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Benner's Farm
56 Gnarled Hollow Road
Setauket, New York, 11733
631-689-8172
bennersfarm.com
PRE SORT
STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT #38
E. SETAUKET, NY
11733
current resident or:
Raccoons
Farmers have an interesting perspective about the worlds
creatures. On one hand, we keep domesticated animals
which we protect with pens, and on the other hand, we
are constantly negotiating ways to keep wild animals at
bay. Over the years, we’ve shared our farm with millions
of wild rabbits, fox, opossums, turtles, birds and countless
other creatures. For instance, a few seasons back, I came
upon a Red Tailed Hawk in our chicken pen devouring a
hen. To keep the hawks out without having to hurt them
or drive them away, I created a mesh of wire atop our
chicken yard. It worked! This winter deer found the farm
woods and we’ve seen them on the outskirts of our fields
and gardens. One of our northern neighbors lost all of her
day lily plants to these marauding animals one night, calling us to see what could be done. We’re working on how
to deal with this new threat as we tend our strawberry
and pumpkin fields. So far they have left us alone, but we
know that in one night they could destroy weeks of work.
Generally, we have figured out a way to live alongside our
wilder cohabitants. Not so with raccoons.
ing to keep ahead of these adroit animals. They are highly
intelligent and have a manual dexterity that comes close
to that of apes. Their long delicate fingers can easily open
clam shells, trash cans, doors, even jar lids. In studies,
raccoons were able to open 11 of 13 complex locks in less
than 10 tries and had no problems when the locks were
rearranged or turned upside down. Raccoons are smart!
They have four feet with five toes on each. The under part
is bare-soled and flat giving the animal great stability.
However, the back legs are short so they are not fast nor
do they jump well. They can rotate the back feet which
allows them to climb down a tree head first. Raccoons, like
bears and humans, are plantigrade animals, walking on
the entirety of their foot – heel to toe.
Their
masks may enhance vision at night and is also
believed to reduce glare when hiding from predators. Its
bushy tail, about 8-12 inches in length, is used for fat storage (particularly during the winter time), to balance itself
when climbing, and to brace itself when sitting up. Their
average weight is 12-20 pounds and they live two to three
years, much longer in captivity. Studies show that population densities in suburban areas are up to twenty times
those in rural environs. Fruit, insects, berries, nuts, eggs,
small rodents, grapes, corn, crabs, crayfish and anything
Raccoons can get into just about anything. We are con- edible you may have left out for the garbage is fair game
stantly protecting our pens and animal sheds by filling as they are considered the most omnivorous animal on the
holes, changing locks, hatches and doors and generally try-
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Continued from first page
planet! They don’t wash their food, rather they seem to
use water to enhance their tactile sensitivity. It seems to
give them the ability to “see” with their hands. This said,
their scientific name, Procyon lotor, means “washer dog”
even though bears are closer relatives.
Raccoons like to live in
chimneys, tree hollows
or underground dens,
wherever they can find
a safe haven. The first
encounter we had with
these creatures was when
we opened a flue cover
in our kitchen when we
first moved in and saw
a mother raccoon and
two kits looking out at
us! They are generally
nocturnal but sometimes
venture out during the day. Generally if we see them in
daylight we consider them sick, usually with distemper
and they have been known to carry rabies. It’s best to call
animal control if you suspect disease as you or your pets
could be bitten and infected.
Late
fall we often hear unusual screams outside and
know the raccoons are mating. Their three to six kits are
born two months later and two months after that they are
weaned and soon will be foraging on their own. In the
meantime Mom has taught them to climb, swim, and find
food. During this teaching period Mom can be very aggressive and protective. They do not hibernate, but rather, store
fat in the fall and “hole up” in their den or your chimney
during cold and snowy weather.
Special Fall Events
We are excited that Jac will be having Yoga sessions here
this autumn, contact us for times and information.
