History

William G. Condzella 

Condzella's Farm is a family-farm that was founded by William & Mary Condzella. Condzella’s Farm had its beginnings as a potato and vegetable farm in the early 1920’s.  Prior to this, the farm was a prosperous dairy that dates back to circa 1849.  The dairy farm was 30 acres in size and made regular deliveries, to surrounding towns, by horseback.  William & Mary purchased adjacent woodlands, cleared the land with tractors, in order to have 55 acres of tillable land. 

The crops that were initially grown were primarily the Long Island Potato and Strawberries.  .The early crops were sold to the wholesale markets that existed in Riverhead at the time.  A small percentage of these crops were sold on the roadside off the back of a pick-up truck to people visiting the East End of the Island for the weekend.

In the early 1970’s, growing potatoes was no longer profitable for Condzella’s Farm.  Growing potatoes was discontinued and instead crops of strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and beans were planted.  The primary market for these crops were families who came out from the city and western Long Island to pick bushels of produce to preserve for the winter.  The only wholesale produce market that still existed in Riverhead at this time was for cauliflower, so a sizeable acreage of this crop was still grown.

Today, Condzella’s Farm is being cared for by 3rd generation farmer John Condzella, with the help of his wife Ginny.  The primary crops that are being grown are:  asparagus, peas, strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, beans, and pumpkins.  Since the current size of Condzella’s Farm is 20 acres, the emphasis is on quality.  Also, since there are no longer any wholesale markets on the East End of the Island, all of the crops listed above and more, are available in our CSA program, farm stand or for U-Pick by people like you – so come and enjoy!

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