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> Features > Pg 2 Feature Stories > Granby farmer a hero for sharing what crops up
Granby farmer a hero for sharing what crops up
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David Kaskeski of Dave's Natural Garden on Amherst Street in Granby features naturally grown produce, hanging baskets, annuals, herbs and perennials and soon poinsettias and much more for the holiday season. Reminder Publications photo by Lori Szepelak
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By Lori Szepelak
Correspondent
GRANBY Large and small bushel baskets of fresh produce are displayed among the colorful cut flowers, jars of homemade jellies, gourds and ornamental corn that comprise Dave's Natural Garden on Amherst Street.
On a recent late afternoon visit to the farm, David Kaskeski, 30, was watering perennials in between visiting and waiting on customers. It's a tall order to run all the workings of a farm stand but he makes it look easy.
As fall slowly creeps into the area, Kaskeski will soon have a variety of large pumpkins to choose from, in addition to the fruits and vegetables in season that he labors to produce.
Kaskeski notes he likes to "change it up every year" so surprises always await customers. Teresa Berneche of South Hadley, one of Kaskeski's original customers, was one of the area residents picking up a bag of sweet corn and noted that Kaskeski offers the "best sweet corn in the valley." Berneche is the type of customer any farm stand owner would want she's enthusiastic about cooking with fresh produce and enjoys decorating her home with fresh flowers.
"He's got it all," she added, noting the great variety of fruits and vegetables Kaskeski offers from April 1 to Dec. 24. "Everything is always tasty."
As Americans fret about where their produce originates, home grown fruits and vegetables are growing in popularity and local farmers like Kaskeski are meeting the demand by expanding offerings each year.
Kaskeski also likes to support his fellow farmers at his farm stand and features maple syrup offerings from Ed Parker of the Parker Sugar House in Granby, fresh picked butter and sugar corn and Hadley onions from the Ziomek Farm, and winter squash from the Twin Oaks Farm, both in Hadley. He also features an assortment of homemade jellies from Lynette Marios of South Hadley.
The immaculate kept farm stand also currently boasts a variety of mums, perennials and cut flowers, as well as 13 fresh varieties of garlic, five varieties of heirloom tomatoes, farm fresh eggs, herbs, apples from the University of Massachusetts Orchard, bushels of potatoes, baled hay and much more. There are even cucumbers hanging suspended in his 96' x 21' greenhouse ripe for the picking.
Kaskeski also adds colorful signage to some of his offerings, including one for Cherokee Purple heirloom tomatoes. His sign reads: "Rumored to be a descendant of a variety used by the Cherokee Indians" at $3 a pound. He also markets a Caribbean Red which Kaskeski promises is the "hottest pepper you can find."
For the coming holiday season, Kaskeski will have more than 400 poinsettias in an assortment of colors, wreaths, Christmas cactus and decorative boxes available for purchase.
Now in his fifth year, he said he came up with Dave's Natural Garden since he does not spray pesticides or herbicides on his family's farmland and uses only organic methods.
Kaskeski is also a Community Involved in Sustainable Agriculture (CISA) "Local Hero" member, and a member of the town's newly formed Agricultural Commission. Even after he closes the farm stand on Dec. 24, he will be knee-deep in plans for the spring which will include planting a new apple orchard, as well as plantings for pears, peaches, currants and raspberries.
What he enjoys most about the business venture is working in his greenhouse and being a grower and the fruits of his labor come through in a multitude of colors on each shelf inside and outside of the farm stand building. When Kaskeski isn't cultivating his crops or giving advice to customers, he is also taking orders from local restaurants to fill their orders of fresh produce needed for that evening's meal offerings.
From dawn to dusk, this enterprising businessman who has a dairy management degree from SUNY Cobleskill in Cobleskill, N.Y., is always eager to expand his business and he notes he's "going to push" to add five acres of fruit trees and berry bushes in the spring.
For more information on Dave's Natural Garden, contact Kaskeski at 320-6802.
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In addition to Kaskeski, there are many other CISA "Local Hero" farms across the valley. "Local Hero" farms also include McKinstry's Market Garden in Chicopee, Bashista Orchards and Bird Haven Blueberry Farm, both in Southampton, Dickinson Farms, Sapowsky Farms and Red Fire Farm, all in Granby, Gooseberry Farms in West Springfield, Justamere Tree Farm in Westfield, Fini's Plant Farm and E. Cecchi Farms, both in Agawam, Calabrese Farms in Southwick, and the Rice Fruit Farm in Wilbraham.
For more information on how to support "Local Hero" farms, visit, www.farmfresh.org.
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