ELIJA FARM

Elija Farm

Ah, ELIJA Farm! 

I used to say that when I finally run away, you could find me hiding in Larry Foglia’s perennial gardens, which his family had nurtured for roughly half a century. It’s a remarkably shady spot for a farm, nestled in as one more secret gem among the back roads of Dix Hills. When I learned he was selling the farm, I understood but was really sad. When he actually got excited about the eventual buyer, and the role he and his dear Heather Forest might play in what came next, I took heart.

The people he’d met were Debora Thivierge and Randy Horowitz, special education experts with a passion for sustainable agriculture and experiential learning. Together, with the help of Larry and Heather, they crafted ELIJA Farm, a remarkable CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program that integrates hands on learning opportunities for diverse populations of all abilities. 

What has blossomed in the decade since is truly wonderful. I’ve been there for Eagle Projects constructed off-season on quiet days when there’s nothing going on to speak of but chickens overseeing the job. Even then, you can feel the magic of what happens here…. 

Offerings

You can check out their website, and follow them on Instagram and Facebook. If you’re a teacher looking for a great field trip, they’ve got a page dedicated to that here. They also run a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. Of course, that runs from June until early October, so it’s a little late now, but I’m sure they’ll start taking signups for next year soon! Meanwhile, you can also check out their Market Place, which is open weekdays 9am-3pm, and Saturday 9am-12pm. 

As mentioned, there is also an impressive array of classes for folks of all abilities, ranging from farming to toddler time, to baking to physical fitness and sounds baths. Sign me up! 

Fall Festival

A great way to visit and get a real feel for this place is to go to their Fall Festival, where they invite you to “Celebrate the end of Long Island’s growing season with a day full of family fun, community spirit and autumn magic!”

What: ELIJA Farm Fall Festival

When: October 24, 2026

Where: 43 Foxhurst Road, Huntington Station NY 

What: Farmers market, hayrides, spooky walk, live music, bounce houses, animal pen (yes, you may feed them!), face painting and more. 

Visit the event page on their website for important details!

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Repair Café Heading to Glen Head & Middle Island

The Repair Café is Coming to Hauppauge & Huntington

In a time where buying something new often comes before fixing what we have, The Repair Cafe is a great place to get advice, offer your expertise, and be inspired! There are no guarantees, but a promise to try. Many find the experience itself worth the effort. Folks involved are excited to announce that the next ones will be held:

Hauppauge: 
When: Saturday August 1, @ 11:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Where: Hauppauge Public Library, 1373 Veterans Memorial Highway Ste. 1, Hauppauge, NY 11788
More Information: Click Here
 
Huntington: 
When: Saturday August 8, @ 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Where: Huntington Public Library (Village), 338 Main Street, Huntington, NY 11743
More Information: Click Here

Want to Help?

Are you handy with machines? Electronics? Even a needle & thread?

Would you share this knowledge with the community? Help keep folks from throwing good things into landfills? Maybe just help folks save a few dollars? Come with your kids and teach them, come to teach others, or just come to learn and make new friends?

We imagine The Repair Café  would be an EXCELLENT service project for Scouts, and really anyone who wants to promote the fine art of giving things a second chance at life. Help make the world little thriftier and more self-reliant.

The best way to get in touch is through the Repair Cafe Long Island Facebook Page. You may also contact Laurie at starflexp@aol.com to learn more!!!

Get involved in The Repair Café!

Laurie Explains

You don’t have to be mechanical. Everybody can teach or help with something.

Said Laurie: “The more volunteers, the faster folks can get things repaired. People need to be able to bring their own tools. We get a lot of TVs and lamps and small electronics. We also could use people who are good with furniture, clothing/textiles (with sewing machine), more people for jewelry, anyone for watches and clocks, and other miscellaneous things (last time we had an ironing board, bicycle, a small statue that needed to be glued back together…).

We could also make space for a mental health person who would take time to listen to folks who just have a need to talk, or anyone who can do massage (sure, we can ‘fix’ people, too!).

Anyone who’d like to do some small DIY demos like how to sew on a button, darn a sock, rewire a lamp… Join us!

Learn More!

Check out The Repair Café Long Island on Facebook. Just scroll through the images there and look at these folks helping each other and learning so much together. Oh my goodness!