This summer we met so many interesting people through
camp visits and other serendipitous occasions. We invited
some of them back to visit with you on weekends. Opening
day, Sunday, October 2nd, the Mill River Bluegrass Band
who will be playing music. A Falconer, Bob Mauro, will
show his Great Horned Owl and other birds of prey, October
8th, Save the Animals Rescue, (STAR), will be bring some
interesting wild critters, October 22, and our own bee man,
Andy, will explain Honey Bees October 29th to interested
With all those unusual traits why do we have such antipathy for these animals? These cute, fuzzy, adorable bandits
are, in this farmers opinion, just plain nasty. They seem to
figure out ways to infiltrate and create mayhem whenever
they can. When we hear visitors talk about them as if they
were pets, (some admit to feeding them), our eyes narrow
and we remember the countless chickens they’ve killed, the
tons of garbage they’ve strewn and the feed cans they’ve
opened. We also recall the hundreds of stories we have
of our encounters with them as we’ve tried to match wits
with their constant attack. We’ve dispatched many of them
over the years and our dogs have harried them and pointed
them out for eradication or done the job themselves. If we
had a different perspective we’d look at them as survivors,
I suppose, but that is impossible
under our circumstances.
We’ve also come to loath rac-
coons because they are wasteful
and cruel. A fox will take an occasional chicken or duck, carry
it away and eat all of it. We don’t
approve but understand that we
coexist with a wild population and try to safeguard from
another fox foray. If a raccoon gets into the henhouse we
might find fifteen dead chickens in the morning and only
one or two opened to extract the liver or heart to eat. The
rest it seems were simply dispatched for sport. And so our
dislike for our cute bandit neighbors.
It’s funny, though, ironic even, that the raccoon seems better suited to live among our ever intruding human presence
than almost any other animal. Natures revenge,
perhaps, for all of our human folly. Touché Mother
Nature, Touché.
folks. Judy Ann has been working with our sheep trying to
teach her border collies to shepherd them. It is fascinating to watch how obedient the dogs are and how fast they
learn. We hope to set up a demonstration in October to
show off their progress. Tim Fitall will be returning with
Sampawams Creek to play music for you and Bob will roll
out the player Piano for a Sing along during the month.
So, when you are planning your family outings this Fall,
please check our calendar here in the newsletter or the
updated and revised one on our website, and include a
trip or two to the farm this Fall. Homestead Arts Harvest
Festival will be on the 16th, and our Haunted Hay Rides on
Halloween Evening. Come and enjoy some old fashioned
fun on the Farm.
Ownership
Projects abound in this life.
I think I am generally grateful
that this is true, although I have moments where I wish for
the day when they are all done. Imagine waking up with
nothing left that needs fixing or improving!? I think if that
day actually happened it would be more discomforting than
satisfying for me, but there are moments when I daydream.
Arriving back at the farm for the summer effectively aimed
a spotlight on all those outstanding projects in my life-- the
ones I left behind in Portsmouth as well as those I was
suddenly facing here on the ol’ homestead. One thing that
quickly caught my attention was the negotiation that we
all go through when deciding which projects to do ourselves
and which ones are better ‘left to the professionals’.
conceded on more than one occasion, still, in the past ten
years we have built two barns and two sheds ourselves. We
have re-roofed the big animal barn. We have installed new
cesspools, opened new clearings, built paths and gardens.
We have laid tile, installed lights, wired haylofts… We still
do so much. What I am beginning to see, is the invisible
benefit to doing it yourself. Sure, it is frugal, and if you
don’t have the money to pay someone, it’s the only way to
get something done, but there is another plus. When I walk
around the farm, I am connected to each little piece I had
a hand in creating. A garden bed I planted is my garden,
it’s blooms are a gift to me. Stepping into the craft barn
brings me back to that September when my arm ached
from hammering nails into the roof boards. The tile floor
in the farm pantry, the refinished stair treads, the upstairs
Growing
up here on the farm,
was certainly an ongoing lesson
in ‘doing it yourself ’. Few of you
(our readers) know what the farm
was like in those early years, or
how much it has changed. It
has always been beautiful, but
let’s just say we’ve come a long
way. Bob and Jean, have made
this place their life’s work, and it
has always been a labor of love.
