Stokes Farm News

5/14/2008 Watch us on ABC! Channel 7 WABC was at the farm today to shoot a small piece about farming. We will be on tomorrow (Thursday May 15th) sometime between 6-7pm. Let us know if you see it!
10/30/2007 Order your farm fresh Herb Wreaths today. Our online store is back, well, online!
9/12/2007 Fall is almost here and our fields are full of the wonderful vegetables and herbs you love. You can find Stokes Farm at 3 Greenmarket locations in NYC. Each location currently features our full assortment of fall vegetables and herbs, including heirloom tomatoes, but only for a few more weeks. You can also find us at our own Farmers Market in Old Tappan on Tuesdays and Fridays and at the River Vale Farmers Market on Thursdays. We hope you'll come stop on by and see what we're growing and meet the friendly folks at Stokes.
Stokes Farm is Now Open for 2007
4/18/2007 It's been one interesting winter, with wacky weather and a memorable nor 'easter, but we've finally made it to spring. Our colorful flowers and Jersey Fresh herbs have grown up and are ready for you to plant in your garden or to spruce up your city apartment. You can find Stokes Farm at 3 Greenmarket locations in NYC. Each location currently feature a variety of summer flowers and herbs, prefect for starting your garden or brightening up your patio. If you're really curious, you can also stop by our Garden Center in Old Tappan, NJ, which features a huge assortment of flowers, herbs, vegetable plantings, potting containers, pre-potted arrangements, and more. See our homepage for addresses and hours. We hope you'll come stop on by and see what we're growing and meet the friendly folks at Stokes.
The Greenmarket at 30, New York Voices on Thirteen
10/27/2006 - Over the past three decades, Greenmarket has helped change the tastes of New Yorkers and the development of Union Square. This program showcases some of the farmers, chefs, restaurateurs and founders who bring the Greenmarket to life each week. Stokes Farm owner Ron Binaghi was there in the beginning and he and his family are featured in this special program.
Order Your Farm Fresh Herb Wreaths Today
10/21/2006 - Make a culinary statement this holiday season. Our fresh herb wreaths will add a wonderful holiday fragrance to any room and may also be used in cooking. They also make perfect gifts and are sure to warm the homes of your family and friends. We currently have three varieties available, Rosemary, Rosemary & Thyme, and Rosemary & Lemon Thyme. Place an order today using our Secure Online Store. Or, if you're in New York City, you can pick one up at any of our Greenmarket locations. And be sure to say Sage sent you.
The Union Square Greenmarket: An Anniversary Celebration
At the 92nd Street Y, Thursday, September 21, 2006, 8:00pm ($25)
Come join Ron Binaghi of Stokes Farm and Greenmarket founder Barry Benepe and chef/owner of the restaurants Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns Dan Barber as they discuss how Greenmarket has changed the way New Yorkers view their food. This lecture is part of the year-long celebration of Greenmarket's 30th anniversary.
30 Years of the Greenmarket, The Leonard Lopate Show on WNYC
8/8/2006 - Our own Ron Binaghi was on the Leonard Lopate show discussing how the New York City Greenmarket has changed the way Stokes Farm has done business over the last 30 years, by providing New Yorkers access to farm-fresh produce, and by helping local farmers stay in business.
Stokes Farm Farmers' Market - Now Open
7/5/2006 - This summer, you don't have to go to a New York City Greenmarket to find our freshest herbs and vegetables. From July to September, the Stokes Farm Farmers' Market will be open twice a week, at our Farm and Garden Center in Old Tappan, NJ. Our market features fresh herbs, fruits, vegetables & corn from our farm. On Tuesdays you can sometimes catch Paul's Pickles as well. Be sure to stop by our Farm Stand at 23 DeWolf Road in Old Tappan every Tuesday and Friday from 12pm to 6pm. You can also catch us at the River Vale Farmers' Market on Thursdays from 12pm to 6 pm, located at Mark Lane Recreation Complex of Piermont Avenue.
Caring for your Rosemary
6/21/2006 - We get a lot of questions about how we grow our Jumbo Rosemary plants and how to take care of them. They're very popular after all. So in case you're curious, or haven't asked us yet, our resident herbal expert took some thyme out of his schedule to write up some Rosemary growing and care suggestions to keep your plant growing and healthy for years to come. Please let us know what you think!
Stokes Farm is Now Open for 2006
4/1/2006 (no kidding) - We know you've been waiting. And we've been working hard all winter long. But spring is finally here and that means your favorite Stokes Farm location is now open. All of our NYC locations opened on April 1st, and our Farm & Garden Center in Old Tappan, NJ opens April 6th. See our homepage for addresses and hours. All of our locations currently feature a variety of summer flowers and herbs, prefect for starting your garden or brightening up your patio. Come stop on by and see what we're growing. We'd love to see you again and hear how you're doing.
We're a Babbo Staff Pick
The staff of Mario Batali's New York City restaurant, Babbo, has made Stokes Farm a "Spring Planting" Staff Pick! [read all about it]