For years now, Laurie Farber of Starflower Experiences has made it part of her mission to help people fix things rather than just throw them out. Starting in Wyandanch, they built on the idea and carried it through covid. A natural partner, libraries which already work to provide communities with a number of educative resources, allow her to use to their space to strengthen their peoples capability. They’ve been to Huntington before, as well as a number of locations across Long Island. Anyone willing to volunteer and help the program is greatly appreciated!
 

Additional Events Will Be Held

August 15 – Bayshore Brightwaters Library 11:00 – 3:00

September 19 – Shelter Rock Library 1:00 – 4:00

November 7 – Copiague Public Library 11:30 – 3:30

February 27, 2027 – Harborfields Public Library 1:00 – 4:00

March 13, 2027 – South Huntington Public Library 1:00 – 4:00

Photos of Repair Cafe’s across Long Island. Photo Credit: Laurie Farber.

Pure, Unadulterated Joy.

Photos & Caption by Maxwell Laible

“I don’t need to tell you what the Knicks mean to New York. You can see it in the shadowy nosebleeds of MSG and the streets of today’s parade.

Jerseys next to t-shirts next to suits next to sweats next to Yankees next to Mets next to Jets next to old men next to young men next to so ons and so forths.

That in the realm of fake fans and die-hards the only people dying by basketball are still playing in their park courts. That there are no Knicks fans only New Yorkers.”

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Love From the Garden: Savor Summer Blooms, Tend to Autumn Ones Now

Photo of native honeysuckle by Katheryn Laible

Garden Delights

Ahhhh, June! The peonies have passed and the honeysuckle has continued to flourish. I am now enjoying the movements of the spiderwort, while eagerly watching butterfly weed slowly bloom and blackberries ripen. Next, will come the echinacea and joe pye weed, as well as native hydrangea and hibuscus, followed after by ironweed, asters, goldenrod and other autumn blooms… 

What’s blooming? Ripening blackberries, butterflyweed and spiderwort…

Time to Trim the Goldenrod and Asters!

I can’t say for sure which of my many asters have returned yet this year, but I am certainly tending to all them! From now until roughly the 4th of July is the perfect time to significantly cut back fall bloomers such as Agastache, Asters, Eupatorium/Eutrochium, Goldenrod, Helianthus, Heliopsis, Rudbeckia, Solidago, and more…

You can cut them to about 1/3 of their size. Then they’ll be bushier and less likely to be falling all over themselves come autumn!

There are more detailed, professional instructions (and a whole lot more great LI gardening guidance) on Facebook, courtesy of Dropseed Native Landscapes, which is currently offering a 15% off potted plant sale in honor of National Pollinator Week! 

Just about time to cut these babies down to size!

Pretty Poison: Flowers to Pick

Much of what volunteers in the garden these days is invasive ornamental. That tenactity, after all, is a big part of what makes them invasive! The nice part is, some of them are very pretty and very fun to pick. Do get the roots! Be mindful that some plants — like the Porcelain Berry, have wicked root systems and may require other methods to make sure you’re removing and not just multiplying.

They may be pretty, but they’re also problems….Borage, Deptford pink dianthus, lady’s thumb and moth mullein…not all are officially labelled as “invasive,” but I can tell you I have trouble getting rid of these and others. Grateful to those who help me sort it all out.

Building Community

Whether trying to figure out what must go, or what I should plant, I am super grateful to folks at the Northport Native Garden Initiative,  Long Island Native Plant Gardening Group, and Re-Wild Long Island which are FANTASTIC resources filled with great people. Find them and much, much more in our Native Garden and Ecolandscaping Resources.

Knows other great resources? Let me know and we’ll add them to the list!

Happy Father’s Day!

Photo of my father, wandering the village of his grandfather

Thinking About Fathers by Katheryn Laible

Happy Father's Day!

Here is a photo of my own father, wandering through the village of his grandfather, telling stories about him, the mother he raised, his own father, and his father…

I am grateful for him, for them, for my sweet husband, and for all who give it their best to be good men and serve as fathers. It means more than I can say….Thank you!