Money? not so much, so, frugality
and self sufficiency have been big
players from day one. If you ask
either of my parents, they will
tell you that they learned more in
the first years owning this farm
than they ever thought possible. Books still fill our library
shelves from those days in the late 1970’s; “How to Raise
Sheep”, “The Family Cow, “Farm Equipment and Hand
Tools”, “Practical Blacksmithing”... Basically, if it needed
to be done, we had to do it. There was no extra money to
pay someone to come in, and so, Dad and Mom figured it
out (and their kids helped- begrudgingly at times). Over
the years, slowly but surely, the farm took shape. Buildings were fixed, fences laid out. Clearings were opened up,
roads and paths were laid. A need for something would
fight its way to the top of the list, and we would find a way
to fix it. Dad fulfilled a childhood fantasy when he bought
a used backhoe in 1988, which instantly transformed wistful daydreams into reality as it pulled tree stumps with
ease, cleared brush, moved dirt… it was an incredible new
force, and still is!
As time went on, and our business grew, we began to have
the luxury of seeking help. We have slowly built a talented
staff who work with us. We can afford to bring in outside
help when a project needs it. Gradually, the question of
‘To Do’ or ‘Not To Do’ has become a possibility. We could
hire someone to do this job… And so the debates ensue.
My Dad still wants to handle things himself most times,
and I have found myself trying to convince him of the need
to hire some things out. He isn’t unreasonable, and has
bathroom. Each little project I’ve done has a special place,
and I know that’s true for other members of my family too.
I’m sure my brother, Ben, looks at the ramp to the event
barn with pride, I’d guess the same is true of the many pens
he’s built, buildings he’s designed. I have always liked the
gate frame he put up on the back paddock, but for him, I’m
sure the feeling of ownership makes it even better.
My two sons and I came down to the farm for the summer,
arriving on June 23rd around 10:30 at night. I woke the
boys and helped them inside, and recruited my dad to help
me with the bags. As we headed toward the car he pulled
me around the corner of our event barn. He was smiling a
big smile as he found the flashlight application his phone
offers. He held the glowing light up to his newly finished
rock retaining wall. The glow illuminated hours of his
work, and revealed carefully pieced together boulders and
stones. Gently curving as your eyes follow it from end to
end. It was lovely. But more so, it was his, and will always
be. When you take on a project, you are engaged. It is
satisfying, even fun, and when it’s done, it feels so great to
stand back and look at it. A feeling you would never have if
someone else did the work. A feeling unique to finishing it
yourself, to pushing through the logistics, and accomplishing the task. It is ownership, and that is more than
money and time. That is life.
After she delivered her twins, with my help, she couldn’t
stand to nurse them, so they were our first babies on bottles
this spring, Kit and Kat. Thank goodness for our Nanny
goats and all their milk! Bottle feeding means trips to the
barn around the clock, so as I entered the barn for the two
AM feedingt I found the Vest back in active labor with a
third lamb! It had been hours since the first two girls were
born, the third was still born. Worse, my ewe was so weak
from the hard pregnancy, that she didn’t make it and we
had to put her down a few days later. Our springtime can
be such a roller coaster of emotion. Still, the candy sweet
babies kept coming; Mounds, Almond and Joy, Twizzler
and Skittles, M and M and Peanut… there were sixteen in
all! In early May, late arrivals Candy Cane, (a goat kid),
and Cotton Candy the lamb arrived to join the crew. Lots
of bunnies were kindled this spring, as well as an amazing
number of chicks, and 5 or 6 ducklings. Whew!
Early May brought our first “intern” to the farm.
