Here's How Green Thumb Organic Farm Is Gearing Up for Fall

Often topping the list of many Hamptonite’s list of local loves, Green Thumb Organic Farm is a third-generation family offering the highest-quality certified organic produce and plants at its Water Mill farm stand on a 13th-generation farm. Here, assistant manager and granddaughter Sammy Applin gives us an inside look at the business and buzzes seasonal produce to shop for this Fall.

Tell us about Green Thumb’s family history. The Green Thumb farm stand was started by my grandparents back in the 1960s, the farm itself being in our family since the 1600s. I was lucky enough to grow up on the farm and from a young age work in the farm stand. As a kid, my grandparents were still involved in running the farm and then my mom and her three siblings took over. Of my generation, there are five of us involved: my brothers, Ray and Jesse, and two cousins Heather and Maddy, and myself. Growing up, I didn’t think I would decide to make a career out of my family’s farm, but after college, I realized there was nowhere else I wanted to be. I think what drew me back was realizing how special the farm is and the importance of organic farming and feeding our community.

Give us an inside look at the farm. What can we find the family working on throughout the season? There’s a lot going on behind the scenes at the farm. In the farm stand, a typical day is helping customers and restocking produce as needed. In the fields, there’s seeding, planting, weeding, cultivating and harvesting. Farming organically is important to us. Our goal is to provide the highest-quality nutritionally dense produce to our customers.

What kinds of produce will you be growing this fall? The fall is the best time of year out here. Early fall especially we have such an abundance of produce. Our summer crops are still happening such as lettuces, tomatoes, summer squash, okra and beans. And then the fall crops are starting, which include carrots, beets, broccoli, sweet potatoes, winter radishes, turnips, kales and winter squash, just to name some. The past few years, we’ve been harvesting ginger and figs out of our greenhouses and those have been very popular new additions.

What is your favorite aspect of your job? I really love getting to know all of our customers. We’re very lucky to have so many loyal customers that have been shopping with us for years, some even going back to when we first opened. Throughout the season, we see so many familiar faces on a regular basis. It’s really special getting to know customers on a more personal level. It’s something unique about being a family business in a small town.

What kinds of produce can customers shop at the farm stand? Aside from harvesting over 500 varieties of fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs throughout our growing season, we also have some local produce from neighboring farms. We try to make it a one-stop shop for people and have a variety of shelf and refrigerator items, as well as local baked goods.

Are there any seasonal events you would like to buzz? We have a few CSA (community-supported agriculture) programs that run throughout the year. Coming up soon is our winter CSA with pickup on Saturdays in December and January. We also have one for early spring that’s typically six weeks from late April until Memorial Day. Our main one is our summer/fall CSA, which runs from June through Thanksgiving. Sign-ups can be done on our website or at the farm stand.