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Springing Forward with Slow Food

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Dear Slow Food Friends,

Spring on the East End is always so exciting for us. We love watching our local farms start to blossom with flowers and produce as we anticipate the harvests to come. Our growers support so many local businesses and eateries and are vital to our East End economy. We take comfort each year as the farm stands start to re-open and mother earth ripens, ready to nourish us with the land’s bounty. Thank a grower for their hard work and passionate commitment to a more sustainable environment by shopping at your farm stands.

As the growing season continues we hope you are inspired by our farmers to plant a few seeds of your own, nourish your soil and find comfort with friends around a table.

Maria McBride

Chair, Slow Food East End

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Community Events with Slow Food

Earth Day Success!, Share the Harvest Spring Market,

Farm Tours & Tastings

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Community gatherings are essential to our work at Slow Food East End, so we are so happy to continue to partner with local growers, producers, businesses, artists and eco-influencers.

Earth Day !

Our 4th Annual Earth Day Celebration was a huge success with over 300 guests, over 30 local vendors plus live demos and panel discussions with experts. This year we added an eco-friendly easter egg hunt for the kids, enjoyed live music by Points East, delicious eats by Lombardi’s Love Lane Market, local provisions from eggs, produce, breads and oysters too. It was a wonderful showcase of the doers and growers on the East End coming together to kick off 2025.

We’re deeply thankful to our local vendors, volunteers, and community partners — especially our host, Golden Acres Organic Farm and our generous sponsors who made this day possible:

  • Melissa Principi, Douglas Elliman
  • Farm Credit East
  • Eastport General Store
  • AYS Tents & Events
  • Petit North Fork
  • Party Animal North Fork
  • Cab Franc Forward

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FUNDRAISING is FUN – please join us on the North Fork or South Fork

We are kicking off the East End growing season with two great events. We pride ourselves in hosting free-to-all events like Earth Day but we are a non-profit so fundraisers are vital to help us continue to grow and support our Feed the Forks initiatives that help our Slow Food community.

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Slow Down at 8 Hands Farm!

Farm-to-Grill Tasting & Farm Tour

Enjoy a farm tour and multi-course tasting menu at 8 Hands Farm on Thursday, May 29th from 4:30pm – 7pm. Rain date Thursday, June 5.

Small plates and bites by Fyr & Salt. Chefs Matt & John will light up their wood-fired grills to serve a tasty menu featuring organic farm produce and pasture-raised meats from 8 Hands Farm.

The tasting will include wines poured by Bedell Cellars and speciality drinks designed by Doublespeak Craft Cocktails. Farmer Tom will lead a private farm tour, learn more about his family farm and their pasture-raised livestock.

Get your tickets here

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Summer Solstice Celebration at Share the Harvest Farm

Join us to welcome summer on the equinox weekend at Share the Harvest Farm on June 20th from 5:30–7:30 pm. Rain date Sunday June 21st.

Enjoy live music, and a behind the scenes farm tour with farmer Matt of this non-profit farm with a mighty mission to grow produce to support local food pantries and organizations who help our neediest neighbors.

Taste Share the Harvest summer produce by Aki’s Kitchen and Boards by Jess, local oysters from Oyster Ponds Shellfish Co. and wine from Channing Daughters Winery.

Get your tickets here

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Slow the Forks Down

People, places and things to know about on the East End

May is a happy time of year when most farm stands and farmers’ markets reopen. Shopping directly from our farmers is a blessing of living on the East End and nothing is healthier to consume than freshly harvested local produce.

A sustainable East End agricultural network depends on our community; by shopping local farms where its freshly picked and most nutritious you help our farmers and nourish your health with delicious flavors.

We highly recommend the following farm stands who have earned our Snail of Approval award for sustainable soil practices and commitment to our local community

Farm Stands:

Farmers’ Markets:

  • Springs Farmers Market – Opens Saturday, May 24th, 9am – 1pm
  • Southampton Farmers Market -Sundays 9am – 3pm (Started May 4th)
  • Greenport Farmers Market – Opens Next Friday, May 23rd – 2-5:30pm
  • Sag Harbor Farmers Market – Opens this Saturday, May 17th, 9am – 1pm

May Produce Highlights:

Baby Greens, Kale, Scallions, Asparagus, Spinach, Rhubarb, Green Garlic, Radishes and Tulips (still available a few more weeks)

Your Help is Requested:

We are updating our master list of all the East End local farms and farm stands. Please take a few minutes to complete our survey and let us know about your favorite ones!

Fill out our Farm Stand Survey here

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Congrats to our NEW Snail of Approval Awardee!

Stony Brook Southampton Hospital

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We would love to congratulate Stony Brook South Hampton Hospital’s Nutritional Services Department for their new Snail of Approval Award!

Stony Brook Southampton is the second healthcare institution on the East End to receive the prestigious “Snail of Approval” award. SBSH Nutritional Services Department earned this award for its dedication to providing high-quality, nutritious meals made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Slow Food East End proudly made national news with these awards recognizing their important work.

The SBSH Food Services department fosters a warm and welcoming environment where teamwork and a shared passion for food service shine through. They decided to revamp their food service program in the past few years and their mission now states that “food is medicine.” An excellent food experience is provided for patients and employees. The kitchen uses all fresh vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, healthy fats and whole grains making seasonal, culturally sensitive meals. They also have pushed to reach out to the local food insecure community to donate food. We hope more hospitals and healthcare institutions follow their lead!

P.S. Save the date for the Sagaponack Farm Distillery Snail of Approval Award Celebration on June 27th from 5-8pm. More details to follow!

**If you would like to nominate an East End farm, winery, distillery, brewery, restaurant, or food business that is doing great work around good, clean, and fair food click here.

Food Access

Flower Power Bakers make a difference at CAST last month!

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Thanks to the incredible generosity of our Flour Power bakers, SFEE Flour Power chair, Becky Chidester delivered 60 loaves of homemade bread to the CAST Feed the Kids program during Spring Break.

Our contribution helped CAST improve the nutritional value of meals provided to 372 children enrolled in the program.

“Your donation helped us reach over 100 families,” said Sarina Harley, Interim Food Relief Program Manager, “CAST is thrilled with your ongoing participation. Your support makes what we do at CAST possible.”

Together, we make an impact by not only increasing access to wholesome food but also supporting CAST’s mission to teach young people about healthy eating habits.

Want to join our baking community? Email slowfoodeastend@gmail.com to reach Becky

We Are Slow Food

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Proud that many of our past and present SFEE board members were able to join us on Earth Day. L to R: Sunita Narma, Becky Chidester, Anne Howard, Pennie Schwartz, Maria McBride, Stacey Issacs, Ralph Reinertsen, Marissa Drago, Peter Berley and Miranda Capriotti.

Slow Food East End was established in 2004 at The American Hotel in Sag Harbor by foodies and friends looking to support local farmers. Since then our mission has expanded, but we are still an all-volunteer movement looking for more help.

If you believe in the work we do and would like to get involved – we’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at slowfoodeastend@gmail.com.

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GET TO KNOW US watch We Are Slow Food East End

Any questions or news to share – email us Slow Food Email

Let’s nourish our connections and connect our food ways together.

#Slowtheforksdown – #FeedtheForks

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Become a Member

Become a Volunteer

Donate to SFEE Today

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