With
a offer to help on the farm for room and board, our friend
Michel (aka Shelly) Fitz arrived from Portland, Maine. She
went to work in the strawberry field and put in many hard
hours weeding and training runners. She also helped with
weeding flower beds, planting, transplanting and learning
about gardening from Paula and in general taking on any
job with a smile, and an “absolutely” positive response.
She filled in with visiting classes when we needed and as
an extra tour guide, and then covered a camp counselor
position which had been suddenly vacated. She leaves us
now to return to school and a job in Portland with may
thanks and good wishes.
Comings and Goings
October
marks the start of our 35th year on Benner’s
Farm. It’s hard to imagine that we have been here so long
as the time has gone by so quickly. Our first school field
trips were in 1979, with our youngest son, Sam, a baby in
a stroller! Our first newsletter wasn’t written until 1986.
This column was designed to update our animal population
and let teachers know what to expect when they visit. Over
the years it has come to include changes in staff, and the
comings and goings of family and friends. It’s also a great
place to include some of the special events of the year--a
journal of farm, family and friends.
Our spring birthing began on schedule last April, with
rabbits, sheep and goats all having offspring in the first
week of the month! Naming all those babies has become
a challenge over the years. This year we decided on candy
varieties for our ‘theme’. We began with Mary and Jane
(goat kids) followed by twin lambs, Mike and Ike. We had a
problem with Vest, one of the older ewes, who wasn’t able to
stand up without help the last few weeks of her pregnancy.
Benner's Farm
56 Gnarled Hollow Road
Setauket, NY, 11733
Fall 2011, vol. 25:2
As we mentioned in our last newsletter, our craft barn Molly TeNyenhuis held a lovely retirement party here at
is now covered with solar panels which have made an
incredible amount of clean power for us. Keeping them
open to the sun meant taking down quite a few trees and
tons of bamboo. Since the area was so messy we used
the opportunity to increase the size of the duck pond. We
are still finishing the fencing and layout of the area, but
all of us love the more open feel and back pasture vista.
Our son Ben is working on re-fencing the sheep paddock
adjoining the red barn, and we plan to replace a few barn
posts and pour a wider cement apron in that area before
the new fence goes up this fall. I can’t wait till my sheep
can get back in there!
We got two runt piggies from a sow at the county farm
the farm, for her mom, Rosie Wiesner. MTV was here filming at the farm for some filler shorts with Bob and Lenay
Dunn this summer--imagine, Bob and Benner’s Farm
on MTV! Camp has been in full swing this summer and
Paula, our camp director took a couple of days to attend
the ring ceremony for her daughter, SPC. Gina Bivona to
Spc. Dustin Schmelzla on August 6th in North Carolina.
They were both just back from a year of duty in South
Korea where they were married on March 14. They will
be now stationed at Camp Carson, Colorado together! All
the best to you kids!
The number of friends having babies this year is astounding! Jim Docherty and Carry Ann Griggs had a baby girl
April 21 named Sunny. Our Office manager Jac and David Seel had tiny Eliza Jane on May 10. Then Cara and
Chris Dantzig had Lily on June 22. Dan and Raffi Mosko
gave birth to a boy, Raphael Daniel, on July 5th and Russ
and Sarah Mondry had their sixth child, Louis Mark on
July 20. Todd and Traci Thrasher had Kasey Quinn, their
second girl, on July 28 and we know of at least two more
due to arrive this fall! May 29th we traveled to Massachusetts for the wedding of long time friend and farm helper
Kristin Clapp to Ryan Kidney. Kristin had just completed
her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at the University of
Prince Edward Island a few weeks before her wedding!
August 21st we joined the Boyle/Duffy family in celebrating the wedding of Kelley Duffy to Brad Alleger. Both of
the wedding couples are planing to honeymoon in Ireland.
