Farms of the Future: A Hotbed of Innovation on the North Fork

As seen in THE EAST END BEACON

Pictured Above: Mattituck Mushrooms’ yellow oyster mushrooms are among the crops changing the face of farming on the North Fork.

August 31, 2025 Beth Young1852

The potato and cauliflower fields we remember from our youth on the North Fork are, for the most part, long gone, and while you may be forgiven after taking a quick drive down the main thoroughfares on the fork for thinking these farms have all been replaced by vineyards, there is much more afoot here than wine.

From the wonders of Mattituck Mushrooms to wild pollinator-supporting jam from Blossom Meadow Farm to riots of colorful flowers at the North Fork Flower Farm to the organic beef at McCall Wines, nurseries specializing in native plants, and a growing chorus of young farmers steeped in biodynamic practices learned from the experts at KK’s The Farm, it’s little secret that the North Fork is a paradise for foodies and gardeners.

What may be more of a secret is the philosophy behind the variety of methods practiced by farmers here, and the communities and knowledge networks which, like the threads of fungal mycelium that pervade the soil, provide the

crucial communication necessary for a farming community to thrive.

Agriculture of the mid-20th Century is a tale of how the chemical industry managed to overtake generations of farming practice, providing chemical fertilizers and pesticides to deal with problems that come from farming just

one crop. These processes were widely adopted across the agriculture industry in the last century.

Farmers worldwide now are on many different paths to heal the soil from this legacy. On the North Fork, this problem most notably reared its head in the form of Temik, an insecticide used to spray for potato beetles, which was been banned in the United States only as recently as 2018. Remnants of this pesticide

can still be found in some private wells here.

Over the past several decades, North Fork farmers have been taking many different paths, but with similar goals — regenerating soil and the plants and animals that call their land home, and in the process, regenerating a community excited about sharing our connection to our food, our economy and our neighbors.

Let’s take a dive first into the world of two farmers who are relatively new to the North Fork but who have made a name for themselves for their commitment to growing mushrooms.

Agathe Snow and Anthony Holbrooke of Mattituck Mushrooms were awarded a Snail of Approval from Slow Food East End for their commitment to good, clean food, on Saturday, Aug. 30.

(l-r) Nancy DePas Reinertsen, Agathe Snow, Ralph Reinertsen and Anthony Holbrooke at the Aug. 30 party celebrating Mattituck Mushrooms’ Snail of Approval.

Mushrooms of Mattituck

Several years ago, artists Agathe Snow and Anthony Holbrooke offered to help Agathe’s sister, Anne Apparu-Hall, who ran a New York City-based mushroom company, store some of her old “blocks” of mushroom spores and

growing media at their four-acre property in the woods near Laurel Lake in Mattituck.

It turned out the mushrooms loved the shady location, which had never been farmed. “I did quickly realize that this place is perfect for it. We have great water and we don’t need tons of acreage and lots of machinery,” said Mr. Holbrooke at a party at the farm celebrating the Snail of Approval Aug. 30. “You can do

it with a pretty low-tech investment, which you can basically build yourself, which is what we did. We did it all with upcycled wood and material.”

“But you need to have knowledge and we did have to learn about it,” he said.

The couple were friends with Ira Haspel, a sculptor and architect who runs KK’s The Farm in Southold, a pioneer of biodynamic farming on the North Fork. It was through Mr. Haspel’s network that they found the guidance they needed to grow mushrooms in a way that was sustainable both ecologically and economically.

“The real bonus for us has been being integrated into the community. We’ve gotten to know all the farmers,” said Mr. Holbrooke, adding that Ms. Snow, whose family is very involved in the food industry, has leaned on her network

to build connections with restaurants that cook with their mushrooms.

“Every day, we learn so much,” said Ms. Snow. “It reminds me of how I make art — when I forage, materials are always informing my artwork. They keep recycling and they remind me every day that I have to get my work done. I’m definitely part mushroom.” “The community is amazing,” she said, adding that, by forming networks, people are “basically mimicking mushrooms.”

She pointed out that there’s recently been some controversy in the human networks that discuss mushrooms over whether yellow oyster mushrooms, a staple of mushroom growers’ crops, have become an invasive species up and

down the East Coast.

“They’re saying it’s because people were doing all these experiments throwing them in the woods. They’re very good at growing on their own. We learn from them,” she said. “They have the most anti-oxidants of any mushrooms grown in America. I think they’re basically coming to save us. Only porcinis have the same, in the Blue Zones where people live to 100. The yellow oysters have the exact same compounds as porcinis.”

Slow Food East End, a chapter formed in 2004 of an international organization that had its roots in a protest of the construction of a McDonalds on the Spanish Steps in Rome, has been on a roll in recent years with its “Snail of Approval” award to local food purveyors, led by board member Ralph Reinertsen of Southold. His wife, Nancy

DePas Reinertsen, recommended Mattituck Mushrooms for the award.

“They have a tremendous program here and honestly it’s a testament to how good the mushrooms are. Slow Food likes good food, but it likes clean food and the two of them are impeccable in the way they do things,” said Mr. Reinertsen of Ms. Snow and Mr. Holbrooke. “We have a point system — they got eight out of eight and a

unanimous selection. They checked all of the boxes.”

“One of the things you pick up is the pride the person in charge exudes about their business,” he added. “I’ll interview people and they will just talk about the right way to do things — ‘This is how it should be done. This is how we treat our customers and our staff.’

You get the sense that this is a couple who are just extremely proud of

what they are giving to the public. Slow Food is thrilled to bring Mattituck Mushrooms into our program — its a tremendous addition.”