Above: NORTH FORK SPECIALITIES APPLE AND HONEY ARE AMONG THE TRADITIONAL FOODS OF THE JEWISH NEW YEAR. (PHOTO CREDIT: ISTOCK/MAYA AFZAAL

by MARISA FOX on SEPTEMBER 4th, 2021
Original article link from northforker.com

It’s been a tough year — all the more reason to celebrate the start of the Jewish New Year otherwise known as Rosh Hashanah. marking the start of 5782, which begins at sundown on Labor Day, Monday September 6 and runs through sundown Wednesday the 8. (The Jewish calendar adheres to lunar cycles with each new month coinciding with a new moon). Since it’s a tradition to sample new fruits — as well as honeyed foods to sweeten your year — we turned to the North Fork Reform Synagogue, creators of the North Fork Foodie Tour, for guidance.“The tour was born on Rosh Hashanah,” said Ellen Zimmerman, who cochairs the event with the synagogue’s treasurer Kay Freeman. “A few of us had gathered for lunch after services and were sitting around chatting about all the new interesting farms and food vendors that had just cropped up. We also had a benefit to throw, so we thought a behind-the-scenes tour of all these spots would be a great way to fundraise while also giving back to the community.”

Now in its 15th year, the Foodie Tour is back live next weekend after last year’s virtual version. But that’s not the only reason to rejoice, said Zimmerman. Their roster is bigger and better than ever, a reflection of the bustling farm and foodie community that has only blossomed during the pandemic. You can get a head start on the fun, scheduled for Sunday September 12, by hitting these vendors for the best local ingredients and prepared dishes for your Rosh Hashanah table. Here’s what to scoop up and where.

For light and fluffy honey lavender goat-cheese, perfect for salads or to bake in figs, try Goodale Farms, 250 Main Rd., Riverhead. Email info@goodalefarms.com.

Treat yourself to organic chicken, chicken pot pies , chicken soup and some of the best eggs on the North Fork for your cooking and baking needs, at Browder’s Birds, 4050 Soundview Ave, Mattituck. Email chris@browdersbirds.com.

Though you may be hard pressed to find such Rosh Hashanah staples as starfruit or pomegranate at a local farm stand, we guarantee you’ll find some fruit or vegetable you’ve never tasted before a Sang Lee Farms. It’s also a great place to shop for organic salad greens, herbs, edible flowers, dressings and dips. Sang Lee Farms, 21580 County Rd. 48, Peconic. Email info@sangleefarms.com.

It’s all things goat at Catapano Dairy Farm, from goat’s milk, fudge, yogurt to skincare products, and our favorites, honey goat and jalapeno mango goat cheese. Catapano Dairy Farm, 33705 County Rd 48, Peconic. Email catapanodairy@gmail.com.

If you want to pick organic raspberry, blackberries and blueberries that are sweet as candy, head to Treiber Farms, where growing produce is an art form. They also sell honey, floral bouquets and donate their produce to community organizations, which is a mitzvah (a good deed). Treiber Farms, 38320 County Road 48, Peconic. Email treiberfarms@gmail.com.

For the best green beans in the area, Zimmerman recommends the organic haricot verts from Sep’s Farm, which are dark, narrow and picked when they’re young and full of flavor. The East Marion farm also sells sweet peppers, beets, carrots, squash and a variety of pickled foods and relishes in jars, as well as baked goods and custom-made ice cream from Magic Fountain in flavors like blackberry ginger and oatmeal cookie, a collaboration with NoFo Baker. Seps Farm, 7395 Main Road, East Marion. Email info@sepsfarm.com.

Note: slightly edited from original article) For a novel honey, try real honey lavender made by bees that feed on lavender, as opposed to honey later flavored with lavender essence. It’s a world of a difference and just the touch to wow your holiday guests. Get it at Lavender by the Bay, 7540 Main Rd. East Marion.

Pick just the bouquet of unusual blooms, fragrant herbs and verdant grasses to adorn your holiday table at the North Fork Flower Farm, 1110 Terry Lane, Orient. Email info@northforkflowerfarm.com.

Add a zing to your salads or vegetable dishes with zesty pea, arugula and fragrant basil microgreens, gold and deep burgundy beets and carrots for your tzimmes, beautiful heads of lettuce or prewashed assortments of loose leaves courtesy of the Naked Farm, 880 Old Orchard Ln, East Marion. Open Fri.-Sun. 1-3 p.m.

Tickets for the North Fork Foodie Tour are $30 per person and children 12 and under are free. To purchase tickets and for more info https://northforkfoodietour.com.