Congratulations and best wishes to all of you!
who had fourteen, too many to feed herself. The boys
were named Bacon and quickly became the Bacon brothers (Kevin and Michael). They were bathed and put on
bottles of goat milk and began to grow. At a week old, a
simple neutering procedure got complicated and we lost
the littlest piglet. Evidently there was more than just size
wrong with the little fellow. The other, “Kevin Bacon” is
growing fine and was a favorite of the campers who helped
to bottle feed him.
The farm hosted its first non-family wedding this sum-
mer. We spent weeks in preparing by doing projects that
were scheduled but now had a deadline for completion.
The retaining wall by the side of the barn was completed
by Bob with help from Laura Stone, then Kirsten and I
planted and mulched it and many others with six yards
of mulch! Above it rises the beautiful ramp that Ben built
as handicap access to the event barn. It adds a welcoming look to the entrance of the farm, enhanced by a slate
walkway to the ramp (Kirsten and Laura’s project). And
so it went with touches here and there around the farm.
Paula and some of the camp kids helped me to weed and
beautify the herb garden, and with help from Shelly
tackled the greenhouse and Craft Barn gardens. The day
of the wedding was one of the hottest of the summer but
went off beautifully for the happy bride and groom. We
are due to host another in October, just before we open the
farm for our fall pumpkin and hayride weekends.
Here is Bob and Lenay taken during the MTV shoot we
had in early August. Did you catch the airing?
There are so many fun things happening this fall, be sure
to check our calendar to see all the special people who will
be here weekends in October. In addition to picking pumpkins and having haunted hayrides there will be interesting
talks and live music. Hope to see you all soon and
hope your comings and goings are happy ones.
Garden Corner
Anyone who has visited the farm in the fall season has
likely stopped and admired our large bed of Dahlias.
We have been growing them
for the better part of our 34
years on the farm, originally
an homage to my grandfather
who grew them in his garden
in Glen Head. Year after year,
the tubers just keep multiplying! Dahlias aren’t the easiest
flower to keep, they will not
winter over in our climate,
they have to be dug up and
stored in the basement every
fall, and then replanted in the
spring. In a small garden, this
would be relatively easy, but
when you are working with the
quantity we have these days on
the farm, it is a hefty endeavor
every fall and spring. Still, we
keep at it, because they are such a rewarding and wonderful flower! The blooms come in incredibly diverse
varieties of shapes, sizes and colors, and they bloom
Dahlias
from July through October, one of the longest blooming
seasons of any flower. They make excellent, long lasting
cut flowers and keep your garden
lush with blooms.
Dahlias
actually originated in
the mountain regions of Mexico
and Guatemala. They were first
brought to Western Europe by
Spanish conquistadors in the 16th
century, and by the beginning of
the 18th century, botanists had
hybridized double petaled varieties as well as many new color
combinations. The flower takes it
name from the Swedish botanist
Dr. Anders Dahl, is the national
flower of Mexico and the official
flower of the City of San Francisco.
Today, there are well over 50,000
named dahlia varieties, hundreds
of Dahlia societies, and countless breeders and growers.
If you love flowers, you should give these incredible
tubers a spot in the dirt next spring!
Bog Garden
Last winter, Jean, Ben and I visited Hobbs Farm jut south
of here to see how their greenhouse was built. While we
were there we ran into Eric Kunz, who had a good part
of the greenhouse and surrounding area filled with carnivorous
plants. I had always thought that
they were from warmer climes
but Eric pointed out that all of his
varieties, Venus Fly Traps, Pitcher
Plants and Sundew, were found in
our area. He showed me pictures
of these perennials growing wild
in the Carmans river. And indeed,
there were hundreds outside in the
cold; some were covered with snow.
I was intrigued.