Brief History

While inspired by its advent, Father’s Day wasn’t formalized until several decades after Mother’s Day. Apparently, it met resistance from dads who found the idea unmanly. Like Mother’s Day’s own founder, many moreover objected to the commercialization of the whole thing. Still, the sentiment runs deep and, in 1972, Richard Nixon finally signed a bill making it official. 

One poignant impetus for Father’s Day in the US was a memorial held in the wake of an awful mining disaster in Fairmont, West Virginia. More directly related to the celebration we know, was a campaign initiated by a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd. She was inspired by a sermon on Mother’s Day and the experience of her father, who raised her and her five siblings alone after their Mom passed in childbirth. Working with local religious leaders, in 1909 they dedicated June 19th (her father’s birthday month) to honoring all fathers. 

You can read about that and other fascinating bits in this Britannica entry, as well as in this History.com article, and in the Farmer’s Almanac.

A Few Resources

I love this collection of “The Best Quotes on Fatherhood” from The Art of Manliness…

Did you know there’s a National Fatherhood Initiative that since 1994 has been dedicated to helping communities and human service agencies foster fatherhood?

Another website, The National Center for Fathering, has been run by Drs. Ken and Michelle Watson Canfield since 1990, offering a wide array of resources and reflections designed to provide practical support to men who wish to be better fathers. 

 

Fatherly, produced by global media company BDG, seeks to “empower men to raise great kids and lead more fulfilling adult lives through original reporting, expert parenting advice, and hard-won insights.”

Thank You - For This Guy and Everyone Else Giving it Their Best

Personally, I am really, super grateful for all who step up to serve in a fathering role. This especially includes all those folks who for one reason or another end up wearing both mother and father hats, and those who are determined to be the fathers they wish they had.  

One sweet and broadly helpful example is this guy, Rob Kenney who hosts “Dad, how do I?” on YouTube. Kenny’s dedicated to doing his “best to provide useful, practical content to many basic tasks that everyone should know how to do.” He started out just trying to do it for his own kids, and now we all benefit.

There are so many guys like this, and so many others who give more of themselves than they knew they had to uplift and serve the next generations. Oh, the stories we could tell…Grateful to have witnessed some of them. It means more than we may realize. 

Grateful!

Get Support for Going Green: LI Garden Rewards Program

Photo of Echinacea Flowers

As part of a broader initiative to address nitrogen pollution, The Long Island Regional Planning Council (LIRPC) wants homeowners to know about the LI Garden Rewards Program. Through this program, residents may be reimbursed up to $500 for installing green infrastructure on their properties such as rain barrels, rain gardens, or native plantings.

The program began receiving applications on May 15th. Receipts must show purchases made after 3/15/26. Funds are limited and granted on a first come first serve basis. Don’t miss out!

Folks living in the Peconic Estuary watershed can also be rewarded for removing turf or pavement, and adding rain barrels, rain gardens and native plant gardens. Residents of the Town Hempstead can also participate in a Native Plant rebate program.

Find information on all of it here.

Photo of Black Eyed Susans

About the Long Island Regional Planning Council

The LIRPC is one of the only organizations tasked with considering the long-term economic, environmental, and social well-being of Long Island as a whole. It conducts research, surveys and studies. It also serves as a forum for discourse and debate, touching on topics such as the economy, equity, tax and governance, the environment and infrastructure.

You can learn about various initiatives and insights on the LIRPC website. It’s a great resource.

Photo of Northport Harbor by Katheryn Laible

Photo of Northport Harbor by Katheryn Laible

Why Nitrogen

One major focus of the LIRPC is nitrogen pollution.

Nitrogen is the leading cause of water quality deterioration on Long Island. It comes primarily from a variety of wastewater sources, and stimulates algal growth. This leads to low oxygen conditions, fish kills, and degraded marine habitats.

It also contaminates the groundwater that is Long Island’s sole source of drinking water.

You can learn more about that and the LI Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP) here. We also have a great, growing resource of sustainable landscaping resources here (tell us more!).

While solutions are multi-faceted, this is a place where individual effort can make significant impact. Go for it!!

Bee on Aster by Katheryn Laible

Photo of Bee on Aster by Katheryn Laible.

