Gajeski Produce

Rivehead, NY

Brian Gajeski who owns and runs the 125 acre Gajeski Produce Farm in Riverhead, NY, greets the day at 4:15 a.m. in order to load up his truck with produce, make the two hour drive down to the city and sell at farmers’ markets every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

“It’s a challenge,” says Brian whose produce is for sale at eight different farmers’ markets every week. “We have a lot of stuff and we take two or three crates of everything.”

Brian knows his farm well; it’s where he was raised and it has been in his family for about 90 years. He left just long enough to get his bachelors in Plant Science from SUNY Cobleskill, a degree he has found very useful. Brian employs innovative agricultural practices like companion planting, a technique where plants are strategically placed according to the natural substances in their roots that either attract or repel insects. This keeps pesticide use to a minimum and saves the farm money.