This
summer he came and gave
a talk to the kids at our Summer
Camp and then sold some of his
plants for the kids to raise. All they
need is pure water like rainwater,
dehumidifier or air conditioner drippings, snow melt or
distilled water without dissolved minerals. They adapted
to areas without nutrients where most other plants cannot
survive. These plants evolved by capturing bugs and using
them for their growth needs. Pitcher Plants catch insects
in long tubes, attracting them with scents, then drugging
them so they get loopy, fall down the tube and keep them
with fine downward pointing hairs they developed to prevent escape. Venus Fly Traps have
trigger hairs that allow the plant to
figure out whether a fly or piece of
dirt has landed on them and then
slams shut to capture and digest
their insect meals. Finally the
Sundew has tiny hairs with shiny
beads of glue that affix its prey for
digestion. These carnivores need
sun and constant moisture, so boggy
areas provide the best conditions for
them breaking another misconception, as I thought they lived in rain
forest conditions.
After talking with Eric we decided
to put in a Bog Garden near the Little House this fall using rain water
from the big barn’s roof, therefore
providing the moist sunny conditions the plants need. It
will be here for you to see when you come this fall and the
farm will have a few less biting flies and mosquitoes to deal
with as well! We will also be selling some of these
exotic plants in the Little Store.
Weekday Courses for Kids two and up
Mommy (or Daddy!)& Me. A popular program for two and three-year-olds in which mother (or father)
and child explore their five senses as they discover the farm. Learn about the farm by looking, touching,
smelling, hearing and even tasting. A snack, a song and a story complete the fun of each session.
Farm Fun is for young farmers ages 4 to 6. Meet and learn all about a different farm animal in four
one hour sessions. The children will learn about the harvest and preparing for winter on the farm.
Down on the Farm Boys and girls seven and up learn about farm life through hands on experience
with animals, gardens and chores. We will learn
about the fall garden, the harvest and preservation
of foods. This active hour reinforces responsibility
and group cooperation.
Saturday Fun Workshops
Our Saturday workshops for kids will be
offered four times from 10-12:00 (and one at 12:30
-2:30) and will provide hands-on activities, crafts
and instruction centered around the Fall Harvest
season. Each day kids will bring home a project
or treat that they helped make. Each workshop
is $35 and has appropriate age requirements.
Scarecrows (kids 4-7 w/ parent) Oct.8,
Learn about these garden guards by bringing used clothing and decorating one of your own. We will all help
to make one for the farm as well.
Apple Fun (kids 3-6) October 15, Learn about Johnny Appleseed and his wonderful fruit. Squeezed,
cooked, dried and baked apples are delicious and fun.
Pumpkin Fun (kids 3-8) Oct. 22, Given at 10 and 12:30 Try pumpkins practically every way. Decorate them, paint them, eat them, carve them, and play pumpkin games with this versatile vegetable.
Pumpkin Carving (kids 8 and up) Oct. 29th Carving that special Halloween Decoration.
In School Colonial Times Programs, in School & on the Farm
Our exciting, hands-on workshop is now available November through March in schools or combined
with a farm field trip in November, early April, or June. Geared toward the New York State fourth grade
social studies curriculum, the colonial history program includes a group presentation which creates a picture
about what daily life was like in colonial times. With specific attention paid to the role of children in the
family, and lots of show and tell materials, this segment sets the tone for our following hands-on workshops.
Each class tries carding, spinning, and weaving wool, grinding and cooking with corn, stenciling, writing with quill and
homemade ink, and even making a simple toy to keep and
enjoy. Also available are projects like soap making, candle
dipping, rope making, paper making, hacky sack and apple
head doll making to help customize your colonial experience.
We have designed programs for age groups from K through
12 and try to fit your specific needs.
Halloween Evening Spooky Hayrides
Our Halloween Eve Hay Rides were a hit last year and
we will be having them again on Oct. 31st from 5-8 PM. If
you are looking for an alternate way to celebrate this spookie
holiday you may find our scary tractor rides just the thing.
Catering to the younger goblins but fun for all ages 2 and up ($6.00 per person-early rides are suggested for
2 and 3 year olds as it gets spookier as darkness sets in..) Rides will leave every 20 minutes so you can see
the animals or have a halloween treat before you go or when you return. Come in costume and make us
part of your fun.
