer Sean: “How’s the farm?”
Farmer Dan: “Eh, you know. Ups and downs.”
Farmer Sean: “Well, it looks great on Instagram.”

Ok Instagram, we see you, so here’s a down. Our seed potatoes rotted in the field. When Dan started commenting on spotty germination two weeks ago, I leaned into my favorite Atticus Finch quote—“It’s not time to worry yet”—as I do when it’s just not time, or when I don’t have time. By yesterday, however, it was time. The few plants that had sprouted were almost ready to be hilled, but 90% of the field was still empty. The different varieties were equally affected, so we chalked it up to a cold spring, rather than bad seed.

Fortunately, there was still time to start over. And we had just enough leftover seed. So I cut the potatoes on the small side, to make them stretch, Dan trenched the rows, I dropped the seed, and Dan backfilled lightly, so the sprouts wouldn’t have to reach very far. We left the bottom half of 3 beds because the germination seemed okay, and we were running out of seed. By the end of the day, the field wasn’t an Instagram glamour shot, but it still looked pretty good.

A big thank you to Farmer Sean for the seed offer, and to Farmer Chris for the late planting tips. Now it’s fingers crossed for potatoes 2.0.

What a difference 24 hours makes. Dan started mowing down the winter rye last week, but 2 passes in, he got called away ...
05/26/2026

What a difference 24 hours makes. Dan started mowing down the winter rye last week, but 2 passes in, he got called away to drive kids to soccer. He finished the job the next day. Can you tell where those first 2 passes were?

Good morning from Restoration Farm
05/23/2026

Good morning from Restoration Farm

Address

140 Bethpage Sweet Hollow Road
Old Bethpage, NY
11804

Opening Hours

Tuesday 2pm - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm

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