Crossroads Farm in Malverne set to host annual Food Truck Rodeo

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As part of its Barnyard Event Series, Crossroads Farm is set to host their annual Food Truck Rodeo in Malverne. Originally scheduled to begin in May, this three-part series will now start on Friday, from 5 to 9 p.m. with another event planned for July 20. The rodeo will include music, different food trucks, local breweries and will feature a new wine and spirits company.
“This is really a community event with lots of family activities,” said Judi Consigli, the farm’s operations manager, who added that there will also be games such as cornhole and face-painting for children.
Cornering Hempstead and Morris Ave, the farm was originally coordinated by the Grossman family for over a century. This landmark of Long Island agricultural tradition was bought by the county with the help of the Nassau Land Trust in 2006. Since then, the land and buildings have been revived and the farm is certified by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York as they continue to provide and promote organic and sustainable agriculture within the village.
“Healthy soil means healthy food and a healthy life,” Consigli said. “The goal of the Food Truck Rodeo is to promote the enjoyment [of] coming to the farm and to promote the joy one gets from being outside with nature.”
The rodeo will be the second fundraiser of the year with other events planned over the course of the summer. The farm’s website cites the Sunshine Days Children’s Summer Program, which offers crafts and activities that educate kids on the aspects of farming while developing “a relationship to the Earth that will be a seed for a lifetime of learning.”

“Having an organic farm in our neighborhood is priceless,” said Elisabeth Hlawaty, a volunteer at the farm for the past five years. “I have lived for 83 years and plan to keep on doing that, so working at the farm helps. Can you imagine a better way to get your doses of vitamin D and happiness by getting your hands into the dirt than working at Crossroads?”
The farm also has three interns working with them this summer from schools that include Churchill High School in Manhattan and Adelphi University in Garden City. Consigli said that schools often reach out to the farm for internships hoping to give their students hands-on experience with the work world.
“The internship is great,” said Lindsey Scott, an intern from Adelphi University. “I’m doing a lot of farming and education. The fourth graders come and we harvest a lot of produce like strawberries and then, they break off into groups making bread and butter and salad.”
The internship for Scott works in conjunction with her recycling project over the summer and the Jaggar Community Fellows Program grant she received at Adelphi. She added that the farm helps impart the values of an organic lifestyle on the community because of its NOFA certification.
Consigli later said that Crossroads Farm gives students the real work experience they seek while it also teaches them about the benefits of an organic and healthy lifestyle.
Members of Crossroads Farm hope that the Food Truck Rodeo will be a great way to kick off the summer and promote fundraising for the group’s other activities while they continue to promote the farm’s message of organic living.
To buy tickets and for more information go to www.xroadsfarmliny.com/upcoming-events.