On the Farm: New Fruit and 'Vanishing Bees'

A summer barbecue is not complete without slices of juicy watermelon and now you can get yours right at the farmer's market in Malverne.

It's been delivered fresh from Garden of Eve farm in Riverhead and is just a taste of what is selling at this week.

There's also baskets full of organic vegetables and produce picked from the land right here in Malverne including eggplant, beets, cucumbers, basil, parsley, lipstick and bell peppers, rainbow chard, potatoes, squash, string beans and three types of tomatoes.

Also, harvested from the Nassau-County-owned farm are squash blossoms, edible pedals that are traditionally breaded, stuffed and fried, and an array of beautiful flowers (For displaying, not eating.) that you can blend together into your own personally crafted bouquet.

You'll also find great stuff grown at other farms on Long Island, including catalope, blackberries, nectarines, white peaches, tomatoes and gingergold apples from Wickham Fruit Farm in Cutchogue. There's also leafy lettuce from Deer Run Farm in Brookhaven, red and yukon potatoes from Wesnofski Island End Farm in Peconic, and string beans from Fox Hollow Farm in Huntington.

Corn from a farm in Calverton also continues to be a hot seller at Crossroads, along with organic eggs from Riverhead and specialty goat cheese from Catapano Dairy Farm in Peconic.

You'll also see scattered throughout the displays honey from Kirkwood and potato chips, jams and spreads from the North Fork.

'Vanishing Bees' Come to Crossroads

This week, the farm will also host its first film screening on Thursday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. They will show a documentary called "Vanishing Bees" about honey bees and colony collapse disorder. Following the movie, filmaker Maryam Henein will address the audience.

The sliding scale admission starts at $5 for "eggs," also known as children 12 and under, $10 for "larve," teens and twenty-somethings, and $15 for "worker bees," the adults. There are also options to donate more if you so choose. All the proceeds will go toward supporting future educational programs at Crossroads.

Journey to the Farm

In case you missed it, Patch funny man Steve Strangio and his ace cameraman, Thomas Zweibel, also paid a visit to Crossroads Farm this week where they toured the fields and caught up with the hard working staff. See the video report .

To stay connected to the farm, click here to go to their Facebook page.