Repair Café Heading to Glen Head & Middle Island

The Repair Café is Coming to Middle Island & Glen Head

In a time where buying something new often comes before fixing what we have, The Repair Cafe is a great place to get advice, offer your expertise, and be inspired! There are no guarantees, but a promise to try. Many find the experience itself worth the effort. Folks involved are excited to announce that the next one will be held:

Glen Head: 
When: Saturday June 13 @ 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Where: Gold Coast Library, 146 Glen Head Rd, Glen Head, NY 11545
More Information: Click Here

Middle Island 
When: Saturday June 20 @ 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Where: Longwood Public Library, 800 Middle Country Rd, Middle Island, NY 11953
More Information: Click Here

Want to Help?

Are you handy with machines? Electronics? Even a needle & thread?

Would you share this knowledge with the community? Help keep folks from throwing good things into landfills? Maybe just help folks save a few dollars? Come with your kids and teach them, come to teach others, or just come to learn and make new friends?

We imagine The Repair Café  would be an EXCELLENT service project for Scouts, and really anyone who wants to promote the fine art of giving things a second chance at life. Help make the world little thriftier and more self-reliant.

The best way to get in touch is through the Repair Cafe Long Island Facebook Page. You may also contact Laurie at starflexp@aol.com to learn more!!!

Get involved in The Repair Café!

Laurie Explains

You don’t have to be mechanical. Everybody can teach or help with something.

Said Laurie: “The more volunteers, the faster folks can get things repaired. People need to be able to bring their own tools. We get a lot of TVs and lamps and small electronics. We also could use people who are good with furniture, clothing/textiles (with sewing machine), more people for jewelry, anyone for watches and clocks, and other miscellaneous things (last time we had an ironing board, bicycle, a small statue that needed to be glued back together…).

We could also make space for a mental health person who would take time to listen to folks who just have a need to talk, or anyone who can do massage (sure, we can ‘fix’ people, too!).

Anyone who’d like to do some small DIY demos like how to sew on a button, darn a sock, rewire a lamp… Join us!

Learn More!

Check out The Repair Café Long Island on Facebook. Just scroll through the images there and look at these folks helping each other and learning so much together. Oh my goodness!

For years now, Laurie Farber of Starflower Experiences has made it part of her mission to help people fix things rather than just throw them out. Starting in Wyandanch, they built on the idea and carried it through covid. A natural partner, libraries which already work to provide communities with a number of educative resources, allow her to use to their space to strengthen their peoples capability. They’ve been to Huntington before, as well as a number of locations across Long Island. Anyone willing to volunteer and help the program is greatly appreciated!
 

Additional Events Will Be Held

August 1 – Hauppauge Public Library 11:30 – 3:30
August 8 – Huntington Public Library (Main) 10:00 – 2:00
August 15 – Bayshore Brightwaters Library 11:00 – 3:00

September 19 – Shelter Rock Library 1:00 – 4:00

November 7 – Copiague Public Library 11:30 – 3:30
February 27, 2027 – Harborfields Public Library 1:00 – 4:00
March 13, 2027 – South Huntington Public Library 1:00 – 4:00

Photos of Repair Cafe’s across Long Island. Photo Credit: Laurie Farber.

Green Thumb Organic Farm Delivers to Huntington. Sign Up Now!

“Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bonds.” (Thomas Jefferson, 1785)

It's Time: Locally Grown, Organic Produce

One of the best things our family ever did to teach us to love a variety of healthy foods, support our local economy and natural environment, and to help keep us all free of pesticides, has been to participate in Community Supported Agriculture. 

Green Thumb CSA, based in Water Mill, is starting up delivery again to Huntington. New members are still welcome! This Long Island organic family farm dates back to the 17th century and now encompasses over 130 acres. They grow vegetables, flowers, fruits and herbs, starting in December. Now that it’s June, they are ready to start sending their delicious goods to table! 

The 28 week program stretches from the first Thursday of June until the second Thursday of December. Members of the Cinema Arts Centre get a discount. It’s best to order ASAP, but they have in the past taken on new shareholders throughout the season! 

As their brochure says “Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) brings together community members (shareholders), farmers & agricultural land in a relationship of mutual support based on an annual commitment to one another, a commitment that insures the survival of local agriculture today & for future generations. Basically, you purchase a share in the harvest, receive the highest quality food at the lowest possible price & support local farms.”

