By:Eileen Greco
While many of us are still only hoping for the first glimpse of spring, the Grossmanns have been busy planting and seeding since February. "Pansies are the first flowers planted because they can take the cold," said Liz Grossmann-Rung, a fourth-generation farmer.
Though the farm still possesses the stark colors of winter, it's only a matter of time before the red wagons will be lined up at the gate, and the eye-popping colors of hanging baskets will greet patrons.
In the midst of suburbia, the farm is a place that time forgot.
Long before there was a Malverne, there was a Grossmann Farm. Founded in 1895 by George Grossmann, it was originally surrounded by only other farms. In fact, the house on the corner of Ocean and Hempstead dates back to the 1860s.
What has set the Grossmann farm apart, and allowed them to keep going, was the decision in 1923 to go retail. Everything grown on the farm is sold on the farm. Before that, the farmers would travel over six hours to the nearest market, usually Manhattan, with their fragile produce.
It has been this ability to adapt that has kept the farm thriving. Even now, to keep up with changing times, Liz Grossmann-Rung has added a country store, stocked with teddy bears, cards, wind chimes and other gift ideas. Her sister, Barbara Kutcher, added homemade baked goods and several gourmet items to the produce shop.
Grossmann-Rung is being honored at C.W. Post College on March 28 with an "Honoring Traditions" award. This award is presented to people in different walks of life who have maintained the link to past traditions on Long Island while also looking ahead to the future. The farm is also featured in a documentary, "A Farm Picture: The Life and Times of Long Island Farms" by Glenn Gebhard, and will be shown on PBS (Channel 21) on April 13.
Grossmann Farms is truly a family-run business, with each family member playing a part. In fact, Grossmann-Rung's father, George, still actively works on the farm's seven acres (five are used just for farming) each day, and says that you can't find fresher corn and produce in the summer. What is hard to find is good summer help. "Teenagers would rather work in air-conditioning in the summer," said George. "It's a tough job in the heat."
One staff member, Bob Cook, has been helping the Grossmanns for over 43 years. When asked what he does, Cook replies simply, "Just about anything you ask."
Grossmann-Rung, who has her degree in hotel and restaurant management, came home from college, went to work on the farm for the summer and stayed. She says her career choice has been an easy fit. The only downside to the farming life, she says, is that "as Malverne's largest landowner, the taxes are ridiculous." Still, she hopes to continue the Grossmann tradition of farming.
On May 1, the farm's official opening day, the red wagons will be lined up, the greenhouses will be bursting with flowers and the hanging plants will be set in the sunshine. From that day until the 4th of July, the Grossmann's will be open for business every day. After the 4th, they will allow themselves each Wednesday off.
On any visit to the farm, visitors can spot George Grossmann, Liz Grossmann-Rung, or her seven-year-old son helping out and beginning to learn about the joys and hard work of farming.
Who knows? He just may be the fifth-generation in a long line of farmers waiting to carry on the traditions started by his great-,
great-, great-grandfather, George.