CALENDAR
September, flower: Morning Glory
12 Full Harvest Moon tonight
18 Apple Festival at Sherwood Jayne Farm
20 Mommy & Me and After School
Courses begin this week
23 Autumnal Equinox at 5:04 AM EST
FARM IS OPEN WEEKENDS
Starting OCT. 2 FOR PUMPKIN
PICKING AND HAYRIDES
October, flower: Calendula
1
Private Wedding, Farm Closed
Farm Opens for visits and pumpkin picking,
2
Concert by Mill River Bluegrass
Scare Crows Workshop, Birds of Prey Special
8
9
Samsawam Creek plays Old time Music
10 LITMA Singing Party
11 Full Hunters Moon
15 Apple Fun Workshop, Player Piano Day
16 Fall Harvest Festival at Benner’s Farm
21-22
Orionids Meteor Shower
22 Pumpkin Fun Workshop, Save Wild Animals
Special
29 Pumpkin Carving Workshop, Bees, Bees,
Bees Special
Last Weekend to visit Farm till Spring
31 Halloween at the Farm, Haunted Hayrides
November, flower: Chrysanthemum
1
first frost expected
Daylight savings time ends, Fall back 1 hour
6
10 Full Beaver Moon
11 Veterans Day
Leonid Meteor Shower
17-18
25 Thanksgiving
December, flower: Holly
10 Full Cold Moon
Geminid Meteor Showers
13-14
22 Winter Solstice at 12:30 AM EST
25 Christmas
January, flower: Snowdrop
1
First day of a New Year
9
Full Wolf Moon
15 Martin Luther King Day
February, flower: Violet
2
Groundhogs Day / Candlemas
Full Snow Moon
7
14 Valentine’s Day
21 Mardi Gras
23 start of Chinese year of the Dragon
24 Group Maple Syruping Demonstrations
25 Maple Syruping Day
FARM WEEKENDS
Benner’s Farm is open to the public on weekends
starting October 2nd, 12-4 for Pumpkin Picking,
Hayrides and special events. Our nominal fee of
$6.00/adults, $5.00/kids plus tax entitles you to visit
with our animals, walk through the nature trails, and
participate in special events and workshops.
The Little Store in the Corner of the Barn
A large assortment of goods: pumpkin carving tools, fresh eggs, t-shirts, craft
books, homemade jams, scented soaps, hand-dipped candles, drop spindles,
fleeces, and honey.
News from Homestead Arts
The Long Island Apple Festival will be held once again at
the Sherwood Jayne Farm on Old Post Road in Setauket.
The date is September 18th from 11-4:30 and admission
will be $6 for adults, $4 for kids/Srs. Enjoy this celebration
of the Apple as we cook with it, play games with it, judge
pie contests and listen to great local music as well. This
is a wonderful festival fundraiser for our three historic
organizations. We are volunteer run and need your help
so come and support us at the festival or volunteer and
make it even better!
Homestead Arts Harvest Festival, held at Benner’s Farm
on October 16th from 12-4 PM. Admission is $6 for adults
and $5 for kids over 2 and seniors. Buy local organic
produce and pumpkins, enjoy a hayride and music by the
Michael and the Dingers. Pet and feed our farm animals
and support this not for profit organization on a lovely
autumn afternoon.
CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION
631-689-8172 or bennersfarm.com
Directions to Benner's Farm
Type faces indicate: Weekend Event day, Homestead Arts Day, Celestial event, Call for information
Open weekends starting October 2, 12 - 4
E-Mail address: [email protected]
Web site: bennersfarm.com
Exit 62 L.I.E. North, (Nichols Rd.), to 25A, East 5 lights, Right
on Old Town Rd. (at Apple Bank). Right at Stop sign, (Gnarled
Hollow Rd.). Second and Third driveway on Right side.