It’s an ample supply of high quality produce at a reasonable price. Sometimes, folks split shares. Hard core vegetarians may purchase more than one. The selection of produce changes from week to week. Pickups occur every Thursday from 2:30pm – 7:30pm. When you show up to claim your portion, a chart on the wall will communicate that week’s items. Folks bring their own bags to help keep down both prices and waste. All unclaimed food will be donated to local food pantries. As your investment supports the farm, no refunds are given to those who miss the pickup.

Sign Up Today!

The brochure for the Huntington program is below. They will be at the Cinema Arts Centre Sunday, 5/31 from 3:30-7:30 signing folks up. This is a great way to check out a local treasure, sign up for fresh veggies and ask any questions you might have! 
 
To Register and Get More Information about a Huntington pickup: Email gtCSAhuntington@gmail.com or call 631-421-4864
 
For Information about the Farm and Pickups Further East: Check out www.greenthumborganicfarm.com
 

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Native Garden and Ecolandscaping Resources

Bee on Aster by Katheryn Laible

Recently Updated! A few years ago now, I started reaching out to friends and collecting resources that we are pleased to share with you!

Continue reading

Repair Café Heading to Sayville

The Repair Café is Coming to Sayville

In a time where buying something new often comes before fixing what we have, The Repair Cafe is a great place to get advice, offer your expertise, and be inspired! There are no guarantees, but a promise to try. Many find the experience itself worth the effort. Folks involved are excited to announce that the next one will be held:

When: May 9, 12pm-3pm 
Where: Sayville Public Library, 88 Green Ave, Sayville, NY 11792

Want to Help?

Are you handy with machines? Electronics? Even a needle & thread?

Would you share this knowledge with the community? Help keep folks from throwing good things into landfills? Maybe just help folks save a few dollars? Come with your kids and teach them, come to teach others, or just come to learn and make new friends?

We imagine The Repair Café  would be an EXCELLENT service project for Scouts, and really anyone who wants to promote the fine art of giving things a second chance at life. Help make the world little thriftier and more self-reliant.

The best way to get in touch is through the Repair Cafe Long Island Facebook Page. You may also contact Laurie at starflexp@aol.com to learn more!!!

Get involved in The Repair Café!

Laurie Explains

You don’t have to be mechanical. Everybody can teach or help with something.

Said Laurie: “The more volunteers, the faster folks can get things repaired. People need to be able to bring their own tools. We get a lot of TVs and lamps and small electronics. We also could use people who are good with furniture, clothing/textiles (with sewing machine), more people for jewelry, anyone for watches and clocks, and other miscellaneous things (last time we had an ironing board, bicycle, a small statue that needed to be glued back together…).

We could also make space for a mental health person who would take time to listen to folks who just have a need to talk, or anyone who can do massage (sure, we can ‘fix’ people, too!).

Anyone who’d like to do some small DIY demos like how to sew on a button, darn a sock, rewire a lamp… Join us!

Learn More!

Check out The Repair Café Long Island on Facebook. Just scroll through the images there and look at these folks helping each other and learning so much together. Oh my goodness!

For years now, Laurie Farber of Starflower Experiences has made it part of her mission to help people fix things rather than just throw them out. Starting in Wyandanch, they built on the idea and carried it through covid. A natural partner, libraries which already work to provide communities with a number of educative resources, allow her to use to their space to strengthen their peoples capability. They’ve been to Huntington before, as well as a number of locations across Long Island. Anyone willing to volunteer and help the program is greatly appreciated!
 

Additional Events Will Be Held

June 20 – Longwood Public Library 10:00 – 2:00
August 1 – Hauppauge Public Library 11:30 – 3:30
August 8 – Huntington Public Library (Main) 10:00 – 2:00
August 15 – Bayshore Brightwaters Library 11:00 – 3:00
November 7 – Copiague Public Library 11:30 – 3:30
Feb 27, 2027 Harborfields Public Library 1:00 – 4:00
March 13, 2027 – South Huntington Public Library 1:00 – 4:00

Photos of Repair Cafe’s across Long Island. Photo Credit: Laurie Farber.