A Very Special Stand

What started as a roadside table has grown into something bigger, more curated – a setup that, when it’s all in place, feels a little like a living still life. Vegetables from our own fields, reflecting everything we’ve learned – about growing, about seasonality, about how people connect with food.

A Market With a Voice

One of the things we love most about Marilee's Farmstand is the conversation. Especially in tomato season, the whole place lights up. The produce is beautiful, yes – but the signage is half the fun.

Our full-time attendant gets asked everything and loves sharing her advice:

“Which tomato’s best for a sandwich?”

“What works for pasta?”

“I’m making a salad tonight – what should I use?”

But we also put out little cards with drawings and quick notes – funny, clear, helpful. They’re designed by Marilee, who’s an artist and an author, too, to make it easier for people to find the right items, and they spark even more talk. If you stop by in August, everyone’s talking tomatoes. What they made, what they’re planning to make, which one was a surprise.

A Season That Stretches

The year starts with asparagus in early spring – a crop that takes years to establish but gives back for decades once it’s in. Nothing beats eating it the same day it’s picked. That's May.

You’ll also find eggplants, peppers, zucchinis going strong through August. Everything except mushrooms and the occasional fruit is grown right here on the farm.

From there, the season stretches forward. We now grow well into winter – cover cropping, rotating, and using unheated greenhouses that let us keep going without forcing the land. Last year, we stayed open through December.

Our main greenhouse is just south of the highway, about a mile from the ocean. That’s where we start most of our plants. But we also grow behind the distillery – it’s not just production space, it’s living land.

Beyond Vegetables

We also bring in fresh mozzarella daily from Villa, and amazing baguettes and rustic sourdough from Alpina Bakery in Water Mill. The bread, the mozzarella, the tomatoes – it all kind of becomes its own summer ritual.

For mushrooms, we work with a friend from Mattituck on the North Fork. And for fruit, if it’s in the stand, it’s usually from places like Wickham’s, one of the oldest orchards on the North Fork, or Milk Pail in Water Mill for apples in the fall.

Where the Land Meets the Table

Most of our farm is about production, not agritourism. We don’t have an open-door policy – but we do open the farm once in a while, usually around Father’s Day weekend, if the weather cooperates.

We’ve also hosted Outstanding in the Field dinners, and every time we do, it’s a reminder of why we keep doing this. The land, the food, the people – it all comes together.

Inside Tip 🪄

Don’t miss the farmstand in peak tomato season. It’s more than produce – it’s a whole conversation.

Ask about the asparagus in early spring, the daily mozzarella, the Alpina sourdough, and which tomato makes the best sandwich.

And if you can’t make it? Go to Almond, where Chef Jason Weiner cooks with our vegetables all week long.

Please Note

Always check with Marilee’s Farmstand’s Instagram page for opening times. It’s usually open one day a week until the season really kicks in. 

Contact

Marilee's Farmstand

About Me

This card was written by Marilee Foster, a sixth-generation farmer, artist, and author, deeply connected to the soil and the environs of Sagaponack, New York. She runs Marilee’s Farmstand and co-owns Foster Farm and the Sagaponack Farm Distillery with her brother Dean.

Images

Marilee's Farmstand / Instagram