Recent Press

Freshness City Dwellers Hunger For New York Times 6/29, 2008
“What we pick in the morning, we’re selling in the afternoon,” Mr. Binaghi, 48, said.... Stokes Farm was one of the first farms to join the Union Square market in 1976 and since then has been selling its produce there to city dwellers. [read more]
Officials hunt for source of tainted tomatoes NBC Nightly News June 22, 2008
"We sold maybe a thousand pounds of tomatoes same day last year. This year we sold 400 pounds of tomatoes," says farmer Ron Binaghi. The end of the clip features our sign that reads: "Our tomatoes tasty and safe." [watch online]
Oh-so-sweet...strawberries NorthJersey.com June 10, 2008
A great list of local farms, including Stokes Farm, where you can buy fresh Jersey strawberries this June. [read more]
Speak up, if you want your (Jersey) asparagus Star-Ledger 4/23/2008
As the mercury inches upward and the local asparagus season heats up in response, in the upper reaches of Bergen County, Ron Binaghi, Jr., of Stokes Farm in Old Tappan tries to steer clear of his 15 rows of green and purple-tinged spears. "I can't pick it because when I'm out there, I keep eating it," he said. [read more]
The culinary spell of cilantro Star-Ledger 10/30/2007
"About three or four years ago, it went mainstream," agreed Ron Binaghi, Jr., of Stokes Farm in Old Tappan. He grows the (aptly named for this time of year) Santo variety of cilantro for sale at his farm and in New York City greenmarkets. "I think we'll have it for three more weeks, right until Thanksgiving. It doesn't like a big freeze, but it doesn't mind a frost." [read more]
Tender is the Zucchini Star-Ledger 8/29/2007
Ron Binaghi, Jr., of Stokes Farm in Old Tappan grows cousa, a light green squash that's shaped like zucchini but is a bit more plump. "It's native to the Middle East and has the same consistency as zucchini, but it's got better flavor. It's sweeter." [read more]
At the Greenmarket New York Magazine 7/23/2007
Ever wonder what "molokhia" is? New York Magazine's Greenmarket blog explains, and we have it.
America's Top Farmer's Markets Eating Well 7/2007
The Union Square Greenmarket was listed in this issue as one of the best Farmer's Markets in the country. You might recognize the picture of Angelo in our pepper field from our own gallery.
Weather Worries Trouble Jersey's Asparagus Growers Star-Ledger 4/18/2007
"We're a unique niche. We're not affected by large agribusiness and foreign competition," said Ron Binaghi, Jr., of Stokes Farm in Old Tappan, who expects to begin harvesting his first full crop of asparagus around the third week of May.
A Springtime Dose of Dill Star-Ledger 3/21/2007
"It's totally not grassy," said Ron Binaghi, Jr., of Stokes Farm... "Dill is a unique flavor. It's one of the nicest scents on our whole counter. It's Chanel No. 5 for an herb guy." [read more]
Stokes Farm on YouTube The People Who Feed Us 2/10/2007
The People Who Feed Us recently put together a great video about our farm. You can find it on YouTube. And be sure to check out The People Who Feed Us for more videos of other New York City area farmers.
Rich Tomato, Poor Tomato, New York Magazine 9/18/2006
A delightful tale of two tomatoes. One grown on a whole-sale Florida farm, and another grown right here on Stokes Farm. [read more]
30 Years of the Greenmarket, The Leonard Lopate Show on WNYC 8/8/2006
Our own Ron Binaghi was on the Leonard Lopate show discussing how the New York City Greenmarket has changed the way Stokes Farm has done business over the last 30 years, by providing New Yorkers access to farm-fresh produce, and by helping local farmers stay in business. [MP3 File]
The Greenmarket Effect, New York Magazine 7/17/2006
"Ron Binaghi Jr., 16 at the time, was there with his father. The way he tells the story, at the end of that very first Greenmarket day, after they had been rapidly depleted of their stock of tomatoes, peppers, and peaches, they headed back to Stokes Farm, their Old Tappan, New Jersey, homestead, slightly dumbstruck. “Is there a famine somewhere in that city?” Binaghi Sr. marveled."
At 30, Greenmarket’s firmly rooted in shoppers’ hearts, The Villager 5/31/2006
“We watch The Weather Channel, we use the computer, we don’t use sundials — we can be smart, you know,” said Ron Binaghi, who runs Stokes Farm, Inc., in Old Tappan, N. J. [read more]
Versatility and bite make arugula a greater green, Star-Ledger 5/17/2006
But now, "it's old news. It's not this big deal any more," said Ron Binaghi Jr., of Stokes Farm in Old Tappan. [read more]
Deck the Table with Swiss Chard, Star-Ledger 12/7/2005
"People have been rediscovering Swiss chard because of their health-consciousness," said Ron Binaghi, Jr., of Stokes Farm in Old Tappan. "We grew it for years, then it kind of fell out of favor and we quit it. Now we're growing it again." [read more]
Mitzi Morris Photo 8/28/2005
A World of Basil, NY Daily News 8/21/2005
Fertilizer may help in the heat, Bergen Record, 8/4/2005
Now that we're in the dog days of summer, it's as important as ever to make sure your plants are well-nourished, says Ron Binaghi... [read more]
The birds and the basil, Star-Ledger 6/1/2005
Ron Binaghi, Jr., of Stokes Farm in Old Tappan, who grows a cornucopia of herbs for sale at several New York City greenmarkets, laughed when I told him my tale. "Maybe they're Italian birds," he chuckled... [read more]
Love of the Land, by Susan Sipprelle 4/1/2005
You have to be a pretty good grower, but a really good marketer," says Ron Binaghi Jr., 44, about farming today... [read more]
In New York, the Essence of Provence, NY Times 7/19/2000

Lucy's Greenmarket Report

We're often mentioned in Lucy's Greenmarket Report, a semi-regular update on all the latest finds at the Union Square market. Find out what's available at the market this week and stop by and support your local farmers.